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<h1 data-aos="fade-down" id="daily-dose">Daily-Dose</h1>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" data-aos-anchor-placement="top-bottom" id="contents">Contents</h1>
<ul>
<li><a href="#from-new-yorker">From New Yorker</a></li>
<li><a href="#from-vox">From Vox</a></li>
<li><a href="#from-the-hindu-sports">From The Hindu: Sports</a></li>
<li><a href="#from-the-hindu-national-news">From The Hindu: National News</a></li>
<li><a href="#from-bbc-europe">From BBC: Europe</a></li>
<li><a href="#from-ars-technica">From Ars Technica</a></li>
<li><a href="#from-jokes-subreddit">From Jokes Subreddit</a></li>
</ul>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-new-yorker">From New Yorker</h1>
<ul>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>The Year in Labor Strife</strong> - COVID-19 appears to have lit a match beneath at least a decades worth of late-stage-capitalist tinder. - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/2021-in-review/the-year-in-labor-strife">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>The Long Afterlife of a Terrible Crime</strong> - Decades after her mother was killed, Regina Alexander reached out to the son of the people who did it. - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/american-chronicles/the-long-afterlife-of-a-terrible-crime">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>The Relentless Ego of Ghislaine Maxwell</strong> - The British socialite, who has been convicted of conspiring with her late partner, Jeffrey Epstein, to groom minors for sexual abuse, continues to act like she has nothing to be ashamed of. - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/the-relentless-ego-of-ghislaine-maxwell">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>The Queen of the Desert</strong> - How Susan Sorrells transformed a Death Valley mining village into a model of ecologically conscious tourism. - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/us-journal/the-queen-of-the-desert">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>The 2022 Economy Looks Strong, but Beware the Known Unknowns</strong> - COVID and policy changes could radically impact growth, inflation, and the midterm elections. - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/our-columnists/the-2022-economy-looks-strong-but-beware-the-known-unknowns">link</a></p></li>
</ul>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-vox">From Vox</h1>
<ul>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>3 ways remote work could remake America</strong> -
<figure>
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-
cdn.com/thumbor/nZ1H8v9cUCF1ysY2P2u-BraPaNc=/280x0:4721x3331/1310x983/cdn.vox-
cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/70345240/GettyImages_1233758236.0.jpg"/>
<figcaption>
New homes sprawl into the desert on July 1, 2021, in Henderson, Nevada. As remote work takes hold, some predict more suburban sprawl with implications for the climate and our political institutions. | David McNew/Getty Images
</figcaption>
</figure></li>
</ul>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
From climate change to political polarization, remote work could change it all — even for in-person workers.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="ri1PDl">
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="ErW8ri">
Its not just another perk in a benefits package — remote work could fundamentally reshape the urban geography of the United States.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="St7pGt">
Where we live has been <a href="https://www.vox.com/22352360/remote-work-cities-housing-prices-work-from-home">dictated by where we can find a good job</a>. That truism has <a href="https://www.vox.com/22352360/remote-work-cities-housing-prices-work-from-
home">defined much of where Americans reside</a> — clustered in and around lucrative job markets.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="GVaR8N">
In particular, <a href="https://www.aeaweb.org/articles?id=10.1257/pol.5.4.167">“superstar cities”</a> have been a defining technological advancement. According to a 2018 article by <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-03-27/the-extreme-geographic-inequality-of-high-tech-venture-
capital">economist Richard Florida</a>, “the five leading metros account for more than 80 percent of total venture capital investment and 85 percent of its growth over the past decade.” Another economist, <a href="https://eml.berkeley.edu/~moretti/clusters.pdf">Enrico Moretti</a>, recently noted that “the ten largest clusters [cities] in computer science, semiconductors, and biology account for 69 percent, 77 percent, and 59 percent of all US inventors.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="oFPuk7">
Remote work could change that.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="9LtauB">
While only 37 percent of jobs could be performed remotely full time (<a href="https://www.nber.org/system/files/working_papers/w26948/w26948.pdf">according to two University of Chicago economists</a>), those jobs have outsize purchasing power (accounting for <a href="https://www.nber.org/system/files/working_papers/w26948/w26948.pdf">46 percent of all US wages</a> by the same estimate). When people with these jobs congregate, they provide the necessary demand for a vast array of service sector jobs, from nurses and lawyers to teachers and taxi drivers. This is hugely important — it means that<strong> </strong>remote work could expand the choices of where to live for millions of Americans, not just those who have the option to work from home full time.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="BnHCl4">
Imagine, for example, that youre a human resources manager at a tech firm in San Francisco, married to a baker and paying <a href="https://www.zumper.com/rent-research/san-francisco-
ca">$2,800</a> a month for a one-bedroom apartment. With remote work, you could instead move to be closer to your family in Nashville or Orlando, and save a bunch of money on rent alone. And when you move, youll take your family and your demand for services with you to those locations, opening up opportunities for other workers — including, say, your spouse, who could confidently move with you and open a bakery catering to other new transplants.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="bwmxki">
To be sure, theres good reason to believe that very little of this will happen.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="ZeQFC5">
Productivity is an open question and perhaps the most important one. Remote work doesnt have one clear effect on workers productivity, <a href="https://scholar.harvard.edu/eharrington/publications/working-remotely-selection-treatment-and-market-provision-
remote-work">evidence from economists Emma Harrington and Natalia Emanuel</a> shows. Productivity <a href="https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20210920-why-workers-might-eventually-reject-hybrid-work">losses</a> or <a href="https://www.nber.org/system/files/working_papers/w28731/w28731.pdf">gains</a> under remote work are likely to be different industry by industry, firm by firm, and role by role.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="GjIX44">
But if, on the whole, firms that choose to work in-person outperform those that are remote, it could push the equilibrium back to where we were before the pandemic. Thats what Moretti <a href="https://www.vox.com/22352360/remote-work-cities-housing-prices-work-from-
home">predicted to me back in April 2021</a>: “The moment you start losing that creativity and productivity, thats when both the employer and employee have something to lose from this decentralized application.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="jN1HMN">
Moreover, agglomeration economies — <a href="https://www.vox.com/22352360/remote-work-cities-housing-prices-
work-from-home">“the tendency of employers and workers to cluster”</a> in big cities — are very powerful. One of the big reasons this happens is because of <a href="https://www.vox.com/22352360/remote-work-cities-housing-prices-work-from-
home">matching between labor demand and supply</a>. Particularly for highly specialized workers, you want to live in a place with a lot of firms you can work for, so that you can bid up the price of your labor. And for firms, similarly, they want to be in a place with tons of workers they could hire for specialized roles, so they can find the best one.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="tIC5VS">
For remote work to delink where people live from where they work, its likely not enough for just one biotech firm to decide its employees can work from home full time. A bunch of firms in that industry would need to make that shift.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="40msXH">
If that happens — one economist thinks about <a href="https://thebrowser.com/notes/adam-ozimek/">20 percent of jobs will realistically go fully remote</a> in the long run — there will be massive implications for where Americans live and work, presenting new challenges and solutions for the housing crisis, climate crisis, and our political institutions.
</p>
<figure class="e-image">
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><img alt=" " src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/zv_mkjEdKytpXmZHanruKasv6fE=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-
cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23114497/sml7fq3gleaj2xssvvz_ra.png"/> <cite>Gallup</cite></p>
<figcaption>
From <a class="ql-link" href="https://news.gallup.com/poll/355907/remote-work-persisting-trending-
permanent.aspx" target="_blank">“Remote Work Persisting and Trending Permanent”</a> by Lydia Saad and Ben Wigert, showing the persistence of remote work during the pandemic.
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h3 id="x4Vszu">
Remote work and housing markets
</h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="CLoCEr">
Americas “superstar cities” are lucrative labor markets — but the price of entry has become the cost of living, namely, the price of shelter. Housing costs have skyrocketed in these places, because supply has been artificially constrained by the labyrinth of regulations and veto points in the housing development process.
</p>
<aside id="lhPaOh">
<div>
</div>
</aside>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="0J970Z">
Fixing this process is paramount, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/12/opinion/biden-infrastructure-zoning.html">expert</a> after <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/19/opinion/biden-zoning-social-justice.html">expert</a> has maintained. And while there has been some progress in recent years — notably on the West Coast — as of May 2021, the country has a shortage of about <a href="http://www.freddiemac.com/research/insight/20210507_housing_supply.page">3.8 million homes</a>, with the problem concentrated in the metropolitan regions with the most valuable labor markets.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="MzFRQ4">
Remote work could relieve some of the upward pressure on housing in these cities, in part by diffusing demand throughout the metro- suburban region. One <a href="https://www.nber.org/papers/w28731">study</a>, for example, showed that a shift to working from home would “directly reduce spending in major city centers by at least 5-10 percent relative to the pre-pandemic situation.” And<strong> </strong>economist Matt Delventhal <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0094119021000139">found</a> that an increase in remote work in the Los Angeles metro area would lead average real estate prices to fall: “As many workers move into distant suburbs, prices in the periphery increase. However, these price increases are more than offset by the decline of prices in the core. … In the counterfactual where 33% of workers telecommute, average house prices fall by nearly 6%.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="3IrOMa">
Fully remote work, meanwhile, could make it possible for people to avoid the high housing costs of places like Seattle or Boston entirely, while still accessing the jobs they offer.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="zEYfsP">
By reducing the demand for housing in these major cities, the upward pressure on housing costs could ease. It also means that demand could be spread more equitably across the United States. We <a href="https://twitter.com/PEWilliams_/status/1459957646010818562">saw this dynamic begin to play out</a> during the pandemic as rents rose in more affordable cities like <a href="https://www.redfin.com/news/redfin-rental-report-rents-
up-21-pct/">Baltimore and Dallas</a>. But to accommodate that demand, cities need to make it easy to build more homes in these locations, otherwise rents will follow the same pattern as in <a href="https://www.vox.com/2021/9/17/22679358/california-newsom-duplex-single-family-zoning">San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Washington, DC</a>.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="hNwpYc">
While cities like <a href="https://www.redfin.com/news/october-
november-2020-housing-migration-trends/">Austin, Phoenix, and Atlanta</a> are some of the natural inheritors of superstar city-dwellers seeking more affordable but still urban living, there is also an opportunity for smaller cities to benefit from a shift to fully remote work. One is already trying to seize it.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="LDY52y">
Like many American cities, Tulsa, Oklahoma, struggles with population growth and attracting high-wage workers. In order to combat this, a program called <a href="https://tulsaremote.com/faq/">Tulsa Remote was launched</a> offering $10,000 grants and “numerous community-building opportunities” to fully remote workers to move to Tulsa for a full year.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="wYuCSa">
“Tulsa did not just offer the $10,000,” Upwork chief economist Adam Ozimek told Vox. “Tulsa has also worked to build community for remote workers and create lots of local amenities. Tulsa was also the first to do it and this has been unequivocally good for Tulsa … but I would be surprised if anybody found out [$10,000] works out by itself. No ones going to make lifestyle decisions around $10,000.”
</p>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt=" " src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/4PvZ_rbZoJKXJ154YpGOV2NauP4=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-
cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23142833/GettyImages_1317972959.jpg"/> <cite>Andrew Lichtenstein/Getty Images</cite>
<figcaption>
Downtown Tulsa, Oklahoma, May 10, 2021.
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="18oNu2">
The Economic Innovation Group released a <a href="https://eig.org/tulsa-remote">report</a> in November outlining the results, finding that the program “is expected to be responsible for 592 full-time equivalent (FTE) jobs and $62.0 million in new labor income for Tulsa County in 2021 alone. In total, for every dollar spent on the remote worker incentive itself, there has been an estimated $13.77 return in new local labor income to the region.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="IdnFfr">
Making housing more accessible is great, but the impact of remote work wont be cheaper house prices for everyone. While people who formerly lived in urban areas and can now move to the periphery would likely see a reduction in their housing costs, those who already live there, or who live in more affordable cities, would see their housing costs increase. While the average cost of housing would decline in this scenario, the differential impacts are important for policymakers to consider so that they preempt unwanted displacement by liberalizing zoning laws.
</p>
<h3 id="YSoyZh">
Remote work and the climate
</h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="2aVWwV">
Density is a carbon mitigation tool. Densely populated areas can benefit the most from transit and walkability. They can also <a href="https://www.vox.com/science-and-
health/2017/1/26/14388942/building-energy-use-density">reduce energy costs</a>. If fully remote work becomes possible as the vast majority of American localities plan for sprawl and <a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-
tank/2021/06/07/todays-electric-vehicle-market-slow-growth-in-u-s-faster-in-china-europe/">electric vehicle growth remains sluggish</a>, it could exacerbate the climate unfriendliness of our built environment.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="QZ83f0">
“Both logic and empirical evidence suggest that developing more compactly, that is, at higher population and employment densities, lowers VMT [vehicle miles traveled]. Trip origins and destinations become closer, on average, and thus trip lengths become shorter, on average,” reads a <a href="https://www.nap.edu/resource/12747/sr298summary.pdf">report</a> by the National Academies. Whether remote work has a negative carbon footprint relies on what types of communities people move to and how that influences their energy consumption and driving behavior.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="8JQYMq">
Most evidence thus far has shown that as people have moved over the last year, theyve generally stayed within the same metro region but tended toward the suburbs. In May, Stanford economists Arjun Ramani and Nicholas Bloom termed this the “<a href="https://www.nber.org/system/files/working_papers/w28876/w28876.pdf">donut effect</a>,” with the hollowed-out center representing the declining demand for urban life during a pandemic that forced many urban amenities to shutter. This effect is concentrated in the 12 most-populous metro areas.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="rO09dW">
But these dont have to be your fathers suburbs. Recodes Rani Molla <a href="https://www.vox.com/recode/22714777/remote-work-from-home-city-suburbs-
housing-traffic">has reported on the “urbanization of the suburbs,”</a> writing that while people are leaving cities for the suburbs, they are bringing their taste for city amenities with them — these new suburbanites like walkability and access to a diverse array of restaurants and stores. If suburbs become more walkable and transit-friendly, and our land use laws allow for mixed-use development such that housing can be built near job centers, shopping centers, and schools, it could mitigate the harms of this change. As always, <a href="https://usa.streetsblog.org/2017/07/26/if-americans-
paid-for-the-parking-we-consume-wed-drive-500-billion-fewer-miles-each-year/comment-page-2/">every locality should stop subsidizing the cost of parking</a> and make it easier to take climate-friendly transportation.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="wU64ok">
The Stanford researchers note there isnt a significant amount of movement happening between metro areas, which indicates that at least so far, hybrid remote work is a more likely outcome than a large number of workers going fully remote.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="J0j76k">
Remote work may need more time for its true impact to be felt. While many people may have moved to the suburbs in a state where they already resided, that decision was likely influenced by their uncertainty around how long remote work would be permitted in the pandemic and after.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="eXVkF6">
The carbon impact of fully remote work is highly uncertain. There are many reasons to think that it would be negative: People moving toward less dense areas without access to transit networks and into a land-use legal framework that incentivizes large single-family homes and sprawl does not bode well.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="OZAnRJ">
For some, remote work could eliminate commuting, <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1361920921000687?via%3Dihub">which is a significant contributor to workers emissions</a>. As the Atlantics Derek Thompson explained <a href="https://megaphone.link/VMP7676733938">in a recent interview on Voxs policy podcast <em>The Weeds</em></a><em>, </em>“a culture where Zoom is considered a perfectly decent replacement” could curb the <a href="https://www.worldwildlife.org/initiatives/cutting-aviation-
pollution#:~:text=Air%20travel%20is%20also%20currently,course%20of%20an%20entire%20year.">most carbon-intensive travel of all: air travel</a>. Depending on a lot of factors, the <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/business/business-news/did-
zoom-kill-business-travel-ever-road-warriors-weigh-n1268744">reduction in flying</a> could outweigh any increase in commuting by car.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="BYjPlr">
Its also possible that focusing on urban geography as a major part of the solution to the climate crisis is misguided. “My bet would be that the energy sector-specific changes are more important than the future of remote work,” Thompson said. That is, pushing the US to electrify vehicles and get more of its energy from low-carbon sources like nuclear, wind, solar, or hydropower is likely far more important than marginal changes in density.
</p>
<h3 id="Gjgm1N">
Remote work and politics
</h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="o124N4">
In recent years, Democrats have grown increasingly concerned as college-educated voters cluster in heavily liberal-leaning states. This exacerbates an Electoral College and Senate advantage for Republicans, whose constituency is more evenly distributed across more of the country.
</p>
<aside id="M2oy9p">
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="4PPGiM">
Will Wilkinson outlined many of the political harms that have accompanied urbanization in a Niskanen Center research paper, <a href="https://www.niskanencenter.org/wp-
content/uploads/2019/09/Wilkinson-Density-Divide-Final.pdf">“The Density Divide: Urbanization, Polarization, and Populist Backlash</a>.” He argues that polarization has been amplified by “the self-selection of temperamentally liberal individuals into higher education and big cities while leaving behind a lower-density population that is relatively uniform in white ethnicity, conservative disposition, and lower economic productivity.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="4bggq5">
Its not just that there are higher-paying jobs in Los Angeles than in Youngstown, Ohio — the nation has been segregating based on peoples openness to experience and liberal attitudes.
</p>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt=" " src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/CsheYD6uGCfHh81DBXswZJWEDHM=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-
cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23117598/Screen_Shot_2021_12_21_at_9.47.54_AM.png"/> <cite>Niskanen Center</cite>
<figcaption>
Dense places vote for <a class="ql-link" href="https://www.niskanencenter.org/wp-
content/uploads/2019/09/Wilkinson-Density-Divide-Final.pdf" target="_blank">Democrats</a>.
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="B8h9aM">
Remote work could change some of this. While some people might still sort based on those characteristics and stay in deep blue states, others will find there are enough liberals in cities like Bozeman, Columbus, or Austin, to make do. Others still could forgo these preferences in favor of slashing their cost of living, deciding that its fine to live in a neighborhood of the opposite political party as long as you can afford a pool.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="VcOda1">
As Arizonas population has grown in part from California emigrants (<a href="https://www.bizjournals.com/phoenix/news/2020/11/18/new-arizona-residents-come-from-california.html">one study showed</a> that 23 percent of all Arizona immigrants came from California) Democrats have netted benefits, winning both Senate seats and the states 11 Electoral College votes in the 2020 presidential election. Increasing numbers of college-educated voters could advantage Democrats further in the state, as well as in places like Georgia, Florida, and Texas.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="1xrCO5">
But the impact of more remote work might not be that straightforward: In August 2020, Thompson <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2020/08/just-small-shift-remote-work-could-change-
everything/614980/">theorized</a> that a “demographic shift could reshape American politics. A more evenly distributed liberal base could empower Democrats in the Sun Belt; accelerate the Rust Belts conservative shift; strengthen the moderate wing of the party by forcing Democrats to compete on more conservative turf; and force the GOP to adapt its own national strategy to win more elections.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="OE7JEf">
But an influx of well-educated, highly paid coastal expats could affect the political trends of existing residents in other, unexpected ways. Coastal emigrants views might change because part of what was making them Democrats was living in diverse and dense communities.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="XqhINo">
Theres also a chance that in many of these states, existing institutions could stifle liberal sentiment.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="tFzZiU">
At the local level, as long as these states governors and statehouses remain Republican, state preemption laws could hamstring localities from enacting policies that reflect an increasingly liberal electorate. Republican states have stepped in to make it <a href="https://grassrootschange.net/preemption-
watch/#/category/plastics">illegal for localities to tax plastic bags for environmental reasons</a>, to <a href="https://arktimes.com/arkansas-blog/2019/01/31/arkansas-supreme-court-puts-an-end-to-fayetteville-non-
discrimination-ordinance-for-now">prevent localities from extending anti-discrimination protections to LGBTQ people</a>, and Indiana <a href="https://twitter.com/TransitCenter/status/1380184916965593092?s=20">attempted to cripple</a> a bus rapid transit system in Indianapolis.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="U65xQs">
As blue cities gain prominence in red states, it is likely to set up showdowns over the limits of municipal power. These fights will only intensify if left-of-center voters flock to electorally vital red and purple states.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="gHS52X">
Another important political trend is that newcomers will trigger NIMBY sentiment wherever they go. NIMBY-ism is a product of scarcity, not a deficiency solely found near the ocean, and as higher-income Americans move where their dollar goes further, existing community members are likely to balk at the changes.
</p>
<div id="GPovU7">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" dir="ltr" lang="en">
Californians moving to Texas and putting in offers 60k above asking price GO AWAY
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">— Tiger Lily (<span class="citation" data-cites="TigerLilyHarv">@TigerLilyHarv</span>) <a href="https://twitter.com/TigerLilyHarv/status/1472399252320051200?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 19, 2021</a></p>
</blockquote>
</div>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="PME6ub">
As the New York Timess Conor Dougherty <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/12/business/economy/california-housing-crisis.html">reported</a> last February, “The Californians Are Coming. So Is Their Housing Crisis.” Locals are angry, Dougherty writes: “in Boise, Go Back to California graffiti has been sprayed along the highways. The last election cycle was a referendum on growth and housing, and included a fringe mayoral candidate who campaigned on a promise to keep Californians out.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="pJTBYc">
Localities have the opportunity to reduce the economic costs of newcomers and preemptively bring down the temperature by liberalizing their zoning laws and investing in market rate and affordable housing as well as enacting <a href="https://www.vox.com/22789296/housing-crisis-rent-relief-control-supply">anti-displacement measures</a> in order to reduce the conflict. But some conflict is inevitable; as <a href="https://www.texasmonthly.com/news-politics/austin-
car-clubs-gentrification/">one dispatch</a> from East Austin recounted, residents of a “new luxury building” began calling the police on a neighborhood tradition.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="dKSjyJ">
This past year shows that government can have a large role in shaping how remote work plays out. Expanding broadband access to ensure that the ability to do remote work is equitably distributed, liberalizing zoning laws, investing in amenities to attract knowledge economy workers, and ensuring that the gains from growth do not solely accumulate to the most well-off — thats all in policymakers hands.
</p>
<ul>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>The shape of the omicron wave is becoming clearer</strong> -
<figure>
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/-brQ-
IG6qPZrk3-Gh_YXnjPRYig=/333x0:3000x2000/1310x983/cdn.vox-
cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/70345153/GettyImages_1237468036.0.jpg"/>
<figcaption>
People wait in line for Covid-19 testing in Los Angeles, on December 29. | Gary Coronado/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
</figcaption></figure></li>
</ul>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Even with less severe disease, omicron will bring big disruptions in the new year.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="CxvXGk">
The <a href="https://www.vox.com/22824183/omicron-variant-covid-19-vaccine-south-africa-pfizer-
vaccine">omicron variant</a> has helped drive the United States into uncharted territory for <a href="https://www.vox.com/coronavirus-covid19">the pandemic</a>. The country was <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2021/us/covid-cases.html">reporting</a> an average of more than 400,000 new Covid-19 cases every day as of January 3, easily eclipsing last winters record of 250,000. And infections are still spiking, with the number of newly reported cases quadrupling since the beginning of December.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="myO7i7">
There is still <a href="https://www.vox.com/coronavirus-covid19/22813896/omicron-covid-variant-cases-hospitalizations-
vaccines">a lot of uncertainty with the omicron variant</a>: Were still learning exactly how transmissible it is, how likely it is to cause severe disease and for whom. But <a href="https://www.vox.com/22846696/omicron-covid-19-variant-
virology-mutation-vaccine">we know more now than we did</a> when it first began spreading in the US.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="TAGUua">
All the early indications were that <a href="https://www.vox.com/coronavirus-covid19/22807565/covid-new-
omicron-variant-symptoms-vaccines-treatments">omicron was even more transmissible than its predecessors</a>, at least in part because of its ability to partially evade preexisting immunity, and that has proven to be true. While earlier CDC estimates that the variant took over in the US in mid-December <a href="https://www.npr.org/2021/12/28/1068643344/cdc-
omicron-covid-19-delta-revise-estimates">turned out to be overstated</a>, omicron <a href="https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-
data-tracker/#variant-proportions">has now surpassed</a> the previously dominant delta variant in its share of new US cases.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="dRLUxT">
With cases rising, so is the number of patients in the hospital with Covid-19. But, at least so far, they are not rising as rapidly as infections, lending credence to the theory that omicron leads to less severe disease, particularly for vaccinated people. Deaths <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2021/us/covid-
cases.html">have barely budged</a> over the last month, with about 1,250 new deaths being reported every day as of January 3, essentially unchanged from the 1,125 daily average on December 3. While there is always a time lag between new reported cases and the data showing more serious illness, the evidence, including biological research findings, that omicron poses less of a threat to each individual patient is only growing.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="yNlnGu">
But even if individuals face less risk from omicron, the variant still threatens to seriously disrupt daily life and the economy in the coming weeks.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="MY9v6V">
The US could soon be averaging as many as 1 million cases every day. Workers and students will have to stay home when they test positive. The sheer speed of omicrons spread is imperiling hospitals, already straining after two difficult years. Even if the proportion of omicron cases that turn serious is lower, some states are still seeing new highs in the number of patients in the ICU with Covid-19 because of how widespread the virus is right now.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="6lHpGJ">
“The current omicron surge represents one of the greatest public health challenges not only of the pandemic but also of our lifetime,” Michael Osterholm and Ezekiel Emanuel, preeminent public health experts and two members of the Biden transition team, <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/12/30/omicron-variant-
challenges-covid/?utm_campaign=wp_opinions&amp;utm_medium=social&amp;utm_source=twitter'">wrote in the Washington Post</a>.
</p>
<h3 id="OifXka">
The two most important features of the omicron wave
</h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="bTKNrC">
Omicrons extraordinary transmissibility has been evident since it was first detected in South Africa. But it had been an open question whether it would also be more dangerous to patients.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="6z8Qbj">
At this point, the evidence that omicron leads to milder illness, particularly for people with prior immunity, is solidifying. A lot of people are getting infected with the omicron variant right now, but at least so far, not as many of them are getting so sick that they end up in the hospital. The current US trends pointing toward less severe disease would align with how omicron has behaved in South Africa and the United Kingdom.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="di8QmZ">
New York, one of the first omicron hot spots in the US, reflects the patterns nationwide and around the world: New cases <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2021/us/new-york-covid-cases.html">have risen</a> by nearly 300 percent over the last two weeks, but hospitalizations (up by 75 percent) and deaths (a 61 percent increase) have not seen the same exponential growth, though they are trending upward. California, likewise, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2021/us/california-covid-cases.html">has seen</a> 400 percent growth in cases over two weeks, but less movement with hospitalizations (up 51 percent) and deaths (down 16 percent) over the same period. The share of their ICU beds occupied by Covid-19 patients has grown (up to 26 percent in New York and to 14 percent in California), but the percentage is still much lower than it was during the spring and summer waves of 2020, according to <a href="https://carlsonschool.umn.edu/mili-misrc-covid19-tracking-project">the University of Minnesotas hospitalization tracker</a>.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="u86PQX">
South Africa experienced rapid growth in new cases as omicron took hold, setting a new record of 23,300 every day by mid-December. But cases are now declining, and deaths have not come close to the highs seen over the summer and last winter.
</p>
<figure class="e-image">
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><img alt=" " src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/s-QF92GvGsEpS0bkgceBPzuvEj8=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-
cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23142254/coronavirus_data_explorer__17_.png"/> <cite>Our World In Data</cite></p>
</figure>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="QSycDk">
The UK <a href="https://ourworldindata.org/explorers/coronavirus-data-
explorer?zoomToSelection=true&amp;uniformYAxis=0&amp;pickerSort=desc&amp;pickerMetric=total_cases&amp;hideControls=true&amp;Metric=Cases+and+deaths&amp;Interval=7-day+rolling+average&amp;Relative+to+Population=false&amp;Align+outbreaks=false&amp;country=ZAF~GBR">hasnt seen</a> a dramatic increase in deaths either, even as cases and hospitalizations are rising at a significant rate. Preliminary research from England and Scotland <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/omicron-severity-
uk/2021/12/22/303d4d26-6337-11ec-9b51-7131fa190c5e_story.html">found</a> that omicron was sending fewer people to the hospital than the delta variant did.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="KBvnKb">
Early animal research points to why. In addition to the protection conferred by either vaccination or prior infection, omicron may not be as likely to cause severe symptoms that require hospital treatment. <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.12.26.474085v1">One study</a> involving mice suggested that the variant does not penetrate as deeply into a persons respiratory system. It is when an infection reaches the lungs that pneumonia can develop, and thats what actually kills most people who die from Covid-19. Less penetration should lead to milder illness.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="KoMDPi">
“These animal model data suggest the clinical consequences of infection with the Omicron variant may be less severe,” the authors wrote, “but the higher transmissibility could still place huge burden upon healthcare systems even if a lower proportion of infected patients are hospitalised.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="OIE9XL">
That is the Catch-22 of omicron: It is less likely to severely afflict people but spreads so rapidly that it will still seriously disrupt society and the economy.
</p>
<h3 id="DwhCwc">
Omicron still poses a serious threat to the US health system and economy
</h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="MruVo6">
Its a matter of math: The more people who get infected, the more likely it is the virus will spread to someone (whether unvaccinated or elderly or immunocompromised) who is more vulnerable to developing severe symptoms that require hospitalization.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="MMRvqu">
Even if a smaller share of those people will die, thanks to vaccination or omicron being inherently less severe or new antivirals, hospitals may still become so full with Covid-19 patients that they dont have enough staff or beds (or both) to care for everyone who needs that level of treatment.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="1Xu3M6">
Hospitals across the country <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2022/01/01/metro/its-just-relentless-exhausted-hospital-workers-battle-another-
covid-surge/">report</a> <a href="https://www.baltimoresun.com/coronavirus/bs-md-emergency-departments-covid-
omicron-20211231-pq2dj5y5vzdjpm6pelw5iinhbe-story.html">being</a> <a href="https://www.govtech.com/em/safety/maine-
hospitals-ration-care-for-first-time-as-covid-worsens">overwhelmed</a>, some reaching the crisis point where they dont have the staff or physical capacity to treat every patient to the best of their ability, forcing difficult decisions about which patients they should prioritize. The conditions are only going to get worse if the number of hospitalizations keeps rising.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="byRinS">
Already, some of the states experiencing the worst Covid-19 surges right now are seeing the outbreaks strain their hospitals as badly as ever. More than 35 percent of Ohios ICU beds are currently filled with Covid patients, according to <a href="https://carlsonschool.umn.edu/mili-misrc-covid19-tracking-
project">the University of Minnesotas tracking project</a>, matching the previous high seen in December 2020. Illinois and Pennsylvania also appear on pace to set new records in Covid ICU patients. All three states are at or near their previous highs for all current Covid-19 hospitalizations.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="qMuZnK">
Whats more, people who get infected are supposed to isolate for at least five days under the new CDC guidance. That is shorter than the earlier 10-day recommendation, but it could make staffing problems at hospitals even worse, further limiting their ability to care for all patients. In their Washington Post op-ed, Osterholm and Emanuel urged state and local governments to prepare for their health care workforces to be reduced by as much as 20 percent because infected doctors and nurses are isolating.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="sUUViH">
Other essential services outside the health system, such as police and fire, could also <a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-health-business-pandemics-
london-7004e1f1b1847b9831623e6adcedb5f3">become understaffed</a> because workers test positive and must isolate. Some schools are <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2022/01/03/us/omicron-variant-covid-local-impacts/index.html">shifting to remote learning</a> because of local Covid surges.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="mN1Rwf">
The effect on the US economy with such widespread illness remains to be seen. Airlines <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/12/26/business/flights-canceled-
us.html">canceled thousands of flights</a> over the holidays because too many workers tested positive for Covid-19. Some economic analysts are <a href="https://twitter.com/DianeSwonk/status/1477995518794076170">speculating</a> the US economy could contract in the first quarter of 2022 because of a depleted workforce and with many people exercising more caution to avoid omicron.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="mwVeoS">
Osterholm and Emanuel proselytized a familiar playbook for reducing omicrons spread and lightening the load, as much as possible, on the health system and other important services in the short term: masks, tests, and vaccines.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="9WkZLw">
Vaccines can only do so much good now, with omicron already spreading rapidly and immunity taking several weeks to fully kick in. But wearing high-quality masks can still help prevent transmission. Testing if you think youve been exposed can help catch infections early and let you know to isolate to avoid spreading it to others. Experts have also urged people to continue testing after they get sick, only returning to normal activities once they test negative.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="wXetZi">
None of these interventions are going to stop omicron on their own; the variant is too contagious to be fully stopped. But they can still help, at a time when the stakes of slowing down Covid-19s spread remain extremely high.
</p>
<ul>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>How to eat less meat: A practical guide</strong> -
<figure>
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-
cdn.com/thumbor/8ioWtzS661YvAXKuDDfFPBZRkuM=/680x0:1413x550/1310x983/cdn.vox-
cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/70296689/V_FP_MeatLess_Newsletter_Op_3.0.png"/>
<figcaption>
Meat/Less, Voxs new 5-day e-course, helps readers eat well and do good. | Chris Carfolite/Vox
</figcaption>
</figure></li>
</ul>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Meat/Less: Voxs newsletter to help you eat vegetarian-ish.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="13lSH0">
Theres more awareness than ever about the problems associated with industrial meat production, from its contribution to climate change and pollution to the abysmal treatment of animals and workers in meatpacking plants.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="lonoYs">
Yet many people find the idea of going vegetarian or full-on vegan to be difficult, even unimaginable. Only 8 percent of US adults are <a href="https://news.gallup.com/poll/238328/snapshot-few-americans-vegetarian-vegan.aspx">vegetarian or vegan</a>, and most dont stick with it — one study found 84 percent of vegetarians or vegans <a href="https://faunalytics.org/a-summary-of-faunalytics-study-of-current-and-former-vegetarians-and-vegans/">abandon their diet</a> at some point.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="x6fByW">
At the same time, <a href="https://news.gallup.com/poll/282779/nearly-
one-four-cut-back-eating-meat.aspx">nearly a quarter of Americans</a> say they are trying to cut back on meat.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="tdVefJ">
Were here to help.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="T8q9ec">
On January 3, Vox is launching <a href="https://vox.com/meatless-
newsletter"><strong>Meat/Less</strong></a><strong>, a 5-day e-course</strong>, to help you set an achievable goal to reduce your meat consumption and have an impact on climate change and animal welfare (and eat healthier to boot). Well send you one email a day that teaches you how to easily incorporate more plant-based foods into your diet, gives you evidence-based behavior strategies to make it last, and serves up plenty of food for thought on how our choices impact animals, our health, and the planet.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="ITBjws">
<strong>Want to get started? </strong><a href="http://www.vox.com/meatless-newsletter"><strong>Sign up</strong></a><strong> for Voxs free Meat/Less e-course now.</strong>
</p>
<aside id="PYqXwh">
<div>
</div>
</aside>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="npzWP9">
The guide is written to help anyone on the less- meat spectrum, from aspiring flexitarians to full-on vegans. Well answer some of the most common questions about eating less meat:
</p>
<ul>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="CQCKGY">
What impact can one person really make?
</li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="NhzHg2">
If I am going to give up one type of meat, should I cut back on chicken or steak?
</li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="PVmFcx">
Where do vegetarians get their protein?
</li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="9nwGsU">
Im terrible at making new habits stick … please help?
</li>
</ul>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="HgEhYv">
The newsletter, written by Vox Future Perfect staff writer Kenny Torrella, will give readers the practical tools to eat less meat and more plant-based foods, like tips on what to cook, where to shop and eat, and how to be healthy on a plant- based diet. But Kenny will also answer big questions around the impact of eating less meat, like whether our individual food choices actually make a difference for animal welfare and the climate, and what types of meat to reduce, depending on what you care most about.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="pn3yQg">
Since 2020, Vox has significantly increased <a href="https://www.vox.com/future-perfect-future-of-meat">our coverage of industrialized animal farming</a> and its effects on animal welfare, public health, and the environment thanks to a grant made possible by Animal Charity Evaluators in 2020, work that has ranged from a podcast miniseries, a video series, and stories on Future Perfect.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="GZy3Mj">
This limited-run e-course is a new product from Vox. We know our audience is looking for practical advice on how to live a better life in accordance with their values. Were excited to be launching <a href="http://www.vox.com/meatless-newsletter">Meat/Less</a> and look forward to hearing from readers about this course and what future ones we should offer.
</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>Novak Djokovic says he has exemption permission for Australia</strong> - Novak Djokovic has continually refused to reveal if he is vaccinated against the coronavirus, a requirement to play in Melbourne</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>Ebadot puts Bangladesh in command in 1st Test against New Zealand</strong> - On the fourth day at Mount Maunganui, Ebadot reduced New Zealand to 147-5 at stumps, a lead of only 17 runs</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>SA vs India, day 2 | Thakur strikes thrice to leave South Africa wobbling at 102 for 4</strong> - From 88 for 1, South Africa lost three wickets for 14 runs in the last half hour to just throw away the advantage.</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>Multiple COVID-19 outbreaks hit Australian domestic leagues</strong> - Both the mens and womens domestic games were hit hard and Cricket Australia (CA) was forced to make many late schedule changes</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>Sania-Kichenok, Ramkumar-Bopanna advance in Adelaide</strong> - The Adelaide event is a tune up tournament for the Australian Open, starting January 17 in Melbourne</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>BJP government bent on destroying PSUs, alleges CITU</strong> - No investment is made on Visakhapatnam Steel Plant after 1991</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>Commerce Ministry to launch Brand India Campaign to boost exports</strong> - Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal has recently reviewed the status of Brand India Campaign of India Brand Equity Foundation</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>Actor assault case: officer told to file report on further probe</strong> - Court also directs him to make arrangements to conduct prosecution</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>Karnataka Government prepared to face COVID-19 third wave: Chief Minister</strong> - Will impose only such restrictions that would have minimum adverse impact on the economy</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>RTC to operate 641 Sankranti special buses from Vizag</strong> - 232 specials to be run from other destinations to city after the festival</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>Frances Bogdanoff TV twins die of Covid six days apart</strong> - Grichka and Igor Bogdanoff had hosted a TV science and science-fiction show in the 1980s.</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>Channel migrants: Crossing numbers in 2021 triple 2020s figure</strong> - The Home Office is “reforming” its approach to asylum, following 28,400 people crossing the Channel.</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>Novak Djokovic will compete at Australian Open with medical exemption</strong> - Novak Djokovic will defend his Australian Open title after receiving a medical exemption from having a Covid-19 vaccination.</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: French MPs get death threats over support for vaccine pass</strong> - They report the threats as they consider tougher restrictions on unvaccinated people in France.</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>Canadian families win compensation over jet downed by Iran</strong> - Relatives of six people who died when a plane was downed in 2020 will be compensated in Canada.</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>The most important computer youve never heard of</strong> - How SAGE jumpstarted todays technology and built IBM into a powerhouse. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1821580">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Ford will build 150,000 F-150 Lightnings per year due to demand</strong> - The news comes after last months decision to triple Mustang Mach-E production. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1823427">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>AT&amp;T and Verizon back down in standoff with FAA, agree to 5G delay [Updated]</strong> - Battle over aviation industrys unproven interference claims intensifies. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1823175">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>The hunt is on for a “new Eden” in Snowpiercer S3 trailer</strong> - “For the first time since the world ended, a brighter future awaits beyond the train.” - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1823375">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Elizabeth Holmes found guilty on 4 of 11 charges</strong> - Verdict ends the latest chapter in the Theranos saga, but its not the last. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1821924">link</a></p></li>
</ul>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-jokes-subreddit">From Jokes Subreddit</h1>
<ul>
<li><strong>There were two statues in a park, one of a naked man, and one of a naked woman. They had been facing each other for a hundred years across a pathway, when one day an angel comes down, and with a single gesture brings the two to life.</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF -->
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The angel tells them, “As a reward for being so patient through a hundred blazing summers and dismal winters, you have been given life for thirty minutes to do what youve wished to do the most.”
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He looks at her, she looks at him, and they go running behind the shrubbery. The angel waits patiently as the bushes rustle and giggling ensues. After fifteen minutes, the two return, out of breath and laughing.
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The angel tells them, “Um, you have fifteen minutes left, would you care to do it again?” He asks her “Shall we?” She eagerly replies, “Oh, yes, lets! But lets change positions. This time, Ill hold the pigeon down and you shit on its head.”
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/Ralph-Hinkley"> /u/Ralph-Hinkley </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/rvdbg1/there_were_two_statues_in_a_park_one_of_a_naked/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/rvdbg1/there_were_two_statues_in_a_park_one_of_a_naked/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
<li><strong>What is the lesbian version of a cock block?</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF -->
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A beaver damn.
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/Cat_Dad_123"> /u/Cat_Dad_123 </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/rvmbkd/what_is_the_lesbian_version_of_a_cock_block/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/rvmbkd/what_is_the_lesbian_version_of_a_cock_block/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
<li><strong>There once was a boy named George Gunderson who did not do very well in school. His classmates ridiculed him every day, as did his teacher, Mrs. Jones. George couldnt stand it, and always came home crying to his parents.</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF -->
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One day, Mr. and Mrs. Gunderson decided to come to the school early to give Mrs. Jones a piece of her mind. The second the door opened to let the kids outside, Mr. and Mrs. Gunderson peeked inside to hear Mrs. Jones screaming at George. “George Gunderson, you are the dumbest kid in the world!”
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Georges parents immediately stormed into the classroom. “Our son is not dumb!” they yelled. “He is a sweet and kind young lad with plenty of potential!”
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“He has no potential at all!” shrieked Mrs. Jones. “He was born an idiot and hell die an idiot!”
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The Gundersons were so outraged that they immediately moved to Chicago.
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Some thirty years later, Mrs. Jones came down with a terrible illness and went to her doctor.
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“You have a very rare disease,” the doctor said. “There is only one doctor in the whole country who can sure your disease. His name is Dr. Gunderson, and he works in the Chicago hospital.”
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At once, Mrs. Jones bought a plane ticket to Chicago. After arriving in Chicago, she went straight to the hospital and asked for Dr. Gunderson.
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While treating Mrs. Jones, Dr. Gunderson put her on a life support system. One day, she asked him, “You know, Dr. Gunderson, I dont believe you ever told me your first name. What is it?”
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Dr. Gunderson was about to answer, when suddenly, Mrs. Jones collapsed. She was dead.
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Dr. Gunderson saw that the janitor had absentmindedly unplugged the life support system so he could plug in his vacuum cleaner. He shook his head and said the the janitor, “You know, George, sometimes I cant believe youre my brother.”
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/wimpykidfan37"> /u/wimpykidfan37 </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/rvh5k7/there_once_was_a_boy_named_george_gunderson_who/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/rvh5k7/there_once_was_a_boy_named_george_gunderson_who/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
<li><strong>One day a blind man goes to a restaurant</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF -->
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One day a blind man goes to a restaurant
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The server asked him if hed like to see the menu
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The blind man says: “no, I am blind, just bring me a dirty fork and I will smell it and order”.
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The server, confused, goes to the kitchen, and brings back a dirty fork.
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The blind man smells it and says: “Ill have the beef steak with mash potatoes and gravy and some chocolate brownies for dessert”.
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The server brings him his food and the blind man enjoys his meal, pays the bill and leaves.
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Next week, the blind man goes back to the same restaurant.
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The server recognizes him and wanting to see how good the blind mans sense of smell is, he goes to the kitchen and asks his wife, Brenda, for a spoon.
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He instructs his wife, Brenda, to rub the spoon all over her private parts and so she does.
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The server hands the dirty spoon to the blind man. The blind man takes a whiff and says:
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“I didnt know Brenda worked here”
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/shahoody24"> /u/shahoody24 </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/rvnl5j/one_day_a_blind_man_goes_to_a_restaurant/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/rvnl5j/one_day_a_blind_man_goes_to_a_restaurant/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
<li><strong>An attractive woman once asked if I was interested in breasts or thighs. I told her Im mostly into feet and anal.</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF -->
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I am no longer welcome at that KFC restaurant.
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/gradymegalania"> /u/gradymegalania </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/rvk5fx/an_attractive_woman_once_asked_if_i_was/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/rvk5fx/an_attractive_woman_once_asked_if_i_was/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
</ul>
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