Inflation Transitory or Permanent? By Emel Akan
One on One With Casey DeSantis
Truckers on Vaccine Mandate
China's Arctic Ambitions
Florida's First Lady turns cancer fight into an opportunity to help the Sunshine State. p.16
Supply chain crunch will worsen if truckers forced to choose between jab and job. p.32
In a global crunch, the competition for strategic resources heats up. p.40
OCT. 29 - NOV. 4 | 2021
Editor’s note
A New Epoch INSIGHT On behalf of our entire staff at The Epoch Times, we want to thank you for becoming a subscriber and for your support of our mission to restore traditional journalism. INSIGHT magazine is the culmination of two decades of Epoch Times journalism. Not only does it provide unique insight into today’s biggest news stories, but it also features unique analysis and lifestyle content. In this first edition, we dive into inflation and whether it is a transitory issue or permanent. With a year-over-year increase in consumer prices of 5.4 percent, most everyone has been affected. Business shutdowns have reduced the economy's capacity to produce goods and services, while excessive stimulus spending and money creation have dramatically boosted the demand. “You have more money chasing less stuff, and prices are soaring across the board,” one expert said. For this edition, we also interviewed Florida’s first lady, Casey DeSantis. She talks about her recent breast cancer diagnosis and how she plans to use it as an opportunity to help the Sunshine State. “If it helps to save lives, it’s important,” she said. As vaccine mandates come into effect in different sectors around the country, many truckers are making it clear they are unwilling to take the vaccine. The result, according to trucking insiders, could be major supply chain disruptions across the country. “All we’ve got to do is shut down, and the country doesn’t exist no more,” one trucker said. We hope you enjoy the magazine as much as our editorial staff have enjoyed putting it together. welcome to the first print edition of magazine !
Jasper Fakkert Editor-in-chief
2 I N S I G H T Oct. 29 – Nov. 4, 2021
STEPHEN GREGORY PUBLISHER JASPER FAKKERT EDITOR-IN-CHIEF CHANNALY PHILIPP LIFE & TRADITION, TRAVEL EDITOR CHRISY TRUDEAU MIND & BODY EDITOR CRYSTAL SHI HOME, FOOD EDITOR SHARON KILARSKI ARTS & CULTURE EDITOR BILL LINDSEY LUXURY EDITOR
ON THE COVER The cover shows inflation numbers for specific consumer products between Sept. 2020 and Sept. 2021—the highest being rental cars at 43 percent.
FEI MENG & BIBA KAJEVICH ILLUSTRATORS SHANSHAN HU PRODUCTION CONTACT US THE EPOCH TIMES ASSOCIATION INC. 229 W. 28TH ST., FL. 7 NEW YORK, NY 10001 ADVERTISING ADVERTISENOW@EPOCHTIMES.COM SUBSCRIPTIONS, GENERAL INQUIRIES, LETTERS TO THE EDITOR HELP.THEEPOCHTIMES.COM (USPS21-800)IS PUBLISHED WEEKLY BY THE EPOCH MEDIA GROUP, 9550 FLAIR DR. SUITE 411, EL MONTE CA 91731-2922. PERIODICAL POSTAGE PAID AT EL MONTE, CA, AND ADDITIONAL MAILING OFFICES. POSTMASTER: SEND ADDRESS CHANGES TO THE EPOCH TIMES, 229 W. 28TH STREET, FLOOR 5, NEW YORK, NY 10001.
issue 03 | oct. 29–nov. 4, 2021
26 | Critical
50 | Frustration Fix
Batteries China controls the battery supply chain, leaving the U.S. vulnerable.
A lesson in realism: Hope for the best, prepare for the worst.
51 | Wildlife Photos
Knowing about the animals key to taking great photos.
29 | Power Crisis
Coal shortage threatens electricity supplies in India.
52 | Escape From
Tyranny Yeonmi Park, a North Korean defector, shares her story.
31 | Anger in
the Streets Colombians blame CCP virus lockdowns for crime wave.
40 | Race for
Resources Cold ambition: China eyes Arctic as a new frontier.
46 | CCP Influence Operations NATO calls for strengthening domestic defensive resilience.
47 | US Economy
Higher U.S. inflation is not going away any time soon.
48| Soaring Prices
Governments are the biggest beneficiaries of inflation.
49 | Beijing's
Crackdown Xi Jinping aims at Chinese oligarchs with ties to Jiang Zemin.
58 | Hamptons
Glamour Big-city energy and old-world allure beckon year-round.
Features
11 | Inflation Fears A surge in gas prices is stoking fears of 1970s-style inflation.
60 | Resorts
16 | One on One With Casey DeSantis Florida's first lady shares about her battle with cancer and what makes her fight. 32 | Truckers Warn of Mandate Impact Truckers at larger companies will quit in droves if faced with a choice between job and jab, insiders say. Migrants, part of a caravan heading to the United States, on their way to Mexico City, where they plan to request asylum status, on Oct. 27, 2021. Once they obtain legal status, most of them will travel to the United States through Mexico. JOE KLAMAR/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES
on Wheels RVs bring along all the comforts of home as you explore afar.
61 | Auto Auctions
Finding the car of your dreams can be an adventure.
64 | Into the Wild
Zimbabwe is the best place to try a walking safari.
66 | Home Bar 101
Essential tools for becoming an expert mixologist at home.
67 | Night
at the Ballet How to act and dress like a season pass holder.
I N S I G H T Oct. 29 – Nov. 4, 2021 3
IN FOCUS FORMER PRINCESS Former Japanese Princess Mako (R) announced that she has married commoner Kei Komuro, whom she met while at university. The marriage took place without traditional wedding celebrations and was delayed three years and opposed by some. Mako earlier declined a 140 million yen ($1.23 million) payment to which she was entitled for leaving the imperial family. PHOTO BY STR/JIJI PRESS/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES
4 I N S I G H T Oct. 29 – Nov. 4, 2021
I N S I G H T Oct. 29 – Nov. 4, 2021 5
INCLUDED IN YOUR SUBSCRIPTION
Exclusive interviews, shows, documentaries, movies and more.
Go to THEEPOCHTIMES.COM 6 I N S I G H T Oct. 29 – Nov. 4, 2021
NAT ION • WOR L D • W H AT H A P P E N E D T H I S W E E K
The Week
Issue. 03
LILLIAN SUWANRUMPHA/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES
Airport staff in personal protective equipment at Suvarnabhumi International Airport rehearse reopening procedures to welcome the first group of vaccinated tourists without quarantine on Nov. 1, in Bangkok on Oct. 27, 2021.
New Vaccine Rules for Travelers Into US Starting on Nov. 8, the CDC's new rule requires travelers to the United States to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19, including limited exemptions.
✒
PRIOR TO BOARDING their flight to the United States, fully vaccinated travelers must provide proof of vaccination status, show a negative COVID-19 test within three days of departure, and provide contact information to airlines before boarding. This order includes narrow medical exceptions, exemptions for children under 18, and people from countries with less than a 10 percent total vaccination rate due to lack of availability of vaccines. There are about 50 countries with a current vaccination rate of less than 10 percent, according to the White House. I N S I G H T Oct. 29 – Nov. 4, 2021 7
The Week in Short US FDA SAYS PFIZER VACCINE MEETS ITS CRITERIA FOR IMMUNE RESPONSE IN CHILDREN AGED 5 TO 11 The Food and Drug Administration said in a report that Pfizer-BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine meets the agency’s criteria for the immune response it generated in children aged 5 to 11, with a 90.7 percent efficacy rate against the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, in a clinical trial. The vaccine may be available for children as early as November, top infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci told ABC.
US Gasoline Prices Vault to New 7-Year High U.S. gasoline prices have notched yet another rise, with the national average hitting a fresh seven-year high. As of Oct. 27, the national average for a gallon of regular gasoline had risen to $3.394 from the prior day’s $3.389 and up from the month-ago average of $3.189, according to the American Automobile Association.
AT SOUTHERN BORDER
Border Patrol agents apprehended a total of 1,666,167 illegal immigrants along the southwest border in fiscal 2021—breaking all records since the agency was formed in 1925 (when 22,199 illegal aliens were arrested). An additional 294,352 were stopped after trying to enter at a port of entry without legal papers, bringing the total to almost 2 million (1,956,519) for fiscal 2021, according to new Customs and Border Protection statistics.
The governor of Texas has signed a law that bars student athletes from playing on sports teams that don’t match the sex listed on their birth certificates. Texas House Bill 25 “protects girls' safety and their right to equal access to athletic opportunities,” state Rep. Valoree Swanson, one of its authors, said during a House session earlier this month.
$5,000 BONUSES Florida officials are openly recruiting law enforcement officers from other states, with planned $5,000 bonuses for officers who have never worked in a law enforcement capacity in Florida before, Gov. Ron DeSantis told Fox News.
YES 37% NO 63% AS AN UNVACCINATED WORKER, WILL YOU LEAVE YOUR WORKPLACE IF YOUR EMPLOYER MANDATES COVID-19 VACCINATION OR WEEKLY COVID-19 TESTING? SOURCE: KFF SURVEY (OCT. 14–24, 2021)
8 I N S I G H T Oct. 29 – Nov. 4, 2021
The Ohio Senate has passed legislation,
Senate Bill 185,
“There’s ample scientific studies that show that natural immunity is absolutely one of the best things you could have [against COVID19].” Rep. Diana Harshbarger
that would bar the government from seizing guns during emergencies.
Judge Finds Teenager Guilty in Loudoun County Bathroom Assault A Virginia judge has found a 15-year-old boy guilty of sexually assaulting a classmate in a restroom while wearing a dress. The crime took place at Stone Bridge High School in Ashburn on May 28. “I found the facts sufficient to support the charges,” Pamela Brooks, the chief judge of the county’s Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court, said during the hearing. Superintendent Scott Ziegler said earlier this month that Loudon County Public Schools had failed to follow state law in reporting several sexual assaults from its schools to state authorities. He also recanted his claim that no sexual assaults had taken place in school bathrooms. Ziegler made the claim during a school board meeting on a pro-transgender policy that lets students who claim to be a different gender than their biological sex use the other sex's bathrooms. The school board later approved the policy proposal.
THIS PAGE: JOSEPH PREZIOSO/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES; CHARLOTTE CUTHBERTSON/THE EPOCH TIMES; HARSHBARGER. HOUSE.GOV; SHUTTERSTOCK; RIGHT PAGE: JOE RAEDLE; JOHN MOORE/GETTY IMAGES
BORDER PATROL ARRESTS SHATTER ALL RECORDS
Texas Requires Student Athletes to Play on Teams Matching Birth Sex
The Week in Short US CCP VIRUS
No Significant Change in COVID-19 Hospitalization Outcomes During Delta Surge: CDC Study
U.S. Army soldiers prepare COVID-19 vaccines in North Miami, Fla., on March 9, 2021. VACCINE MANDATES
Marine Corps Warns Marines Will Be Kicked Out For Refusing COVID-19 Vaccine New guidance from the U.S. Marines has said that Marines who don’t get the COVID-19 vaccine face separation. A Marine Administrative Message has been posted to the Marine Corps’ website, saying that “General Court-Martial Convening Authorities retain authority to take any additional adverse administrative or disciplinary action they deem appropriate.” It applies to both active-duty and reservists. An order handed down by the Department of Defense several months ago stipulates that active-duty Marines face a Nov. 28 deadline to get fully vaccinated, while reservists face a Dec. 28 deadline to do the same.
ABORTION
WHITE HOUSE
Ohio has filed a lawsuit against the Biden administration, which had recently allowed taxpayer dollars to be used by clinics to support abortions. The lawsuit, led by Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost, is joined by 11 other states. The states are seeking to restore the Trump administration rule so that medical clinics cannot obtain funding from Title X, a federal grant program, toward performing or referring abortions.
Two of former President John F. Kennedy’s nephews are calling on the Biden administration to release the final documents pertaining to his assassination in 1963 after the White House announced that it was delaying releasing them due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The records were set to be made public on Oct. 26, but the White House said it would delay their publication until at least Dec. 15.
Ohio and 11 States Sue Biden Administration Over Abortion Fund
Kennedy’s Nephews Urge Biden to Release Final Assassination Documents
The highly transmissible Delta variant of COVID-19 does not appear to cause more severe disease among fully vaccinated or unvaccinated hospitalized patients, compared to earlier forms of the virus, according to preliminary data from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). The CDC study analyzed some 7,600 patients hospitalized with COVID-19, the disease caused by the CCP (Chinese Com munist Party) virus, in the months of July and August, when the Delta variant became predominant in the United States. Researchers found that compared to earlier months, there was no significant change in hospitalized COVID-19 patients’ outcomes. Specifically, although adult hospitalizations surged during the Delta wave, compared to the six months prior, the proportion of patients with COVID-19 who were admitted to an ICU, received invasive mechanical ventilation, or died during their hospitalization did not significantly change during this period, the data suggests.
An Austin-Travis County medic loads a patient with COVID-19 symptoms into an ambulance in Austin, Texas, on Aug. 5, 2020. I N S I G H T Oct. 29 – Nov. 4, 2021 9
The Week in Short World AFRICA
Sudan Coup: Islamist Military Dissolves Transitional Government
CHINA
EUROPE
Children as young as 3 years old will start receiving vaccine A child undergoes a nucleic acid test doses in China as the country for the COVID-19 in Xiamen, Fujian battles what Beijing has described Province, China, on Sept. 18, 2021. as “rapidly developing” local COVID-19 clusters. City and provincial authorities in at least seven provinces have issued notices in recent days requiring children between 3 and 11 years of age to be inoculated, widening China’s vaccination campaign as the regime looks to lock down cities and mass quarantine those suspected of carrying the virus. “All who should get vaccinated will get vaccinated,” some government announcements read. The new rules place China among a handful of countries with the lowest age limits for vaccination.
People in Austria who chose to not get a CCP virus vaccine face being locked down at home if the number of severe COVID-19 hospitalizations in the nation continues to climb. Austrian Chancellor Alexander Schallenberg announced that if the number of COVID-19 patients in intensive care units reaches 600, people who did not get a vaccine would only be allowed to leave their homes for specific reasons. Six hundred intensive care units represent one-third of the total capacity in Austria. There were 220 COVID-19 patients in ICUs at the time of Schallenberg’s announcement.
U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen speaks in London on June 5, 2021. US-CHINA
US Treasury Secretary Yellen Holds Talks With China’s Trade Negotiator
China Starts Vaccinating as Young as 3
10 I N S I G H T Oct. 29 – Nov. 4, 2021
Austrian Chancellor Threatens to Lock Down the Unvaccinated
FROM TOP: JUSTIN TALLIS - WPA POOL/GETTY IMAGES; STR/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES; RIGHT PAGE: SHUTTERSTOCK
U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen spoke with China’s top trade negotiator Liu He via video call on Oct. 25, during which the two sides raised their respective concerns. Yellen “frankly raised issues of concern,” the U.S. Treasury announced in a short statement without elaborating on what the issues were. The statement did add that the two discussed “macroeconomic and financial developments” in both nations. A few hours after Yellen and Liu talked, China’s hawkish state-run outlet Global Times published its own analysis, saying that it was the U.S. side that was “eager to engage” China, since the talk took place “after working hours” in the United States. The article also claimed that “it is expected” that Washington would cancel the tariffs on Chinese goods, arguing that the tariffs could be “abolished in an indirect way,” such as exemptions.
The head of Sudan’s ruling council, Gen. Abdel Fattah Abdelrahman al-Burhan, announced a countrywide state of emergency on Oct. 25 and said he was dissolving the transitional sovereign council and the government. The announcement came hours after Sudan’s military arrested acting Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok, members of the Transitional Sovereignty Council’s civilian component, and several ministers. In a televised appearance, al-Burhan announced that he was dissolving the country’s ruling Sovereign Council, as well as the government led by Hamdok, CBS reports. He added that a new government of technocrats would rule until elections were held in 2023. The army general said this was being done as a way of “rectifying the course of the revolution.” The country’s information ministry said on Facebook that Hamdok had been placed under house arrest by military forces who were pressuring him to release a “pro-coup statement.” After refusing to endorse the coup, Hamdok and his wife were moved to an unknown location by the military, the ministry said.
+43%
+19%
+42%
Inflation Transitory or Permanent? By Emel Akan
+20%
+11%
+11%
+10%
+8%
+13%
Inflation is running high, and many still believe that it’s a temporary postpandemic phenomenon
S
TRUCTURAL CHANGES TAKING place
in the economy suggest that prices may not go back to normal anytime soon. Some economists and investors have argued that excessive stimulus spending and money creation to fight the pandemic are the real culprits causing inflation. They claim that inflation is a product of policy decisions, rather than a coincidence. Despite the loss of economic output and jobs, U.S. household wealth has surged by a staggering $32 trillion since the start of the pandemic thanks to unprecedented stimulus spending that boosted savings and asset values, such as stocks and home values. The Fed’s balance sheet has swelled by more than $4 trillion as a result of its quantitative easing program, which increased money supply in the economy and encouraged lending. Congress has also allocated about $5.3 trillion in relief to Americans. All of these actions boosted aggregate demand and consumer spending when the economy reopened. “The result is, you have more money chasing less
12 I N S I G H T Oct. 29 – Nov. 4, 2021
stuff, and prices are soaring across the board,” Euro Pacific Capital CEO and global strategist Peter Schiff said during the New Orleans Investment Conference in October. “There’s no limit to how much money the Federal Reserve can print. But there is a limit to how much actual stuff the economy is capable of producing.” WHILE THE MONTHLY PACE of inflation has
slowed in recent months, the year-over-year increase in consumer prices remains stubbornly high at 5.4 percent. Core inflation, which omits changes in more volatile food and energy prices, also rose by 4 percent in September from a year prior, the largest jump in nearly 30 years. Some of the biggest names in the investment world, including Carl Icahn, Paul Tudor Jones, and David Einhorn, have recently sounded the alarm on persistent price pressures. “In the long run, we are certainly going to hit the wall” because of money printing, Icahn told CNBC on Oct. 18. Investors are concerned that the Fed is still be-
4
$
TRILLION THE FED’S
balance sheet increased by more than $4 trillion during the pandemic.
The Lead Economy
Two major oil shocks pushed U.S. inflation into the double digits in the 1970s.
already running high during that time, but the twin oil crises pushed U.S. inflation into the double digits. The oil crisis produced many lessons for the United States, one of which is putting more emphasis on reducing foreign oil dependence. Deutsche Bank analyst Henry Allen said the recent surge in gas prices is “reminiscent of what happened with oil in the early 1970s.” “As the globe tries to further wean itself off fossil fuels, we could have more energy shocks over the course of this decade,” Allen said in a recent report. PRICES AT THE PUMP HAVE soared to $3.39 per
U.S. household wealth has surged by a staggering $32 trillion since the start of the pandemic, thanks to unprecedented stimulus spending.
FROM TOP: ANGELA WEISS/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES; JUSTIN SULLIVAN/GETTY IMAGES
hind the curve in reacting to inflation. They fear that the Fed could step on the brake abruptly in the future, plunging the economy into a recession. “The longer you wait to do something about inflation, the worse it gets,” Schiff said. A growing federal debt limits a government’s ability to fight inflation. Policymakers are choosing to remain behind the curve as higher interest rates mean that the U.S. government will shoulder a heavier interest burden. The central bankers are in a tight corner, according to Danielle DiMartino Booth, a veteran of the Dallas Fed and author of the book “Fed Up.” On Christmas Eve 2018, the U.S. stock market suffered one of its steepest declines in decades, and that “exemplified how very difficult and reticent the markets are about having their liquidity taken away,” Booth said. It will be difficult for the markets and the economy to handle declining liquidity, especially when the economy starts slowing, she said.
Prices at a gas station in California in July. Oil exploration and production companies need to invest $542 billion worldwide to avert the next global supply shock, according to Moody's.
gallon for regular gasoline as of Oct. 26, which is more than a dollar higher than they were in October 2020. “Right now, we’re still a long way from what we saw in the 1970s,” Allen said, but noted that some factors, such as loose monetary policy, a significant level of national debt, labor shortage, and deglobalization “indicate that there are much greater inflationary pressures today.” Gas was one of the big drivers of inflation in September, rising 42 percent from a year ago. Despite rising oil prices, U.S. producers continue to keep capital expenditure (capex) low, as they’ve been discouraged by current climate policies. According to Moody’s rating agency, oil exploration and production companies need to invest $542 billion worldwide to avert the next global supply shock. Similarly, metal prices have surged significantly compared to 2020. High energy costs are prompting smelters to cut back on the production of zinc and aluminum globally. Awash in cash, many oil, metal, and mining companies have been buying back shares or paying dividends, instead of expanding capital expenditures to tackle supply shortages.
Oil Shocks The recent surge in energy, commodity, and food prices has stoked inflation fears, causing many to speculate that we could return to the 1970s, when inflation got out of control. There were two major oil shocks in the 1970s— triggered by the Arab–Israeli War of 1973 and the Iranian Revolution of 1979—which caused large reductions in the supply of energy. Inflation was I N S I G H T Oct. 29 – Nov. 4, 2021 13
The Lead Economy
exit is causing the blue-collar labor pool to shrink. Businesses are expected to continue boosting wages and offering more perks to attract and retain workers. Wage increases are much stickier than commodity prices and are less likely to reverse in the short term, according to analysts, causing more inflationary pressures in the economy. Rising labor costs and surging demand from restaurants that have reopened have also lifted meat prices in recent months. Beef prices increased by 18 percent over the past year, while pork was up by 13 percent and fresh fish and seafood rose by 11 percent.
An employee makes dry ice pellets at Capitol Carbonic, a dry ice factory, in Baltimore on Nov. 20, 2020. Wages in September rose by 4.6 percent compared with 2020, but still can’t keep pace with rising consumer prices.
The latest surge in coronavirus infections, especially in Southeast Asian countries, has also led to closures of plants and ports, augmenting supply disruptions in semiconductor chips and other raw materials. Speaking at a Yahoo Finance summit on Oct. 25, Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger said that “the chip shortage is at its worst right now.” He expected shortages to persist into 2023, as it takes time for companies to build manufacturing capacity. Automakers have been hit especially hard from this chip supply shock, causing car inventories to go down. Used car prices, one of the largest drivers of inflation in 2021, soared by 24 percent in September from a year ago. New vehicle prices were also up by 9 percent.
Besides supply chain disruptions, ongoing labor shortages have become a big problem for U.S. companies. Job openings have raced to record-high levels recently, but many Americans are still reluctant to reenter the workforce. Sara Gordon, vice president and head of customer success at staffing company Adecco Group, said the pandemic has led to a paradigm shift in the labor market where employees are now “reevaluating their priorities.” U.S. workers, who have suffered stagnant wages for years, are now seeing a gain in power. Wages in September rose by 4.6 percent compared with 2020, but still can’t keep pace with rising consumer prices.
Henry Allen, analyst, Deutsche Bank “I don’t think it will last,” President Joe Biden said when asked about inflation during a CNN town hall in Baltimore on Oct. 21. But whether inflation continues into 2022 will depend on whether Congress approves his infrastructure and social spending packages, Biden said. WHEN ASKED ABOUT high gas prices, Biden
blamed the OPEC cartel for not producing enough oil. He later said the answer to the gas shortage is “investing in renewable energy.” Biden also said he would consider using the National Guard to assist with supply chain and trucking problems. Backlogs caused by supply chain disruptions around the world have overwhelmed the two busiest U.S. ports, Los Angeles and Long Beach, in recent months. In addition, a nationwide truck driver shortage has further exacerbated supply chain problems, obstructing the ability to move goods across the country and increasing shipping costs.
THE PANDEMIC HAS also accelerated retirement
How Long Is Transitory?
for baby boomers. Many boomers have made careers in blue-collar jobs, Gordon said, hence their
The Federal Reserve says that inflation is elevated mainly because of factors that are “transitory,” and
14 I N S I G H T Oct. 29 – Nov. 4, 2021
CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT: SAUL LOEB/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES; SPENCER PLATT/GETTY IMAGES; KEVIN DIETSCH/POOL/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES
Labor Crisis
“As the globe tries to further wean itself off fossil fuels, we could have more energy shocks over the course of this decade. ”
The Lead Economy
once these factors fade, inflation will drop back toward its 2 percent target. But the question of how long, exactly, is “transitory” remains unanswered. So far, Fed officials and many economists have failed to forecast inflation correctly. The central bank considerably raised its inflation forecasts for 2021 three times this year. Wouter Sturkenboom, chief investment strategist at Northern Trust, said the recent spike in prices will prove transitory. “But we don’t define transitory by length of time,” Sturkenboom wrote in a September report.
A cargo ship moves under the Bayonne Bridge as it heads into port in Bayonne, N.J., on Oct. 13, 2021. Backlogs caused by supply chain disruptions around the world have overwhelmed U.S. ports.
INSTEAD, TRANSITORY INFLATION can be fixed,
either through the underlying supply and demand conditions being resolved on their own or through intervention, such as the Fed’s raising interest rates to constrict demand, he noted. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen told CNN on Oct. 24 that inflation would remain high through the first half of 2022. The Fed is planning to roll back its $120 billion per month bond-buying program. Fed Chairman Jerome Powell said the central bank is “on track” to complete tapering by mid-2022. Speaking at a virtual conference on Oct. 22, Powell admitted that “supply-side con-
straints have gotten worse.” “The risks are clearly now to longer and more-persistent bottlenecks, and thus to higher inflation,” he said. Fed officials have repeatedly given assurances that they have the tools to fight inflation, should it become worse. Raising rates is the most effective way for the Fed to control inflation. Due to higher-than-expected inflation, Fed officials brought forward their time frame for interest rate increases. September projections show that 9 out of 18 officials expect a rate increase in 2022, up from 7 experts earlier.
5.3
$
TRILLION
THE U.S. CONGRESS,
so far, has allocated about $5.3 trillion in pandemic aid.
Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell said the central bank is “on track” to complete tapering by mid-2022. I N S I G H T Oct. 29 – Nov. 4, 2021 15
Exclusive Interview
One on One With Casey DeSantis Florida's First Lady turns cancer fight into an opportunity to help the Sunshine State. ✒
Text by Nanette Holt & Photos by Alexander Simoes for The Epoch Times
Text & Photo by Charlotte Cuthbertson 16 I N S I G H T Oct. 29 – Nov. 4, 2021
I N S I G H T Oct. 29 – Nov. 4, 2021 17
Exclusive Interview
T
G ov. Ron DeSantis revealed in a brief public statement that his wife, Casey, had breast cancer. The Sunshine State’s first lady hadn’t spoken about the matter until the last Monday of October—the nation’s Breast Cancer Awareness Month—when she sat down for an interview with The Epoch Times on the grounds of W.C. Dover Farm in Tallahassee. h r e e w e e k s h a d pa s s e d s i n c e
THERE, SPEAKING UNDER a
“No one is immune from difficulties. But the most important thing is to persevere and to be strong. Casey DeSantis
grandfather oak tree, she abandoned her usual strict adherence to privacy because, she said, “if it helps to save lives, it’s important.” “When you get some bad news, you have a choice in what you want to do in life. You can either put your head in the sand, or you can put your tail between your legs, or you can go out and live life to the fullest,” the 41-year-old mother of three told The Epoch Times. “Not to say that I didn’t stick my head in the sand for a while.” But then, she said, she realized that the fight she’s facing had come with a blessing, one that gave her a way to encourage others to take on challenges with a fighting spirit. This new mission started with a visit to Wolfson Children’s Hospital, where she spoke to children receiving cancer treatment. “Hey, listen, I am the first lady. I have cancer. I can get out and do things and live life to the fullest,” she told the children. “I’ve got good days, and I’ve got bad days. But I’ll tell you what, you guys: You take it a day at a time.” After her visit to the hospital, DeSantis realized that sharing her story could benefit others. She knew wanted to “try to be a little bit of an inspiration.”
18 I N S I G H T Oct. 29 – Nov. 4, 2021
“I think that meant more to me than anything else,” she said. DeSantis wants Floridians to know how she discovered her cancer, hoping it might prompt fellow Floridians to listen to their instincts about their health and to not wait to seek medical evaluation if they suspected something might be wrong. Her own discovery started with a nagging worry. “I went into the doctor because I felt something ... just didn’t feel right,” she said. Her doctor examined her and said: “There’s nothing here. I think you’re good to go.” But that eased her mind only briefly. A few days later, she asked her doctor to order a mammogram. A month later, she had the diagnostic test. “And so, when I was talking about sticking my head in the sand, that’s what I was referring to. Because there was a lot of time where there was a lot of uncertainty, and there still is some uncertainty,” the first lady said. “But at least we have a plan. We’re getting treatment. “And just like my better half, I fight like hell. So I have a very optimistic look toward the future.”
Kinney County Constable Steve Gallegos and Kinney County sheriff's deputies arrest a smuggler and seven illegal aliens from Guatemala near Brackettville, Texas, on May 25, 2021. PHOTO BY CHARLOTTE CUTHBERTSON/THE EPOCH TIMES
Florida's First Lady turns cancer fight into another opportunity to help the Sunshine State. I N S I G H T Oct. 29 – Nov. 4, 2021 19
Florida First Lady Casey DeSantis, during an interview with The Epoch Times at W.C. Dover Farm in Tallahassee, Fla., on Oct. 25, 2021.
The American Cancer Society suggests that women at average risk for breast cancer have the option of annual mammograms from ages 40 to 44, and women ages 45 to 54 should have a mammogram every year. Women 55 and older can switch to a mammogram every other year. DeSantis turned the conversation away from herself to what
she sees as her husband’s biggest accomplishments: the state’s job growth, the governor’s stand against pandemic lockdowns, and his drive to reopen schools in 2020. She pointed to the governor’s decision to seal nursing homes early on to protect the vulnerable, and how he created a task force to figure out the best way to get residents’ loved ones COURTESY OF THE DESANTIS FAMILY
20 I N S I G H T Oct. 29 – Nov. 4, 2021
Florida First Lady Casey DeSantis and Gov. Ron DeSantis and their three children.
COURTESY OF THE DESANTIS FAMILY
back into facilities for visits. “I could not be more proud of everything that he has done as governor. I’ve always known that he’s exquisite. He’s a leader. He’s courageous, and he’s strong. But when you see what he’s done, especially last year,” the first lady said. “People from all over the country were coming to Florida to go out to dinner, to be normal. “One of the most meaningful things, though, is when they opened up the nursing homes, and he went in there, and we met with the families who said: ‘I want to be with my loved one. If they’re not going to be able to have much time left on this planet. I want to spend time with them.’ “And so he did everything, and moved hell and high water, to make sure that those families could be together. Because at the end of the day, we don’t want to lose sight of that connection with our fellow man.” The governor’s defiance of the mainstream narrative on
how to handle the CCP virus response has made him a target for establishment media and Democratic politicians, including President Joe Biden. “The mainstream media and the press are against him. He hasn’t taken one poll since he has been in office because he does what he knows in his heart is right. And he also does what he believes is the best for the people of the state of Florida. And because of that, he takes a lot of heat,” the first lady said. “Parents want the right to be able to choose what they want for their kids and their education. He says, ‘Yes, parents, you should have that right.’ And he gets torpedoed sometimes because of it. “But why does he do it? Why does he hold the line? Why does he stand strong? Because he believes in the people of this state. He believes that people should be empowered to make the decisions that they think are best for themselves and their families. And he will hold the line
for families, and I could not be more proud. And so when people talk about being a fighter, I always look to him, because he’s always been my hero.” Her voice breaks, and for the only time during the interview, her eyes briefly cloud with tears. “So now I have to be a fighter ... because he is,” she said. During the public announcement about her diagnosis, the governor said, “Casey is a true fighter, and she will never, never, never give up.” Reminded of that, she chuckles, regaining her composure: “Yes, I have to live up to that. Yes, I will do it! “My husband, who is a fighter, who’s got my back 110 percent—he’s been fighting for the country. Well, now it’s my turn to fight. And I don’t want to let him down.” Looking down, she reaches for a collection of beaded bracelets around her wrist and jangles them. “Across the state and the
I N S I G H T Oct. 29 – Nov. 4, 2021 21
22 I N S I G H T Oct. 29 – Nov. 4, 2021
Exclusive Interview
nation, the outpouring of support has been just wonderful. These are just some of the bracelets that people have sent in with well wishes and prayers. And to know that people are praying for you—it means the world,” she said. Resiliency is a concept DeSantis was promoting even before her diagnosis. In February, she launched one of her three main projects, the Resiliency Florida initiative, a partnership with professional sports organizations and big-name athletes, such as Tom Brady, David Beckham, Peyton Manning, and others. The program aims to show children with mental health issues that they aren’t alone. By having athletes share their own stories of resilience, the hope is to encourage children to persevere through adversity. “I noticed very quickly, traveling the state and talking with a lot of kids, that they felt that if they had a mental health condition, that they somehow were damaged goods, and that they were victims,” DeSantis said. “I wanted to change it—giving hope to kids that if you persevere through tough times, it’s going to be all right. No one is immune from difficulties. But the most important thing is to persevere and to be strong.” As part of that program, the first lady helped develop character education standards to be taught in Florida’s K–12 schools. Passed unanimously by the State Board of Education in July, they’re the state’s first standards focused on teaching students about how character contributes to the overall civic health of a society. The curriculum underscores the importance of resiliency, responsibility, and respect. It teaches problem-solving skills, critical-thinking skills, and entrepreneurship. As part of the program, more than 100 middle school and high school clubs have been created to encourage a campus culture of kindness and empathy through peer-to-peer mentoring and volunteerism. “To be able to step out of that for a second, to go serve somebody else, to get some context and perspective on life, I think there’s so much good there. It gets them away from the comput-
ers and the iPhones and everything,” DeSantis said. From the age of 5, the first lady got most of her physical exercise from riding, showing, and caring for horses in her hometown of Troy, Ohio. That passion, one she shared with her mother, led to countless hours of practice and preparation for horse shows, and resulted in three national championships.
“Across the state and the nation, the outpouring of support has been just wonderful. ... To know that people are praying for you—it means the world." She continued riding in college, and while studying to earn her bachelor’s in economics, she competed on the College of Charleston equestrian team, finishing as the runner-up division champion in her junior year. After graduation, she worked on the PGA tour as a producer and on-air host. The first lady’s interview with The Epoch Times continued on horseback at the farm, located just 14 miles from the Florida Governor’s Mansion. Though she hadn’t ridden recently, the first lady easily swung into the saddle and steered her mount, Copper, out onto a bridle path. Over the clip-clopping of Copper’s hooves on pavement, she described the mission of one of her favorite projects, Hope Florida. The program was designed to improve the lives of people involved with the Department of Children and Families, often single mothers or teens aging out of foster care. The first lady wants to expand the reach of the program to help people involved with Veterans Affairs and the Department of Juvenile Justice. So-called care navigators are at the core of the program, helping to con-
nect people to the help they need. The help may come from a government agency or a faith-based group. “Government, as we know, should not be the end-all-be-all, trying to solve all problems,” she said. “To think that government has all the solutions ... we know that doesn’t work.” Part of the program involves an online “care portal” that lists the needs of people seeking help. Organizations can sign up to take on the needs they can fill. Sometimes, a solution is as simple as raising money to buy a set of bunk beds and delivering them to a struggling family, or delivering a home-cooked meal of lasagna to an exhausted single mom. “Imagine what that does to your emotional well-being when you have that arrive at your doorstep,” she says. “And you don’t have to worry about cooking dinner that night, because those good folks down the road know you’re there and wanted to give you a helping hand. That’s pretty cool. And that’s exactly where the hope comes in.” Seeing Florida families thrive is her main goal. When it comes to their own family of five, she and the governor strive for balance. That can be a challenge, though, as he makes almost-daily public appearances, crisscrossing the state. “My No. 1 priority is the family, without a doubt. We’ve got Madison, [4], Mason, [3] and a very precocious, 18-month-old Mamie.” Before Ron DeSantis took office in 2019, he represented Florida’s 6th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives from 2013 to 2018. Had he continued there, “it would have been really difficult to have a good family lifestyle,” given the need to be in Washington, she said. “Now he tries to be home every night to put them into bed, and he tries to be home by dinner, but that doesn’t always work,” the first lady said. “But at least I’m there. Especially after the diagnosis, I try to spend as much time with them as humanly possible. Because, you know, they’re a big reason why I fight. I look at them every day. They’re so young. They’re just babies. And so I fight for them every day.”
I N S I G H T Oct. 29 – Nov. 4, 2021 23
24 I N S I G H T Oct. 29 – Nov. 4, 2021
IN FOCUS VACCINE MANDATE PROTEST NEW YORK MUNICIPAL WORKERS hold placards and shout slogans as they march across Brooklyn Bridge during a protest against the city's COVID-19 vaccine mandate, in New York on Oct. 25, 2021. A total of more than 300,000 city employees will be hit with vaccine mandates by Nov. 1. PHOTO BY ED JONES/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES
I N S I G H T Oct. 29 – Nov. 4, 2021 25
An employee works in the workshop of a lithium battery manufacturing company in Huaibei, Anhui Province, China, on Nov. 14, 2020.
NATIONAL SECURITY
China Dominating Supply Line for Defense-Critical Advanced Batteries 26 I N S I G H T Oct. 29 – Nov. 4, 2021
PENTAGON | Reliance on China
National security expert says ‘we no longer need to censor ourselves’ about the Chinese Communist Party
I
By Nathan Worcester
FROM LEFT: STR/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES; STAFF/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES
n a discussion that Hudson Institute senior fellow Arthur Herman described as “particularly chilling,” a panel of experts hosted by the institute spoke about the threat of China’s economic coercion to the supply chains for defense-critical advanced batteries. In introducing the discussion, Nadia Schadlow, who served as U.S. deputy national security adviser for strategy under President Donald Trump, noted China’s present control over the supply chains for advanced batteries, including lithium-ion batteries and emerging solid-state batteries. “China dominates this supply chain— everything from the critical minerals to the processing to the battery cell production to the recycling as well,” Schadlow said. “One of our briefers noted that China was about a decade ahead of the United States in that supply chain.” Anthony Vinci, an adjunct fellow with the Center for a New American Security who served as chief technology officer for the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency under Trump, said: “Has the issue of batteries and supply chain tripped over that wire to where we’re now moved from normal, quote-unquote ‘normal,’ economic competition to economic coercion and into economic warfare? I would propose that we’re not quite there yet, but we’re in a state that I would call ‘preparation of the battlefield.’ “Batteries are so key to Department of Defense capabilities in the next five to ten years.” He recommended that national intelligence capabilities be developed to assess supply chain vulnerabilities, arguing that the U.S. federal government may even fail to compete in this arena with actors in its own private sector. “I would suggest that there are companies, individual singular companies, in Washington or New York, that probably
have better economic intelligence collection analysis capability than the entire United States intelligence community— and that is a problem,” Vinci said.
CCP’s Conditions for Doing Business in China Pavneet Singh, a nonresident fellow at the Brookings Institution who served on the National Security Council and the National Economic Council under President Barack Obama, highlighted some of the hazards for U.S. firms seeking to do business in China, saying that the country’s coercion “takes many forms.” “As a condition for doing business in China, the playbook requires that these companies [software companies] transfer IP [intellectual property], set up a joint venture, or cede ultimate ownership of their company,” he said. Singh said that shifts in venture capital financing also present risks. Limited partners, once content to provide capital without becoming significantly involved, have begun asking for confidential information and proprietary data. “This is a dramatic change in the VC [venture capital] model, and it presents a real vulnerability because there’s no real oversight,” he said. Drawing on his experience in Australia’s government, Hudson senior fellow John Lee, who served as senior national security adviser to Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop, presented what he called Beijing’s “vision of success” in relation to other countries. “It comes down to three things,” Lee said. “It wants a capacity to coerce—and that’s not just through material means, but importantly, the demonstration of superior resolve over other countries and governments. “Two, it wants the capacity to offer material incentives and inducements to, particularly, smaller nations, to gain their submission—and this is done bilat-
“We no longer need to censor ourselves, as we’ve done for the last few decades, regarding the Chinese Communist Party— and certainly I think the less we censor ourselves, the better we are as a society.” John Lee, senior fellow, Hudson Institute
The U.S. military relies more heavily on supply chains controlled by the CCP than was previously known.
I N S I G H T Oct. 29 – Nov. 4, 2021 27
PENTAGON | Reliance on China
erally or through multilateral regimes, such as the [Belt and Road Initiative]. “Third, it wants to attain not just legitimacy, but it wants tribute and acceptance of its alleged superiority, and it does that through dominating regional and institutional norms and standards.” Lee argued that China needs to maintain and grow its power over battery supply chains to realize these goals, and that China’s goals and strategy could be rather subtle. “It’s not necessarily about bringing a country like Australia to its knees, because it probably can’t really do that,” Lee said. “It’s actually more a political and psychological ploy, concerned with creating division within that country such that coerced firms and individuals pressure their governments to change their policies in ways that better suit Chinese interests.”
China-Proofing Critical Supply Chains
28 I N S I G H T Oct. 29 – Nov. 4, 2021
Lee argued that China needs to maintain and grow its power over battery supply chains to realize its goals of 'success' in relation to other countries. suspect people at the Hudson Institute would agree with me that it will. “The DOD [Department of Defense] can have an effect on the economic system if it uses its tools in a strategic way,” Vinci said, arguing that DOD often lacks the technical expertise to know which incentives to use. “We [Australia] often found that, as the government, you need a sledgehammer, not necessarily a scalpel,” Lee said, arguing that even a “blunt tool” at the policy level can meaningfully change private-sector
behavior toward China. Singh said, “I just don’t think that DOD could make the kind of change in our economy that we need. “I think we’re trying to shift a whole mindset and shift a whole operation of our economy without becoming a command economy.” Vinci agreed with Singh, saying, “This is really truly a whole-of-government situation—you’d really call it whole-ofnation.” He added that tax incentives are “probably the biggest sledgehammer we have in this country.” In his closing remarks to “Powering Innovation,” Herman stressed the potentially massive threat presented by China’s control of battery supply chains. “I wonder even if our audience understands just how disquieting some of the discussion was,” Herman said. The U.S. economic competition with China is “not just about the strength of our economy, or even about protecting national security, but may ultimately be an issue about national survival.” The panel “China, Supply Chains, and Economic Coercion” took place on Oct. 14 at the Hudson Institute in Washington, D.C. Batteries will be critical to Department of Defense capabilities over the next few years.
FROM TOP: ARMY PHOTO BY SGT. THOMAS STUBBLEFIELD; U.S. ARMY PHOTO BY SPC. GIOVANNY LOPEZ
According to Lee, countries can develop their psychological resilience against Chinese influence by being honest about the nature of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). “We no longer need to censor ourselves, as we’ve done for the last few decades, regarding the Chinese Communist Party—and certainly I think the less we censor ourselves, the better we are as a society,” he said. After stressing the need for “China-proofing critical supply chains,” Lee said the future of the Indo-Pacific could hinge on whether wealthy countries can generate a strategy for developing countries, which he said are more susceptible to Chinese coercion. The panelists also debated the nature and level of force the government should use in relation to an issue, such as battery supply chains, involving both economics and national security. “It’s a complex issue because of the nature of the American economy, which is basically a laissez-faire, capitalist system,” Vinci said. “You’re seeing, in my personal opinion, Xi [Jinping, leader of the CCP,] having similar concerns that his own system is not as directed as he wants as well, and he’s trying to control it more. That may backfire for him. I
Batteries are used for many critical applications by the military, such as night vision goggles.
An Indian coal scavenger carries a basket of coal collected at a mine in the district of Dhanbad, Jharkhand, India, on June 27, 2017. Despite having the fourth-largest coal reserve in the world, India is the secondlargest importer of coal.
World India
SANJIB DUTTA/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES
E N E R GY
INDIA
COAL SHORTAGE RISING PRICE OF IMPORTED COAL SPARKS INDIA’S BIGGEST ELECTRICIT Y CRISIS
By Anil Sharma
I N S I G H T Oct. 29 – Nov. 4, 2021 29
World India
The thermal power plant in Wanakbori, India, on Oct. 15, 2015. od last year, power consumption stood at 55.36 BU, which was higher than the 49.66 BU in the same period a year before. Smoke billows from two smoke stacks at the coal-based Badarpur Thermal Station in New Delhi on April 6, 2015. India relies on thermal power plants for 54 percent of its electricity. supply is entirely misplaced. The coal stock at the power plant is sufficient for more than 4 days’ requirement and as the coal supply is being ramped up by Coal India Limited, the coal stock at the power plant would gradually improve.”
“Due to rains, there was a coal shortage, causing an increase in international prices— from [80 cents] per ton to [$2.40] per ton. ” Pralhad Joshi, coal minister
SOME OF THESE power plants, as per me-
dia reports, presently have a stock of coal to last four days, well short of the federal recommendation of at least two weeks. On Oct. 10, Indian Minister of Power and New and Renewable Energy R.K. Singh reviewed the coal-stock position in all thermal power plants. A government statement on Oct. 9 said the total amount of coal from all sources totaled 1.92 million tons, while consumption was 1.87 million tons, indicating a shift toward a gradual building up of coal stock. “Ministry of Coal and Coal India have assured that there is ample coal available in the country to meet the demand of power plants,” the statement reads. “Any fear of disruption in the power 30 I N S I G H T Oct. 29 – Nov. 4, 2021
However, the situation on the ground looks different, as power cuts in some of the cities and industrial areas have been reported. Recently, Singh hinted that the coal supply may remain “uncomfortable” for another few months. The main reasons behind the coal shortage, economists say, are heavy rains in August and September, a rise in power demand due to economic recovery after the second wave of the CCP virus, and an increase in prices of imported coal. The CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus is the pathogen that causes COVID-19. As stated in an Economic Times report, India’s power consumption grew by 3.35 percent in the first half of October to 57.22 billion units (BU). During the same peri-
est coal reserve in the world, India is the second-largest importer of coal. On average, the country imports 20 percent of its coal needs, and a steep rise in international prices has led to declining imports, hitting the supply of coal to thermal power plants. “Due to rains, there was a coal shortage, causing an increase in international prices—from [80 cents] per ton to [$2.40] per ton. Subsequently, imported coal-power plants are either shut for 15 to 20 days or are producing very less. This puts pressure on domestic coal,” coal minister Pralhad Joshi said, according to Indian news agency ANI. The crisis provides an opportunity for India to fast-track reforms, including measures to improve the financials of electricity distribution companies and to boost renewable energy such as solar, wind, and biofuels. Anil Swarup, a retired civil servant and former government secretary, stressed the need for structural reforms in an article in The Print, writing: “Coal supply is a problem. The problem was sorted out between 2014 and 2016. It will again be sorted out, but the real problem is in the power sector. The enormity of the situation needs to be recognized now and correctives put in place and pursued. “If one looks at the power sector, it reveals that the electricity distribution companies ... are in extremely bad shape. Non-performing assets in power-generating companies ... are mounting.”
FROM LEFT: MONEY SHARMA/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES; SAM PANTHAKY/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES; ALEJANDRO GOMEZ/THE EPOCH TIMES
I
ndi a , the second -most populous country in the world, is facing an unprecedented electricity crisis due to a shortage of coal, which is disrupting the production of its thermal power plants. India’s coal-fired thermal power plants account for nearly 54 percent of the country’s electricity generation capacity. The disruptions have caused some states to resort to limited daily power cuts. Others are on the verge of announcing them. Out of India’s 135 power plants dependent on coal for electricity, more than 60 percent are reported to be in some form of crisis.
DESPITE HAVING THE fourth-larg-
C OL OM B I A
BOGOTÁ ON EDGE Crime wave, triggered by lockdowns, fuels resentment
R
By Autumn Spredemann
esidents in Bogotá, Colombia, have expressed fear and anger over a rise in violent crime that followed on the heels of pandemic restrictions, which caused inflated poverty and unemployment rates beginning in March 2020. “It doesn’t feel safe anymore,” Camila Garcia, 23, told The Epoch Times. “My family lives in Rosales [in Bogotá]. It was a safe place to grow up, but my dad doesn’t want my sister and I to walk alone now. People have gotten more aggressive [since the pandemic], kind of desperate, and crime is definitely worse.” The CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus killed more than 125,000 people in Colombia since the start of the pandemic, according to the World Health Organization. The government initiated a series of lockdowns and restrictions on March 16 last year meant to control the spread of the virus. The lockdown drove Colombia into an economic recession in 2020, according to a World Bank brief. Unemployment rates increased by 50 percent, 2.5 million people lost their jobs, and the portion of people working less than 20 hours per week increased from 15 percent to 22 percent. Arturo Hernandez, 40, lost his manufacturing job in May 2020. “Just about every place that didn’t sell food was closed,” Hernandez told The Epoch Times. “It’s strange logic, though. How am I supposed to buy food for my family without a job? “It’s not a mystery why crime is worse now. Less jobs, less money, but the same number of people need to survive.” Monetary poverty in Colombia reached 42.5 percent in 2020 and extreme monetary poverty reached 15.1 percent, according to a report to Colombia’s National Administrative Department of Statistics (DANE).
Soldiers in protective gear stand guard in the neighborhood of Ciudad Bolivar, in Bogota, Colombia, on July 13, 2020.
“People have gotten more aggressive [since the pandemic], kind of desperate, and crime is definitely worse.” Camila Garcia, resident
So far, the beginning of 2021 was the most violent start to a year since the signing of the peace accords between the government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) in 2016, according to a report by the Special Jurisdiction for Peace (JEP). Armed criminals and public forces have clashed in 14 documented incidents, according to the JEP report. There have been 14 social leader assassinations and six massacres, as of Jan. 26 this year, the report said. “My cousin was robbed in daylight a few weeks back,” Diego Rodriguez, 31, told The Epoch Times. “I mean, he wasn’t even in a bad area. He walked out of an ATM in El Chico and a guy with a knife was crouched, looking like he was tying his shoe, and just stood up and grabbed my cousin. The guy demanded his wallet and ran.” Rodriguez was asked if he thought crime had gotten worse since the beginning of the pandemic.
“Definitely,” he replied. “How did they [the government] expect to shut things down and leave people without a way to make money? Just about everyone I know was affected, either lost a job or has a family member who lost a job. How did they think that would go?” The government deployed 360 soldiers to the streets of Bogotá to assist local police with crime mitigation efforts. Minister of Defense Diego Molano said, “We are changing reality, not just perception,” in a public statement released on Twitter on Sept. 15 addressing the deployment. Meanwhile, a hunger strike is underway on the steps of the Cathedral Primada de Colombia and Capilla del Sagrario in the nation’s capital. Activists in Bogotá are protesting on behalf of their people in La Guajira region, who have been decimated economically and lack access to vital resources such as potable water. Law student Jose Flores, 19, told The Epoch Times that the government claims not to have any money to help the people while the economic fallout from the pandemic response has been brutal. “There is no water, no food, our children are dying, and it’s even worse now [this year],” he said. “They need to fix this.” Colombia’s minister of defense’s office didn’t respond to a request for comment. I N S I G H T Oct. 29 – Nov. 4, 2021 31
T R A N S P ORTAT ION
Vaccine Mandate Thre Major Trucking Disrup Unprecedented supply chain logjam could get worse if truck drivers quit in droves By Jackson Elliott, Cara Ding, Allan Stein, Steven Kovac, Jannis Falkenstern, & Nick Ciolino
A
merican truckers don’t like taking orders. But the Biden administration has increased pressure on some of them to take the vaccine—willing or unwilling. All through the pandemic, truckers endured hardships to keep America’s infrastructure running. They waited in line for hours in sight of bathrooms they weren’t allowed to use. On the road, some died alone of COVID-19. Now, with supply chains disrupted, Americans need them more than ever. But faced with the prospect of mandated vaccination, many drivers are considering quitting. “I’d fight it,” said veteran trucker Mike Widdins, referring to a vaccine mandate. “I think a lot of us will be quitting. Who likes to be forced to do stuff you don’t want to do?”
32 I N S I G H T Oct. 29 – Nov. 4, 2021
Widdins isn’t alone in his willingness to leave trucking if he’s required to vaccinate. Polls by trucking publications Commercial Carrier Journal and OverDrive indicate that up to 30 percent of truckers will seriously consider quitting if required to vaccinate. If they quit, the consequences for America may be massive. US Transport estimates that 70 percent of American freight goes by truck. “It would hurt shipping big-time,” Widdins said.
Narrowing Lanes President Joe Biden ordered his administration to mandate vaccines for private companies with over 100 employees. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration was charged with developing the rule, and the Office of Budget and Management is currently reviewing it. The review process can take as long as 90 days. Most of the trucking industry consists of companies with fewer than 100 employees,
30%
OF TRUCKERS will seriously consider quitting if required to vaccinate, polls show.
Focus Supply Chain
eatens ption
JACKSON ELLIOTT/THE EPOCH TIMES
though a significant portion would fall under the over-100-employee umbrella. Most truck companies have six trucks or fewer, according to the American Trucking Associations. Some experts say the selective reach of the mandate makes it ineffective. Barbara Smithers, vice president of the Indiana Motor Truck Association, told The Epoch Times via email that it makes little sense to “cherry-pick” who to vaccinate based on company size. “Truck drivers spend most of their work hours alone in the cab of a truck—literally one of the safest places possible during a pandemic—so why do they need to be regulated in this way?” she said. “Testing hundreds of thousands of truck drivers moving across the country every day is a virtual impossibility.” For mandate-affected companies, Biden’s decision may drive away employees at a time when America needs them most. The American Trucking Associations estimates that America needs 80,000 more truckers to meet transportation needs.
Trucks fill up on fuel at the One9 truck stop in Wildwood, Ga., onGa., Oct.on20, Oct. 2021. 20, 2021. Some truckers Some truckers think of think theirofjob their as job as their their service service to to America. America. In In exchange for long hours away from home, they get relatively low pay, low pay, independence, independence, and and the nation’s best sunsets.
Recently, supply chain crises have left many Americans in need. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said the shortage will last as long as there’s a pandemic. With backups in unloading goods at America’s ports, shortages already threaten consumers. But if the long lines of trucks waiting to ship goods suddenly become shorter, the crisis will become far worse. Whether America runs short on trucks depends on the Biden administration’s orders and how truckers respond.
Joe Trucker and Joe Biden
“I think a lot of us will be quitting. Who likes to be forced to do stuff you don’t want to do?” Mike Widdins, veteran trucker
Some truckers think of their job as their service to America. In exchange for long hours away from home, they get relatively low pay, independence, and the nation’s best sunsets. The CCP virus hasn’t been kind to truckers. At a time when many Americans hunkered down at home, they were still on the road. Trucking life during the pandemic was a I N S I G H T Oct. 29 – Nov. 4, 2021 33
Focus Supply Chain
Warehouse owners didn’t allow truckers to leave their cabs for any reason, regardless of whether they're hungry to need to use the restroom.
34 I N S I G H T Oct. 29 – Nov. 4, 2021
A trucker waves his thanks after picking up free food at a mobile drive-thru food pantry, in Long Beach, Calif., on April 22, 2020. During lockdowns, many warehouse owners didn’t allow truckers to leave their cabs for any reason. If they arrived hungry, they waited hungry.
80,000
The United States currently needs 80,000 more truckers to meet transportation needs—and that's before a vaccine mandate that could drive many to quit or retire early.
But even those who take the vaccine say they oppose the mandate. At the Pilot Truck Stop at I-69 and Wadhams Road in Michigan, all 10 truckers interviewed by The Epoch Times said they had taken the vaccine but were opposed to a vaccine mandate. Kevin Hambrick, a longtime driver with Fortune 500 transportation company J.B. Hunt, opposes the mandate. “Each guy should make his own choice,” Hambrick said. In Arizona, Florida-based truck driver Juan Martinez said that he knows life without freedom, having lived under Cuban communism. He also received a COVID-19 shot and opposes the mandate. “You have to decide for yourself,” he said. “People should do whatever they want to do.” Many drivers feel pressured by their employers. After a year of difficult pandemic restrictions, it seems to them that the COVID-19 rules grow ever more invasive. In Flagstaff, Arizona, a long-distance truck driver in his late 20s asked not to be identified, fearing reprisal by his employer. “There’s no place in the middle right now,” he said. “If you want to put something in your body, it’s your personal choice.” Other truckers who didn’t want to be named said they felt angry at those who would mandate the vaccine. “We run our country,” one said. “They don’t give a [expletive] about this country.”
Roads to Health According to the Biden administration, America needs the new vaccines to increase protection against the CCP virus.
CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT: ROBYN BECK/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES; JACKSON ELLIOTT/THE EPOCH TIMES; ALLAN STEIN/THE EPOCH TIMES; ALLAN STEIN/THE EPOCH TIMES; STEVEN KOVAC/ THE EPOCH TIMES
series of frustrating restrictions, trucker Victor Morales said at a Georgia One9 truck stop. Morales has driven trucks for 25 years. After a long day on the road, Morales would wait for hours to drop off a truckful of deliveries at a warehouse. But warehouse owners didn’t allow truckers to leave their cabs for any reason. “You’re almost forced, like a second-class citizen,” he said. “They want the goods and services you got, but they don’t even want you to get out of your truck.” If they arrived hungry, they waited hungry, he said. They weren’t even allowed to use a restroom only steps away. “You can literally see a bathroom right there behind the glass. But you can’t get out,” Morales said. In the eyes of drivers, Biden’s mandate is the last step in a long line of restrictions that don’t consider their needs or wants. “It’s unconstitutional,” said one trucker who preferred to remain anonymous. “We’ll just buy our own damn trucks and run our own company. All we’ve got to do is shut down, and the country doesn’t exist no more.” For many drivers, a vaccine mandate may prove to be the final straw. Some drivers don’t trust the vaccine because of how new it is. Some distrust it for personal medical reasons. Others distrust it because they don’t trust the government. “I had cancer years ago,” said trucker Jack McGregory. “I don’t want to put something that I don’t know exactly what it will do into my body. If I die, I want to die with a little more time on my hands than that.” McGregory said he would rather quit than vaccinate.
Focus Supply Chain
“The vast majority of Americans are doing the right thing,” President Joe Biden said in a press conference on Sept. 9. But he said more people should get vaccinated. According to the CDC, COVID-19 vaccines are “safe, effective, and free.” Studies show that the efficacy of all three vaccines approved for use in the United States dwindles over time, requiring booster shots. U.S. states with the highest vaccination rates have recently experienced outbreaks. The number of cases in Vermont, the state with the highest vaccination rate in the United States, reached a record level earlier this month, and hospitalizations were close to the records made last winter. The state recorded the deadliest day and the second deadliest month of the pandemic in September. As of Oct. 24, more than 57 percent of Americans were fully vaccinated against the CCP virus, according to the CDC. “We’ve been patient, but our patience is wearing thin,” Biden said to those who had not gotten a vaccine. “Your refusal has cost all of us.” A recent executive order suggested that the White House is aware of a potential truck shortage. Biden signed an executive order on Oct. 20 that temporarily lifts weight restrictions on trucks and encourages more people to become truckers. Neither the White House nor the Department of Transportation responded to repeated requests for comment on this story.
Collision Course
Trucker Victor Morales at the One9 truck stop in Wildwood, Ga., on Oct. 18, 2021.
Capital City Cargo truck driver Robert Wagner finishes filling up his bigrig at Pilot Travel Center in Bellemont, Ariz., on Oct. 19, 2021. Wagner said many long-distance truck drivers like him reject federal vaccine mandates for COVID-19. “It’s poison, man,” he said of the vaccines.
CGS Transport truck driver Vivian Alexis fills a fuel tank at Pilot Travel Center truck stop in Bellemont, Ariz., on Oct. 19, 2021. Alexis said many truck drivers she’s spoken with oppose a federal vaccine mandate for COVID-19.
“Each guy should make his own choice.”
WILLIAM WEST/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES
Truck industry experts say truckers with the option to quit will do so if forced to take the vaccine. Joe Sculley, president of the Motor Transport Association of Connecticut, said he sees a scenario playing out for those who would oppose or refuse to comply with the mandate. “Drivers will leave bigger companies and look for smaller ones that don’t have to comply with the mandate, or they will quit altogether and look for another profession,” he said. Right now, the supply chain crisis, the number of drivers who oppose vaccination, and the driver shortage leave the best cards in the hands of drivers, Sculley said. “Drivers have leverage,” he said. “It won’t be an empty threat. Nobody is going to be quickly replaced.” Jim Ward, president of D.M. Bowman and chairman of the Truckload Carriers Association, agreed that truckers are serious about quitting because of vaccine mandates. “With driver availability already limited, any exodus due to compliance with a vaccine mandate would put our nation and
“They want the goods and services you got, but they don’t even want you to get out of your truck.”
Trucker Kevin Hambrick at the Pilot Truck Stop off of I-69 in Kimball, Mich., on Oct. 20, 2021.
I N S I G H T Oct. 29 – Nov. 4, 2021 35
Focus Supply Chain
Trucks drive near city hall to protest a program to allow only newer, less-polluting trucks at ports, in Los Angeles, in this file photo.
Volunteers work to unload a semitruck full of food boxes at the Athens County Fairgrounds in Athens, Ohio, on Dec. 19, 2020.
Impact New workers also might not compare with longtime professionals. Experienced truckers thread their trucks through a complex ballet of traffic conditions and federal regulations to arrive on time. Football games, the Kentucky Derby, hurricanes two states over, and other issues can all 36 I N S I G H T Oct. 29 – Nov. 4, 2021
mean higher traffic along a route, Morales said. If Biden’s mandate goes through, the most experienced truckers are the most likely to quit, Morales said. In 10 years, nearly 30 percent of truckers will be 65 or older, according to Department of Transportation statistics. These drivers often make more money and have cash saved up, Morales said. “The mandate is going to affect the older drivers that have been here a while,” he said. “They’re going to have a choice.” If these drivers retire early, it will be a challenge to replace them. To become a trucker, a driver must pass his commercial driver’s license (CDL) test, a process that usually takes four to seven weeks. During the pandemic, many truck driving schools closed, and training schools have issued at least 100,000 fewer CDLS. Short-term truckers are often unreliable, said small truck company owner Pete Falkenstern. He calls them “cowboys.” “If somebody’s done it for a long time and hasn’t had a lot of accidents, they’ve been pretty safe,” he said. “They probably take some pride in what they do.” If 20 percent of truckers quit because of the mandate, America will lose about 15 percent of its transportation capacity. America’s infrastructure relies most on
CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT: STEPHEN ZENNER/AFP; DAVID MCNEW; JUSTIN SULLIVAN; JUSTIN SULLIVAN/GETTY IMAGES
its economy in an even more precarious situation,” he said. He pointed out that drivers who quit can’t easily be replaced. They require training. “Our nation’s professional truck drivers are the safest, most well-trained operators on the road today. Replacing any driver who leaves the industry is not an overnight process,” he said. Biden’s best chance to bring in new drivers comes from a pilot program in his recent infrastructure bill that would allow 18- to 21-year-old truckers to drive cargo across state lines. The program would create a “test group” of 18- to 21-year-olds who would be followed to “see how they would perform,” Sculley said. However, the American trucking industry has long faced a driver shortage. Long hours away from home and mediocre pay don’t attract new drivers to the business, even when they have the right skills.
A Truck driving instructor (L) directs a student as he manuevers a truck while training at the Western Trucking School in Turlock, Calif., in this file photo.
Focus Supply Chain
“I don’t want to put something that I don’t know exactly what it will do into my body.” Jack McGregory, trucker
Trucks move containers as they are offloaded from a ship at the Port of Oakland in Oakland, Calif., on Sept. 3, 2019. After a long day on the road, truckers could end up waiting for hours to drop off a truckful of deliveries at a warehouse.
70%
OF AMERICAN freight goes by truck, US Transport estimates.
trucks. As a transportation system, trucks are incredibly flexible. They can go anywhere at any time, can carry many kinds of goods, and are the most cost-effective form of transportation over short to medium distances. “I love this industry, but without us, this country would shut down in three days,” said trucker Jack McGregory. Even so, the trucking industry has a high turnover rate.
Backing Up The vaccine mandate would only directly affect companies with more than 100 people, but small truck companies wouldn’t have the resources to absorb many additional drivers, Falkenstern said. “I would love to be able to accommodate 30 people, but the work is not here to support that many,” he said. “I don’t want to operate any more than what I have because of insurance regulations.” Large truck companies also tend to be more cost-effective, said Falkenstern. They can buy things in bulk and self-insure. “A lot of the bigger companies can keep prices down,” he said. “They can get a lower cost because it’s in bulk.” Cathy Roberson, president of Logistics Trends and Insights LLC, said it’s unclear right now what the long-term impact of the vaccine mandate would be.
If truckers quit, the mandate could damage America’s logistics system, Robertson said. But if they switch to smaller companies, Biden’s executive order might only reshuffle employees. “It really hurts the larger trucking companies more than anything else,” Robertson said, adding that whatever the case, the mandate would exacerbate current supply chain issues. Logistics workers are already wrestling with the worst supply chain issues ever seen, said Lisa Anderson, president of logistics group LMA Consulting. “It’s unprecedented. It’s never happened before,” she said. Right now, logistics issues have made it difficult to find replacement parts for trucks, she said. Businesses find themselves in a catch-22; to fix their trucks, they need trucks to transport parts. Anderson said the vaccine mandate would almost certainly worsen the driver shortage. “They are more of a lone wolf, always navigating complex situations on their own,” she said. “They don’t like to be told what to do.”
Delays Ahead If truckers follow through with what they say they will do, America’s supply chain crisis may soon become far worse. From a perspective based purely on material benefits, it would seem only logical to obey the mandate. Truckers could take the vaccine, keep their jobs, and keep the national supply chain running. But human beings often want to assert that they amount to more than mere links in a chain, being pulled on command from the federal government. The logic of individual freedom doesn’t calculate for material benefits. “It’s just that shoving-it-down-your-throat part,” Morales said. “Our first instinct will be to push back.” I N S I G H T Oct. 29 – Nov. 4, 2021 37
38 I N S I G H T Oct. 29 – Nov. 4, 2021
IN FOCUS COSTUME PARTY DOGS DRESSED IN HALLOWEEN costumes attend the annual Bipawtisan Halloween Dog Parade on Capitol Hill in Washington on Oct. 27, 2021. Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) first hosted the event in 2017 in an effort to bring together lawmakers on both sides of the political aisle. PHOTO BY JIM WATSON/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES
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C OL D A M B I T ION
China Eyes Arctic as New Frontier Hungry for resources, China is seeking to stake a claim in the icy north— and disturb the region's delicate geopolitical balance in the process
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By Andrew Thornebrooke hey cut through the water like giant steel sharks, cold ocean spray misting off their gray hulls. Four Chinese warships, bristling with missiles, tear their path through the frigid waters of the Bering Strait, less than 50 miles from American shores. Their intentions are unknown. For many Americans, this scenario is an unsettling prospect. It is, however, a reality, and may soon become the norm in Sino–American relations. The U.S. Coast Guard discovered as much when they unexpectedly bumped into a People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) flotilla, a mere 46 miles from U.S. territory in late August of this year. It was the closest that the PLAN had come to American soil since 2015, when it first ventured into the Arctic.
40 I N S I G H T Oct. 29 – Nov. 4, 2021
On that occasion, the ships ultimately traveled just 12 miles from American soil. These incidents, as alarming as they may seem, are wholly legal. The United States’ territorial waters end just 12 miles from the shore and, though the U.S. retains exclusive undersea economic rights out to the 200-mile mark, all international sea traffic is permitted on the surface. It is this legal framework that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) currently seeks to exploit before the world stage. The recent traversal of the Bering Strait, a narrow chokepoint between Russia and Alaska, was not some idle threat, but a painstakingly crafted strategic message: You’ve reached our backyard in the Indo-Pacific; now, we can reach yours. But how did the wintry Arctic become the hotbed for international competition and conflict between the United States and China? And what does the Chinese Communist Party hope to achieve there?
Oil, natural gas RARE-EARTH metals, diamonds, and pristine fishing grounds are all found in the Arctic, and it’s these resources with aseeks to satiate its appetite.
FROM THE TOP: SARA FRANCIS/U.S. COAST GUARD, KIRILL KUDRYAVTTSEV/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES
An Old Frontier, New Again To answer these questions, one need look no further than the global crunch for strategic resources and the rich stores of natural wealth that have been sequestered away in the Arctic until recently. “It doesn’t matter where you look around the world, resources are becoming more scarce,” said Ryan Burke, an associate professor in the Department of Military and Strategic Studies at the U.S. Air Force Academy. According to Burke, who also serves as co-director of the Arctic-focused Project 6633 at West Point’s Modern War Institute, the drive for resources in an increasingly populated and interconnected world is driving new diplomatic and economic ventures as nations around the world feel the pressure to acquire the resources necessary to sustain themselves and their growth. Such is true for China more than most, and Burke believes that China’s push into the frigid northern waters is driven by an almost-panicked need to satiate the consumption of the Chinese mainland. “Much of it is spurred by the drive for resources,” Burke said. “In China’s particular interest spectrum, I don’t believe that China is anywhere near as powerful as many claim it to be. But I think that’s also why we need to be worried about China and be mindful of China’s interest and intent.” Burke explained that, despite popular conceptions, he believes most power indicators demonstrate China to be lagging behind the other great powers due to a tight crunch for resources. He pointed to the tendency of analysts to consider only China’s gross production capacities rather than measuring those capacities against the nation’s consumption and population.
Russian tanker Renda powers toward Nome, Alaska, with U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Healy's assistance, in the Bering Sea on Jan. 6, 2012.
The construction site at the port of Sabetta, a key component in Russia's huge Yamal LNG project, above the Arctic Circle, on May 5, 2016. Yamal LNG is a liquefied natural gas plant with a planned capacity of 16.5 million tonnes per year and is valued at $27 billion.
“They are so voracious in their consumption and their need to continue to satisfy the consumption rates of their people, that that makes them threatening for a number of reasons,” Burke said. “They know they need resources. They know they need to expand into other regions of the world in order to quench that thirst.” The Arctic harbors an immense array of natural resources vital to a state in such a situation. Oil, natural gas, rare-earth metals, diamonds, and pristine fishing grounds are all found in the region, and it’s these resources with which China now seeks to satiate its appetite. This is why it has thrown itself into the new Arctic melting pot, though such a venture would have been unthinkable only decades ago. Historically, the Arctic presented humankind with something of an impassable hazard. The Northwest Passage, leading through the Arctic from the Atlantic to the Pacific, was first navigated in
I N S I G H T Oct. 29 – Nov. 4, 2021 41
Special Report Artic
the early 20th century and was traversed by only a handful of ships every year until very recently. Conflict is an In the 21st century, however, climate change inevitability has contributed to increasing ice thaw during the warmer months of the year. This, combined with in the Arctic, improved icebreaking technologies, has allowed and China is the flow of commercial, scientific, and military going to be at vessels into the region to increase, altering a geographic and strategic reality that had long seen the center of this conflict little disturbance. Thus, it is into the old frontier that China is in the future. seeking its latest venture, and where it hopes to Ryan Burke, secure its vision of a future global hegemony. associate professor, U.S. It is also here that Burke believes international Air Force Academy cooperation will inevitably transform to competition, and that competition to conflict. “This is a region of evolving strategic competition,” Burke said. “Conflict is an inevitability in the Arctic, and China is going to be at the center of this conflict in the future.” USA
A Contested Domain
ARCTIC CIRCLE
42 I N S I G H T Oct. 29 – Nov. 4, 2021
The Arctic State That Wasn’t To increase the success of its attempts to access the Arctic and leverage its soft power, China declared itself a “near-Arctic state” back in 2012. It was a ploy for influence, to be sure, but one that worked well enough in opening diplomatic channels with several actual Arctic states. “From a territoriality standpoint, China is not an Arctic state,” Burke said. “They created this quasi-label of legitimacy and they self-proclaimed ‘near-Arctic state.’ That’s not a real term. That’s a self-identified term. It’s a completely irrelevant and made-up term. It’s identity diplomacy at its finest.
FROM LEFT: SHUTTERSTOCK; STR/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES
There are other contested commons beyond the Arctic, including airspace, the high seas, and outer space, all of which are CANADA either ungoverned or hold no territorial claims, where nations can openly compete for resources and primacy. “That’s why [China] is extending itself out into places like the Arctic,” Burke said. “These are strategic, contestDENMARK ed commons that have not yet been claimed, and they may never be claimed given the realities of the environment. Nevertheless, there are resources there in the environment, and NORWAY there are exploitation opportunities that come with that.” Perhaps the most notable such common is the Indo-Pacific, where the United States and its allies Only five nations’ have formed dialogues and security agreements coastlines border aplenty, all aimed at maintaining a “free and the Arctic Ocean, open” region, guaranteeing access to internationand only three more al waters and trade within the common space. hold territories within Most people are now aware of the growing the Arctic Circle. military standoff between China and the rest of the world in the Indo-Pacific and its associated dangers. But Burke believes that the risk of unmitigated conflict may actually be greater in the Arctic. This is because, unlike the Indo-Pacific or other major commercial regions, there are few nations with strong ties to the Arctic. Indeed, only five nations’ coastlines border the
Arctic Ocean, and only three more hold territories within the Arctic Circle. The littoral Arctic states are Canada, Denmark, Norway, Russia, and the United States, colloquially known as the Arctic Five. The others are Finland, Iceland, and Sweden. This means that there are fewer international roadblocks to potential escalations in tensions, as fewer eyes and interests result in fewer checks and balances between the countries engaged in the region. Importantly, the fact that most nations with ties to the Arctic are comparatively weaker states also means that the region is ripe for exploitation through soft power initiatives, be they diplomatic, economic, or scientific. As it so happens, China is investing heavily in such initiatives in its attempts to break into the Arctic. The nation has built several research stations throughout the region and continues to invest in major infrastructure projects in Canada and elsewhere, providing itself with potential levers of future influence. Some have called the push to develop ties in the Arctic a “charm offensive,” aimed at enRUSSIA abling China to develop lasting ties in a region it has no claim to. Others have pointed out that a Chinese civilian presence could strengthen future military capabilities in the region due to China’s so-called “dual use” policy, whereby all scientific and economic ventures are intended to also improve upon state or military projects. To this end, China appears to be everywhere in the Arctic, or at least wants to be seen as such. But there remains one critical flaw with this approach: China is not now, nor has ever been, an Arctic state.
Special Report Artic
“They created this quasilabel of legitimacy and they self-proclaimed [that China is a] ‘nearArctic state.’ That’s not a real term. ... It’s identity diplomacy at its finest.” Ryan Burke, associate professor, U.S. Air Force Academy
“The fact that they labeled themselves a near-Arctic state speaks volumes about their broader strategic interests and what they ultimately want to do in the region.” Alex Gray, a senior fellow in national security affairs at the American Foreign Policy Council and former deputy assistant to the president and chief of staff at the National Security Council, said that China’s investments and civilian research did indeed point to a greater ambition in the Arctic, as well as a potential danger. “There’s the question of whether there’s a dual-use component, because so much of what China has done economically around the world has been a facilitator for military activity,” Gray said. “We have to be very cognizant that anything that the Chinese do on the scientific side will very likely have an economic component, and anything on
the economic side very likely has a military and diplomatic component. They really do see these things as linked.” As a potential warning of what is to come, Gray described how China previously worked to expand its military influence directly into European waters through economic investments in the Greek port of Piraeus. After acquiring a majority stake in the port, the PLAN began making port calls at the terminals operated by Chinese managers, effectively establishing a naval presence in the heart of the Mediterranean, and further enlisted Huawei Technologies to establish new communications systems there. “If you look at China’s behavior globally through One Belt, One Road, and they now have this polar silk road, based on the track record they’ve shown globally, that’s very predatory behavior,” Gray said. “You have to ask yourself, how have the Chinese behaved themselves in the Pacific islands? How have they behaved in Africa? In South America? In the Caribbean? When we have that kind of holistic view, we can make determinations about how we should approach them [in the Arctic].” The threat posed by Chinese involvement in the Arctic appears similar to that in Greece. What is a port of call for commercial ships one day could be a naval base the next. What is a scientific relay station one week could be a missile communications site the next. To this end, Burke warned that the United States can’t curb the rise of China’s influence in the region through tough talk alone.
Chinese paramilitary police border guards train in the snow at Mohe County in China’s northeast Heilongjiang Province, on the border with Russia, on Dec. 12, 2016. Mohe is the northernmost point in China, with a subarctic climate where border guards operate in temperatures as low as minus 33 degrees Fahrenheit.
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Special Report Artic
“China has already shown the world that they don’t cower to finger-wagging in other places in the world,” Burke said. “They’re not going to cower to finger-wagging in the Arctic. “China sees a vacuum in the Arctic. They see an opportunity in the Arctic. They see a region of what is largely believed to be an exceptional zone of peace by the international community, an ungoverned space that is, frankly, ripe for the taking. Ripe for extraction, for presence, and for influence. “China is pursuing that to their own end.”
The fact that most nations with ties to the Arctic are comparatively weaker states also means that the region is ripe for exploitation through soft power initiatives, be they diplomatic, economic, or scientific.
A Free and Open Arctic?
44 I N S I G H T Oct. 29 – Nov. 4, 2021
CHINA'S ATTEMPT TO BREAK INTO THE ARCTIC Burke believes that China’s push into the frigid northern waters is driven by an almost-panicked need to satiate the consumption of the Chinese mainland.
The Chinese research vessel and ice-breaker Xuelong, or "Snow Dragon," arrives in Xiamen, Fujian Province, China, on its way to the Arctic, on June 27, 2010.
do. They have the Arctic ingrained in their culture. They are cold weather through and through.” Ultimately, however, future conflict in the Arctic may come down to just how desperately starved for resources the Chinese mainland becomes, and how willing or unwilling it is to compromise in order to reach a diplomatic solution. “[China] is a country that should absolutely be the biggest and most powerful or most productive economy on the planet, given its resource pool and potential ability to produce with the masses of population that it has,” he said. “And the fact that it’s not number one, the fact that a country that’s a quarter of the size by way of population, the U.S., is number one, that’s something that China hates. “They hate the fact that they are second to the United States, yet they’re bigger than the United States.” The ambition to change that status quo is perhaps the one thing China has in spades. “It’s just endless,” Gray said. “Instead of looking at it in isolated and separate theaters, people really need to understand that China’s ambitions are global. They’re global on a scale that we have not encountered at least since the Cold War. “This is just one example of how aggressive and ambitious they are, and how expansive those ambitions are.”
STR/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES
It is that power vacuum that has resulted in Chinese military craft sailing off the coast of American shores, raising concerns that an unforeseen act of aggression or, more likely, a tragic misunderstanding, could trigger something catastrophic. To prevent that from happening, the United States is focusing on a policy near and dear to its heart: a free and open world. Much of the American public is aware of the nation’s growing commitment to a “free and open Indo-Pacific,” but that impulse, that policy platform, is not limited to the scope of any one region. Indeed, strategy documents released by the U.S. Army earlier this year indicated a similar impulse to preserving a “free and open Arctic,” aimed at thus preventing CCP influence from corrupting the region into a launching point for China’s unbridled ambition for resource dominance. There will be many hurdles along the way toward realizing that dream, not the least of which will be establishing international forums with which to examine China’s already extant partnerships in the region—namely, those with Norway, including the research station in Svalbard, an archipelago between Norway and the North Pole, and an evolving port deal north of the Arctic Circle, of which next to nothing is known. “There’s no multilateral forum to compel any sort of compliance with larger international norms in the Arctic,” Gray said. “So, we really have no idea, and we have no mechanism to find out what China is doing in a place like Svalbard. “As far as I know, no one outside of the Chinese scientific and governmental community has ever been there.” Yet another is the United States’ own need to develop its alliances and invest in renewed partnerships with other Arctic states like Canada and Denmark, whose militaries retain an unmatched cold-weather culture that would be vital to winning any allied conflict in the Arctic. “We need to be more engaged with our Arctic partners and allies,” Burke said. “The United States does not have the Arctic expertise that other states like Norway and Canada
P OL I T IC S • E C ONOM Y • OPI N ION T H AT M AT T E R S
Perspectives
Issue. 03
FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES
Chinese People's Liberation Army soldiers take in the view of a Chinese-made Dongfang-1 missile, on display at the Military Museum in Beijing, in this file photo.
Countering the Chinese Regime The head of NATO has issued a warning about the rising threat from China, saying that the allies would "scale up" domestic defensive resilience to better resist it. 46
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THE UNITED STATES HAS AN INFLATION PROBLEM 47
WHY GOVERNMENTS LOVE INFLATION 48
BEIJING TARGETS FINANCE BOSSES 49
KICKING FRUSTRATION TO THE CURB 50
I N S I G H T Oct. 29 – Nov. 4, 2021 45
ANDERS CORR is a principal at Corr Analytics Inc., publisher of the Journal of Political Risk. He is an expert in political science and government.
Anders Corr
NATO Hints at China’s Influence Operations
Secretary general calls for strengthening domestic defensive resilience
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HE HEAD OF NATO HAS issued a warning about the China threat, including from Chinese investment in democracies’ critical infrastructure, and called for stronger domestic defenses. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg warned that countering the Chinese communist regime, along with China’s economically less powerful ally Russia, justifies the continued existence of NATO. In an Oct. 18 interview with the Financial Times, Stoltenberg indicated NATO’s future pivot from its foci on Russia and terrorism to an increasing focus on the rising threat from China. This pivot mirrors the geostrategic realignment of the United States toward countering Beijing’s increasing territorial aggression, intellectual property theft, and malign economic and political influence globally. Stoltenberg hinted at a critical element of the threat rarely mentioned by NATO—namely, the danger of Beijing’s rising trade- and investment-driven influence among political and economic elites globally, including in developed democracies. He told the Financial Times that while NATO allies were scaling down their activities outside their borders, in a likely reference to Afghanistan, they would “scale up” domestic defensive resilience to better resist external threats. “China is coming closer to us. ... We see them in the Arctic. We see them in cyberspace. We see them investing heavily in critical infrastructure in our countries,” Stoltenberg said. “And of course they have more and more high-range weapons that can reach all Nato allied countries. They are building many, many silos for long-range intercontinental missiles.” U.S. and NATO intelligence agencies were surprised by the Chinese military’s hypersonic nuclear-capable missile test in August. And Beijing failed to make the
46 I N S I G H T Oct. 29 – Nov. 4, 2021
test fully public when discovered, a necessary warning to citizens for the reorientation of defenses more thoroughly and rapidly toward the East. The hypersonic test was only made public by press reports on Oct. 17, the day before Stoltenberg barely began to reveal the vast depth and breadth of the China threat. Our political and military leaders should stop waiting until the press forces them to address threats from China. They should instead publicize and rapidly mitigate the world’s biggest threats as they discover them. Democracies only function well when the public is informed. Yet even now, Stoltenberg denies that China is an “adversary.”
Our political and military leaders should stop waiting until the press forces them to address threats from China. President Joe Biden, likewise, is downplaying the China threat by calling the country a “competitor,” as if we were in a pleasant game of tennis rather than a deadly one of nuclear brinkmanship. Stoltenberg and Biden should instead admit that the United States and China are entering a new cold war and that NATO allies must stand together and defend their people to the fullest extent. Equally regrettable is that American technology contributed to China’s new hypersonic missile. Leading American and European research universities are still educating Chinese nationals in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM), despite the obvious evidence that Chinese nationals are bringing these technologies home to develop China’s economy and military—both of which are deployed by the Chinese
Communist Party (CCP) against freedom and the international rule of law that has kept the world from nuclear war since World War II. Likewise, American, European, and allied countries are allowing their well-connected business people to make a quick buck by selling technology to China and Hong Kong, knowing that the technologies will make their way to the Chinese military. Unfortunately, NATO is unacceptably late in acknowledging and mitigating not only the China threat, but U.S. and allied complacency and complicity in the CCP’s crimes, including genocide, and the rise of its military from a peasant army just 70 years ago to one of the world’s most technologically sophisticated and powerful enemies of democracy today. NATO should have taken a much more assertive posture over the past decades as it became clear that China was outpacing the West economically, stealing up to $600 billion in intellectual property annually from the United States alone, and not democratizing in a way that would make its increased power nonthreatening to the rest of the world. Stoltenberg’s hints at mitigating China’s influence operations are at least a step in the right direction, and one that might lessen the risk of continued NATO intelligence and strategy failures. It’s China’s leveraging of our own greed, through massive economic influence in Western and allied capitals, that biased our intelligence and strategy so disastrously. The first step to rectifying our China strategy is therefore blowing away the haze caused by our investments and trade in China. After proceeding down the path of economic decoupling, the fog should begin to lift, we will finally see the China threat clearly, and thus be enabled to effectively defend ourselves, thereby protecting the values of democracy and freedom that we hold so dear.
MILTON EZRATI is chief economist for Vested, a contributing editor at The National Interest, and author of "Thirty Tomorrows" and "Bite-Sized Investing.”
Milton Ezrati
The United States Has an Inflation Problem The data make it painfully clear that there is trouble
W
hile beijing pretends that China’s debt problems are manageable, Washington pretends that the country’s building inflation problem will simply go away. The leadership of each country is kidding itself. The data make it painfully clear that there is trouble. Claims that the price acceleration is “transitory,” issued variously by President Joe Biden, Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell, and Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, have become a dark joke among financial professionals, business leaders, and the public generally. All the latest price measures tell similar and troubling stories. The Labor Department’s consumer price index rose 0.4 percent between August and September, almost 5 percent at an annual rate. So far this year, this broad measure of the cost of living has risen at better than a 6 percent annual rate, well above the Fed’s informal preference for 2 percent inflation and faster than any time in the past decade and a half. Worse for a society that seems these days obsessed with inequity and protecting its most vulnerable members, the burden of this price pressure has fallen most heavily on the least well-off. Food prices, for example, have risen rapidly, jumping 1.2 percent in September, at a more than 15 percent annual rate. According to the Labor Department, food absorbs some 14 percent of the average American’s budget, but that proportion is much higher among lower-income people. If that weren’t inequitable enough, energy costs have also led in this inflationary surge. In September, the cost of all kinds of energy—gasoline, heating oil, natural gas, and electricity—rose some 1.3 percent, an almost 17 percent annual rate of gain. Energy prices have risen
more than 40 percent over the past year. These constitute almost 8 percent of the average American’s household budget but, as with food, a much higher part of the expenditures of poorer individuals and families. Worse still, fuel oil prices rose 3.9 percent in September, at a more than 50 percent annual rate, while heating gas prices jumped 2.7 percent, almost a 40 percent rate. Just keeping warm as temperatures drop will burden all, but especially the poor who dedicate much more of their income to these purchases. The only major category in the Labor Department’s accounting that showed substantive price relief was airline fares.
Fuel oil prices rose 3.9 percent in September, at a more than 50 percent annual rate. These fell 6.4 percent in September. Were it not for this drop, the overall consumer price index would have recorded a 0.8 percent increase for the month, some 10 percent at an annual rate. Though in some circumstances, the drop in airfares might offer comfort, it’s apparent that the price decline is purely a response to the sudden drop in traffic due to the rise in infections from the Delta variant of COVID-19. There can be little doubt that as the rate of infections abates, as it already has, travel and airfares will again begin to increase. Washington has explained this rise in the cost of living entirely with references to supply chain problems. No doubt, some of the price pressure does reflect interruptions in production and shipping. These will surely dissipate in time, but they will not go away any time soon. Even as supply chain problems ease, prices will not fall. Americans, especially poorer Americans, will have to carry the
burden of heightened living costs into the future. What makes the picture still more sinister is that the inflation may well also have a more lasting and fundamental cause. Washington seems willing to ignore this matter, but it remains a fact that policy, especially monetary policy, has persisted on an inflationary path for some time. Republicans these days point to Biden’s efforts to increase federal spending to unprecedented levels. That spending doesn’t help, but the problem goes deeper. For more than a decade, federal spending and deficits have risen at a pace far beyond historical norms. What is still more dangerous from an inflationary standpoint is that the Fed has purchased a good portion of the expansion in federal debt, $5 trillion cumulatively in fact since 2009, $3.2 trillion in just the past year. These purchases have flooded the economy with financial liquidity and money, effectively financing the government with the printing press. This kind of monetary flow has, according to economic theory and history, always led to inflation. Those who have researched these links note that the lags from a monetary expansion to inflation are often long and always variable. Now that the price pressures have become evident, there is reason to suspect that those long lags have finally caught up with the economy. Perhaps the country will avoid what history and economic theory suggest it’s in for. Perhaps Biden, Powell, and Yellen will be vindicated, and the inflation will soon dissipate. Even so, Americans would still have suffered increased living costs as well as added costs until that relief arrives. In the meantime, there is ample reason in past monetary policy for concern that this matter will last longer and cause still more harm than Washington seems willing to admit. I N S I G H T Oct. 29 – Nov. 4, 2021 47
DANIEL LACALLE is chief economist at hedge fund Tressis and author of “Freedom or Equality,” “Escape from the Central Bank Trap,” and “Life in the Financial Markets.”
Daniel Lacalle
Why Governments Love Inflation Governments will always find different excuses to justify inflation
N
o government looking to massively expand its size in the economy and monetize a soaring deficit is going to act against rising prices, despite claiming the opposite. One of the things that surprise citizens in Argentina or Turkey is that their populist governments always talk about the middle classes and helping the poor, yet inflation still soars, making everyone poorer. Governments will always use different excuses to justify inflation: soaring demand, “supply chain disruptions,” or evil corporations’ greed. However, most of the time these are excuses. Prices soar because money supply rises massively above real output and real money demand. How can there be “shipping bottlenecks” driving a 100 percent rise in freights when the shipping industry was burdened by massive overcapacity in 2019? How can anyone say that natural gas and oil have soared due to supply chain disruptions when supply has perfectly followed demand? The reality is that some of those factors may explain a small proportion of the price rise, but the Global Food Security Index and Bloomberg Commodity Index aren’t at multi-year highs due to these problems. What happened in 2020 was that massive money creation in the middle of an economic lockdown created monetary inflation in non-replicable and relatively scarce goods and services. Why did this not happen before? Well, it did. Before, we saw a massive rise in asset prices. Inflation is created where the excess of money goes, be it soaring equity and high-yield bond markets or all-time high housing and private equity valuations: more money chasing the same number of goods. Furthermore, there was also
48 I N S I G H T Oct. 29 – Nov. 4, 2021
Massive money printing in the middle of a lockdown kept asset valuations elevated. massive inflation in essential goods and services. The prices of housing, health care, and education rose significantly above the official consumer price index print. Why has it burst so aggressively now? First, massive money printing in the middle of a lockdown kept asset valuations elevated but also started to generate fund flows to scarce—socalled value—sectors. And what are “value sectors”? Those that suffered overcapacity and weakening demand growth in the past decade. So, more money flowed to oil, natural gas, even coal or aluminum where the industry was plagued by excess capacity in the decade of cheap money. Inflation doesn’t happen the next day you print money. It’s a slow process of gradual erosion of the purchasing power of the currency that started years ago and culminated with the insane decision to implement monster demand-side policies (huge government spending and money printing) in the middle of a lockdown.
But why do governments ignore it? Why do they not act? Surely it’s in their best interests to keep prices low and consumers—voters—happy. The answer is simple: because governments are the biggest beneficiaries of inflation. They collect more receipts from indirect taxes, and their soaring debt is slowly eroded by inflation. Furthermore, governments can blame inflation on everyone except their policies. Blame businesses for higher prices (evil pork and chicken farmers, evil shippers and port managers), blame consumers (you buy too much too fast), and smile, saying they really care and are working on it. Printing and spending more. The rhetoric about “transitory” inflation remains, both from governments, who are unwilling to reduce massive spending, and central banks, who are caught between a rock and a hard place as they have to monetize soaring deficits from highly indebted governments and at the same time defend their strategy of “price stability.” Interventionist governments are unwilling to cut spending or reduce deficits substantially, so they will use the inflationary tax knowing that they can use the usual excuses: 1. say there’s no inflation if you eliminate the prices that rise, 2. say it’s transitory, 3. blame businesses, 4. blame consumers, and 5. present themselves as the solution with “price controls.” Inflation is taxation without legislation, as Milton Friedman said. There’s no such thing as “multi-cause” inflation. It’s a lot more money going to the same number of goods. And the inflation tax is increasing the size of government in the economy both ways: through massive deficit spending and eroding the purchasing power and savings of the private sector through currency debasement.
Fan Yu
FAN YU is an expert in finance and economics and has contributed analyses on China's economy since 2015.
Beijing Targets Finance Bosses What's driving the latest slate of China’s financial regulations?
B
eijing is tightening its governance around banks and insurance companies to bar large shareholders from having excessive influence and engaging in unfair dealings. Many of these affiliated deals have generated losses or bad debts for banks. But there are other layers to this new round of regulations—a new phase of the anti-corruption campaign waged by CCP regime boss Xi Jinping to root out political dissent. The new regulations went into effect as of Sept. 30, following an initial draft being published in June. The problem, as explained by the China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission (CBIRC) in an FAQ, is that “a small number of major shareholders have abused shareholder rights, improperly interfered with company operations, sought control in violation of regulations, and used affiliated transactions to transfer interests and transfer assets.” In other words, certain powerful individuals who are affiliated with these institutions have obtained loans or transferred assets illegally, often using non-standard terms and concealing the true beneficiaries behind those transactions from regulators. The new regulations are part of a renewed effort to inspect the country’s financial regulators, banks, insurance companies, and asset managers to root out corruption and illicit behavior. Xi appears to be embarking on another phase of the anti-graft, anti-corruption campaign that initially began with his ascension to the top position of the CCP. The years-long campaign has ensnared more than 1 million CCP cadres. So what drove this latest round of inspections? The flip side of recent headlines surrounding property developer Evergrande and other highly indebted
Xi appears to be embarking on another phase of his antigraft, anti-corruption campaign. companies is the plight faced by China’s banks and financial institutions who lent to these overleveraged companies. If property developers can’t sink China’s economy, bank failures surely would. Most of these debt transactions were arms-length, albeit ill-advised from a risk perspective. But a small portion of loans was made to entities affiliated with bank insiders and political heavyweights who never intended to repay them. The new regulation is looking to combat this dark corner of lending. It appears that there are still some “bad actors” remaining within China’s powerful financial sector, clinging onto corrupt positions and potentially using political power to push back against Xi’s policy shift away from the crony pseudo-capitalist policies of the past three decades. That previous policy began with CCP boss Deng Xiaoping and was continued by his successors Jiang Zemin and Hu Jintao, which allowed Party cadres to get rich by any means necessary. And that’s no longer the modus operandi of Xi’s regime.
The mainland Chinese financial magazine Caixin has cited a few egregious examples of scandals that could suggest exactly who the rules will target. The Caixin report specifically states two examples—the failures of Baoshang Bank and Anbang Insurance Group—that the new law will target. Before its bankruptcy in 2020, Baoshang was the financial war chest of disgraced Chinese oligarch Xiao Jianhua and his investment firm, Tomorrow Group, which owned 89 percent of Baoshang. At the time, Baoshang held billions in bad debts and nonperforming loans, mostly from affiliated entities within Xiao’s financial empire. Xiao was believed to be a “white glove” for high-ranking CCP cadres and assisted in laundering their corrupt gains abroad. The Epoch Times reported in 2017 that Xiao was being investigated for his close ties to the political faction of former CCP regime boss Jiang Zemin and his close ally Zeng Qinghong, which had dissented against Xi’s rule. The other company named, Anbang Insurance, was also recently disbanded by Beijing after several scandals. Its former chairman and chief executive, Wu Xiaohui, was sentenced in 2018 to 18 years in prison on embezzlement and graft charges. Wu was also believed to be a “white glove” in transacting on behalf of CCP officials loyal to Jiang. Beginning in 2014, Anbang made several high-profile offshore acquisitions, including the purchase of the Waldorf Astoria hotel in New York. Tomorrow Group and Anbang are both old news. But the fact that they’re dug up as justification for the current slate of regulation is telling. It appears that the latest slate of financial regulations is both economically and politically motivated. I N S I G H T Oct. 29 – Nov. 4, 2021 49
JEFF MINICK lives and writes in Front Royal, Va. He is the author of two novels, “Amanda Bell” and “Dust on Their Wings,” and two works of nonfiction, “Learning as I Go” and “Movies Make the Man.”
Jeff Minick
Kicking Frustration to the Curb A lesson in realism: Hope for the best, prepare for the worst
M
odern life brings a clutter of frustrations unimaginable to our ancestors. Recently, my laptop was having problems. The young man in the repair shop discovered I was years behind on my updates, and after about four hours, he had added the updates and fixed the problem. He even cleaned the keyboard and screen, making the machine look new again. So I returned home, acquainted myself with some of the changes he’d made, and went to bed a happy man. Then came early morning, and every document on the computer now sported a black background and white text. Ugh. I messed around online, discovered the meaning of “dark mode,” and realized what had happened. So that story had a happy ending. But we all experience frustration. We head out the front door to drive to work and find the left front tire of the car flat as the proverbial pancake. We call the state revenue office and spend an hour on the phone waiting to speak to a human being. We’re pumped for a week at the beach with our family when the little ones fall ill with the flu the day before our scheduled departure. Holding down a job, raising children, or navigating relationships can bring their own special irritants. The boss keeps changing his mind about office protocol regarding visitors during our ongoing pandemic. 10-yearold Billy throws a Wiffle ball to his brother in the den, which he knows is against house rules, and breaks a porcelain statue that
50 I N S I G H T Oct. 29 – Nov. 4, 2021
When confronted by such unexpected difficulties, some people rant and rave. Others just want to throw up their hands and call it a day. belonged to your mother. You want to spend Sunday afternoon on a family hike while your spouse is happier watching a football game. When confronted by such unexpected difficulties, some people rant and rave. Others just want to throw up their hands and call it a day. A few even blame the fates for raining down distress: “Why’s this
always happening to me?” But we also see those folks who face up to unexpected problems, seek solutions, and regard such troubles as a natural part of life. They are rarely thrown off-kilter by inconvenience or minor irritations. One man I know, age 37, is particularly unflappable. The father of a large family and a busy attorney with 20 employees, he faces a daily whirlwind of challenges, yet generally meets them with a smile and a can-do spirit. In “The Road Less Traveled,” M. Scott Peck begins with these words: “Life is difficult. “This is a great truth, one of the greatest of truths. It is a great truth because once we truly see this truth, we transcend it. Once we truly know that life is difficult—once we truly understand and accept it—then life is no longer difficult. Because once it is accepted, the fact that life is difficult no longer matters.” Peck is spot-on in this observation. When we forget that life is difficult, when we expect sunshine and roses and are instead belted by a hurricane, we’re miserable. But the realists who accept that life is difficult tackle challenges in their stride without wasting energy on anger or exasperation. Hope for the best, prepare for the worst. That old adage fits neatly with Peck’s great truth. It’s as solid a watchword against frustration as any other. Readers may be interested to know that just after I finished the rough draft of this article I dropped my cell phone, cracking the screen, and my computer crashed.
Environmental Warriors Connecting With Nature
Bertie Gregory on Wildlife Cinematography By Nathan Worcester t just 28, Bertie Gregory has emerged as a top wildlife filmmaker. But his career didn’t come out of nowhere: Years before he was traveling the world, documenting everything from jaguars to polar bears, he was already capturing footage of the nature that was nearest to him. “As a 13- or 14-year-old, instead of going to football practice or whatever, I would sneak off and jump in the river and try to get close to swans,” Gregory said. “That was a bit odd.” He soon discovered that his footage could prompt other people to care about what he saw. After winning a competition for young wildlife photographers, he had an opportunity to work with a legend in the field, big cat photographer Steve Winter, on a shoot for National Geographic. “It was one of those Willy Wonka, ‘right place, right time’ moments,” Gregory said. “He offered me a golden ticket.” Some of Gregory’s favorite shoots have been in the Arctic and the Antarctic.
EAMONN M. MCCORMACK/GETTY IMAGES FOR NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC
“I DEFINITELY GRAVITATE toward
cold places,” he said. In fact, Gregory wants to revisit Antarctica as many times as he can. “Every time I go down there, I feel like I’m better equipped to try to even attempt to do justice to it—because doing justice to it is a seemingly impossible task. “I get a massive kick out of being in a real wilderness place, where a human may have never stood. To be hundreds of miles or thousands of miles from other people is a pretty humbling experience.” Humbling and, at times, brutally enlightening. A few years ago, Gregory filmed a very clever group of polar bears in Canada’s remote Hudson Bay. The bears had worked out a way to hunt beluga whales. At low tide, the bears swim out to some huge rocks in a shallow estuary,
where they fall asleep. With the rising tide come the belugas, who have to pass between the rocks. That’s when the bears strike. “There’s so much foresight and planning involved,” he said. “It makes you realize there’s a lot going on in these animals’ heads that we have no idea about.” While Gregory’s craft relies on advanced cameras and other equipment, he thinks it’s easy to get too focused on technology.
“I get a massive kick out of being in a real wilderness place, where a human may have never stood.” Bertie Gregory, wildlife filmmaker
“The most important thing, every single time, is the knowledge of the animal,” he said. “You can be technically the best camera person in the world—you can know your apertures from your shutter speeds—but if you don’t know how to find the animals, or if you’re not with an expert that knows how to find the animals, you’re completely stuck.” HE CONSIDERS HIMSELF
a “jack of all trades,” using everything from traditional long lens cameras mounted on tripods to aerial drones. Improvements to drone technology have opened up new possibilities. With longer-lasting batteries and more powerful lenses, drones now allow wildlife filmmakers such as Gregory to document animal behavior from afar.
“Lots of things around the world have been filmed already, but not with a drone. The moment you put a drone into the mix, suddenly it’s a complete game-changer,” he said. A few years ago, he worked with another wildlife cinematographer, John Shier, to film mountain lions in Torres del Paine National Park, located in southern Chilean Patagonia. While Shier followed the mountain lions on foot, shooting them at ground level, Gregory trailed behind with a drone. “WE ALWAYS HAD two angles on this
mountain lion,” Gregory said. “I would often see the prey before the mountain lion knew about them.” “You can really start to get in the head of this mountain lion,” he said, adding that the drone’s-eye-view is not unlike the way sports matches have traditionally been filmed. Gregory’s environmental “war cry”? “For everyone to get reconnected with the natural world,” he said. “Looking after polar bears and rainforests is more than just a nice thing to do. The natural world provides so many things to us that we take for granted: fresh air, productive soils, and clean water. “The natural world is in trouble, and now, more than ever, I’m trying to make sure I shed light on the threats and hopefully the solutions, because no one just wants a depressing wildlife program—they want to see solutions.” I N S I G H T Oct. 29 – Nov. 4, 2021 51
Nation Profile
THOUGHT LEADERS
Communist Tyranny and the ‘Suicide of Western Civilization’ A courageous fighter for freedom shares her story
O
n American Thought Leaders, Jan Jekielek spoke with North Korean defector Yeonmi Park, author of “In Order to Live: A North Korean Girl’s Journey to Freedom.” They discussed the North Korean regime’s tactics of oppression, the parallels between her experiences in North Korea and what she now sees in the United States, and the “suicide of Western civilization.” MR. JEKIELEK: Your book
ing isn’t free. A thought crime is a real thing. So that’s how they oppress you to the point where you don’t even know how to think freely.
MS. PARK: The first thing
MR. JEKIELEK: How did
my mom taught me was, “Watch out what you say,” like even the birds and mice could hear my whisper. She said, “The most dangerous thing you have in your body is your tongue.” That was the only way that she knew how to protect me. So in a way, in North Korea, even think-
living like that change your relationships with people? MS. PARK: In North Ko-
rea, there’s no word for “friends.” We have a word for “comrade,” which means you’re working for the revolution, you share the same goal of the
PHOTOS BY THE EPOCHTIMES
Yeonmi Park North Korean defector
is honestly one of the best books I’ve ever read. It can help people understand what it’s like to live under a dictatorship.
Nation Profile
revolution: the glory of the party. The regime removed a lot of concepts, like love. We didn’t know what love was. I never heard anybody saying love to each other. The only love people are allowed is love for the dear leader. They also get rid of the concept of human rights. When a baby’s born, they don’t know what human rights is. Somebody teaches them. They go to school to learn about human rights. They need to learn. But the regime gets rid of them, they get rid of them in the dictionary. That’s how they control your thoughts. Like how George Orwell talks about doublespeak. Who controls the language? Who controls your thoughts? They get rid of liberty, human rights, freedom, friends, even depression. I don’t know what depression is. I don’t even know what stress is. Because how can you be stressed in a socialist paradise? So they don’t allow that word. You don’t even know what that is. That’s what the ultimate mind control looks like.
your book, I never realized hunger is a deliberate form of control. How does that work? MS. PARK: When the
Soviets were collapsing, they stopped subsidizing North Korea’s economy. So the regime thought, “OK, as long as we feed the core class that supports the revolution, then we’re good.” That’s how they measure their success. MR. JEKIELEK: Food
MS. PARK: You eat lunch,
but then you worry about dinner. When you find dinner, you say, “OK, I made it through one day, but how am I going to survive tomorrow?” Every single minute of your existence, you’re worrying about finding food. It’s a very effective tool to control the population. But it’s torture. Being starved is worse than being raped. It’s the worst form of torture you can experience.
MR. JEKIELEK: You found
food, but you also found another form of terror and slavery. MS. PARK: At this mo-
MR. JEKIELEK: You were
13 years old when you escaped to China.
MR. JEKIELEK: And you
MS. PARK: I t was 2007,
were able to find your mother in this.
and we couldn’t find food anymore.
MS. PARK: So at 13, I
MR. JEKIELEK: It sent a
MS. PARK: Everything I
MS. PARK: Yes.
MR. JEKIELEK: Until I read
At night I could see lights coming from China. I thought maybe if I go where the lights were, I would find food to eat.
ment, there are about 300,000 North Koreans hiding in China. Most of them are women, and literally 99 percent of them are being trafficked. So North Koreans are vulnerable in China. The traffickers know we won’t ask the police for help, because they’re the ones that catch us and send us back. That’s why the traffickers told us, “I can kill you at this very moment. You are less valued than even a pig.”
“Animal Farm” gave you a picture of how a communist society emerges and how it works.
had believed was a lie. When I reached South Korea and read “Animal Farm,” I understood what had happened to my people and my country.
— Yeonmi Park
became your number one fixation, right?
chill down my spine when you said hunger is worse than rape. Unfortunately, in your book, you describe this as something you’re familiar with.
MR. JEKIELEK: Reading
“The first thing my mom taught me was, “Watch out what you say,” like even the birds and mice could hear my whisper. The most dangerous thing you have in your body is your tongue. ” crossed this frozen river with my mom, and the next thing I know she’s being raped. Then they said, “If you want to stay in China, you have to be sold as slaves.” So they sold my mom for around $65. They sold me for more than $200 because I was a virgin. That’s very valuable in China. I wanted to kill myself. I was separated from everybody I knew. I was even more oppressed than in North Korea. Then this trafficker who bought me said that if I became his mistress, he would save my family. So I thought, “OK, if I sacrifice myself, I can rescue my family,” and became his mistress at age 13. And then he brought my mom and my father to me. MR. JEKIELEK: He kept his
word.
MS. PARK: He was a heart-
less man, raping a 13-yearold. I was a tiny, tiny thing. And he still did that. But he saved my par-
Nation Profile
In a time of deceit, telling the truth is the only brave, courageous thing you can do. — Yeonmi Park ents for me. That’s why I couldn’t hate. I fantasized about killing him when he was raping me. Looking back now, I’m grateful. MR. JEKIELEK: And you
then found a way to make it to South Korea. MS. PARK: We met another
North Korean defector. She knew some missionaries who said if we studied the Bible and became Christian, they would help us go to South Korea. So they taught me about God and Jesus Christ, and somehow we proved our faith to them. That’s when they told us, “If you want to escape, you’ll have to cross the Gobi Desert using a compass.” They gave us the compass and told us to go to the west and north, between those directions. Eventually I followed the North Star, praying that it would lead to freedom. And it did. I’ve seen so many miracles in my life. MR. JEKIELEK: So some-
where along the way, you realized that truth-telling is the best way to help your fellow North Koreans. Where did you get this idea?
MS. PARK: In a time of
deceit, telling the truth is the only brave, courageous thing you can do. Even in America right now, it’s a time of deceit. I imagined America to be better than this. When you see America from far away, it’s the land of hope, the home of the brave—a country that stands for justice. It inspired me so much. But coming here, looking inside, I was baffled: How is this possible? MR. JEKIELEK: In an
interview with Jordan Peterson, you talked about how disillusioning it was to go to Columbia University. You said zero classes were worthwhile for you. How is that possible? MS. PARK: I was thirsty for
truth and knowledge after North Korea, where I had so much hunger for it. But at Columbia, they look for hidden oppression everywhere. And in every single class, the conclusion is that the American foundation is bigotry. It’s all about being politically correct. And this is heartbreaking, seeing the suicide of Western civilization. At my Columbia cam-
54 I N S I G H T Oct. 29 – Nov. 4, 2021
Yeonmi Park North Korean defector puses, every single person was bitter. They complain how they’re oppressed and so resentful. That’s what I couldn’t understand. This is a generation that’s lost. MR. JEKIELEK: You’ve also
started to tell the truth about the Chinese Communist Party. How did this become so important to you? MS. PARK: Without China,
Kim Jong Un can never exist. The only reason the North Korean regime has
lasted this long is because of the CCP [Chinese Communist Party]. MR. JEKIELEK: Where can
people watch your YouTube channel? MS. PARK: They can go
to Voice of North Korea. And they can find me at YeonmiParkNK on Twitter and Instagram. I’m also on Facebook. This interview was edited for brevity and content.
T R AV E L • F O O D • L U X U R Y L I V I N G
Unwind
Issue. 03
Atmosphere at a Hamptons party in Southampton, New York, on Aug. 28, 2016. MARK SAGLIOCCO/GETTY IMAGES FOR EVERYTHING BUT THE HOUSE
Hamptons Glitz and Glamour An influx of residents are finding year-round big-city energy and old-world allure. 58
RESORTS ON WHEELS, RVs and camper trailers bring along all the comforts of home as you explore exotic campgrounds. 60 ZIMBABWE’S AUTHENTIC, old-school safaris will have you following lion pawprints and meeting elephants in the bush—experiences you won’t soon forget. 64 BARTENDERS are like mad scientists, concocting fabulous drinks. Want your own home liquor laboratory? Start with the right tools. 66 I N S I G H T Oct. 29 – Nov. 4, 2021 55
Are there books you’d recommend? We’d love to hear from you. Let us know at features@epochtimes.com
Epoch Booklist
NOTEWORTHY READS
Our book picks this week: a harrowing account of a girl's escape from North Korea and the true story of an American heroine who was on the Nazis’ most wanted list.
HISTORY
Revolutionary Monsters
By Donald T. Critchlow
From Liberation to Tyranny
This short, yet informative read follows the rise of five world leaders who became brutal dictators after promising liberation and democracy. It proves tyranny knows no geographical, racial, or ideological bounds, and shows how each rose to power in a similar fashion. REGNERY HISTORY, 2021, 206 PAGES
A Woman of No Importance
By Sonia Purnell
On the Nazis’ Most Wanted List
Challenged with a prosthetic leg, American-born Virginia Hall was the first Allied woman deployed behind enemy lines. She was at the heart of the French Resistance. A masterful spy, her story is one of heroism, personal tri-
umphs, dogged persistence, and passion for freedom. Purnell’s account of Hall’s story reads like a fast-paced thriller. Her deeds are on a Homeric level, full of action, adventure, intrigue, and treachery. This read will make you proud. Virginia Hall is an amazing heroine worth knowing. VIKING, 2019, 368 PAGES
FICTION
The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek
By Kim Michele Richardson
Kentucky’s Books and Blues
The character of Cussy Mary Carter is fictional. The world she lives in is not. Set against the backdrop of Kentucky’s Pack Horse Library Project, created in the 1930s by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Cussy is one of those courageous women who delivered books to households nestled in the hills of Appalachia. She’s also colored and marked as untouchable, one of the last remaining true blue-skinned people of Kentucky. Cussy’s story of stunning strength is heart-wrenching yet hopeful. SOURCEBOOKS LANDMARK, 2019, 320 PAGES
56 I N S I G H T Oct. 29 – Nov. 4, 2021
PHILOSOPHY
The Consolation of Philosophy
By Boethius
A Timeless Classic
Eventually executed on false charges of treason, the Roman statesman Boethius wrote this book of reflections in 523 A.D. while in prison. Here he creates a dialogue between himself and Lady Philosophy. Through her, Boethius contends that happiness stems from virtue and the wisdom of the heart, and not from fickle Fortune. “Consolation” heavily influenced scholars and writers for the next thousand years and is still read today. PENGUIN CLASSICS, 1999, 155 PAGES
NONFICTION
In Order to Live
By Yeonmi Park
Escape From North Korea
It’s hard for people in a free society to imagine
what it’s like to live in a communist country. Most books about communism don’t succeed at conveying this perspective, but this one does. Park’s escape from North Korea will shake you to the core. It’s an incredible story of overcoming the worst of humanity and coming out whole.
FOR KIDS
PENGUIN BOOKS, 2016, 288 PAGES
Classic Bedtime Reads for All Ages
Take Back Your Time
By Christy Wright
Redefining Life Balance
Christy Wright frames the idea of life balance not as dividing your time or energy between work and home equally all the time, but as feeling a sense of balance in your heart and mind even when life gets busy, and “doing the right things at the right time.” It’s a great book for the overwhelmed mom, the professional with too much on her plate, or anyone who is feeling frazzled or pulled in too many directions. Wright guides you back on the path from busy to balanced, simply, practically, and with kind-hearted encouragement. RAMSEY PRESS, 2021, 240 PAGES
Great Stories Remembered
Ed. by Joe Wheeler
A book full of old-fashioned short stories perfect for family read-alouds. Instilling character through its memorable lessons, this collection of tales provides unique plot twists rarely seen in today’s technologically dulled era. FOCUS ON THE FAMILY PUBLISHING, 1996, 400 PAGES
Betsy-Tacy
By Maud Hart Lovelace
Carefree Childhood at Its Finest
From visiting neighbors in dress-up clothes to conquering shyness on the first day of school, the woes and hilarity of turn-of-the-century life in fictional Deep Valley, Minnesota, is captured from a child’s perspective. HARPER TROPHY, 1940, 112 PAGES
Epoch Watchlist
Ian Kane A U.S. Army veteran, filmmaker, and author. He enjoys the great outdoors and volunteering.
MOVIE REVIEWS
This week, we cover an important documentary and a dramatic piece that both deal with healing, as well as one of the greatest Westerns of all time.
DOCUMENTARY
DRAMA Mass (2021)
PTSD: The Walking Wounded (2021 ) While there have been numerous films of both the fiction and non-fiction variety to examine post-traumatic stress disorder, “PTSD: The Walking Wounded” is one of the most powerful yet. It’s a documentary that sheds some light on one of the most problematic and longest-running issues in the military. The filmmakers speak with various interviewees, both military and civilian, as they tell their stories of dealing with the insidious disorder. One of the imperative messages that this revelatory cinematic experience stresses is the importance of supporting our veterans, even in the smallest of ways.
MOVIE INFO
Release Date: Oct. 1, 2021 Director: Ash Patino Starring: Sergio Agudelo, Matthew Gadomski, Allen Hershman Runtime: 1 hour, 39 minutes MPAA Rating: Unrated Where to Watch: In theaters
CLASSICS Rear Window (1954 )
Shane (1953 )
High Noon (1952 )
Intrepid photographer L.B. Jefferies (James Stewart) has been confined to his New York apartment in a wheelchair because of a broken leg. To pass time, he begins snooping on his neighbors from his rear window. But when he witnesses what appears to be a murder cover-up by one of them, he seeks help from girlfriend Lisa Fremont (Grace Kelly).
A mysterious ex-gunfighter, Shane (Alan Ladd), rides into the lives of homesteader Joe Starrett (Van Heflin) and his humble family. Shane arrives just in time, as ruthless rancher Rufus Ryker (Emile Meyer) and his band of bullies threaten to get rid of the settlers permanently. Watch it to see why it’s considered one of the greatest films of all time.
Marshal Will Kane (Gary Cooper) marries Amy (Grace Kelly) in a small town in New Mexico. As he turns in his badge on his way to start a more peaceful life with his new wife, he learns that outlaw Frank Miller (Ian MacDonald) is arriving on a noon train. Kane turns back to face down Miller and his dastardly band of bushwhackers, but at what cost?
Two couples arrange to have a reconciliation conversation in an Episcopal church’s meeting room. From the couples’ initial dialogue, it’s not quite clear how Jay (Jason Isaacs) and Gail (Martha Plimpton) are connected to Richard (Reed Birney) and Linda (Ann Dowd). However, it's soon revealed that Richard and Linda’s son shot and killed Kay and Gail’s son in a horrible school shooting. After dispensing with all of the politeness, their conversations turn into selfishness, what-
if scenarios, blaming, and apologies. As calls to humanize both the killer and victim come to the fore, can there be forgiveness? MOVIE INFO
Release Date: Oct. 8, 2021 Director: Fran Kranz Starring: Jason Isaacs, Martha Plimpton, Ann Dowd Runtime: 1 hour, 50 minutes MPAA Rating: PG-13 Where to Watch: In theaters
ACTION | ADVENTURE | SCI-FI Venom: Let There Be Carnage (2021 ) In this sequel to 2018’s “Venom,” the film’s protagonist, Eddie Brock (Tom Hardy), struggles with how to live with his alien anti-hero Venom, a parasitic creature that uses him as a host. The beginning of the film tries to humanize Venom, as it plays the head-chomping creature off of Brock like the TV show “The Odd Couple.” Later, serial killer Cletus Kasady (Woody Harrelson) is latched onto by a
more sinister version of Venom, and the two “symbiotes” duke it out. Fun but forgettable; a bit too violent in some parts for kids. MOVIE INFO
Release Date: Oct. 1, 2021 Director: Andy Serkis Starring: Tom Hardy, Woody Harrelson, Michelle Williams Running Time: 1 hour, 37 minutes MPAA Rating: PG-13 Where to Watch: In theaters
I N S I G H T Oct. 29 – Nov. 4, 2021 57
An eight-bedroom waterfront compound offers magnificent views of Sag Harbor Bay. $21,019,871.
The in-town stock is hardly singular, ranging from Victorian classics on modestly sized parcels to veritable compounds.
ALL-SEASON LUXURY LIVING IN THE HAMPTONS: EXPLORING AMERICA'S MOST-COVETED BEACH TOWNS With more and more residents joining the ranks of the Hamptons’ year-round society, haute fun is hardly limited to the summertime By E.J. Kelley
N
ew York’s Hamptons epitomize a place preceded by its reputation. This storied collective of neighborhoods, nestled entirely on the south fork of Long Island’s East End (and honorarily, Shelter Island), are known near and far for their celebrity residents, south-of-thehighway sandcastles, and pristine ocean beaches, some of which rank regularly among the world’s best. But of course, you already knew that. Though seen largely through rosé-colored glasses, the truth is that life in the Hamptons, unlike Balsam Farms corn, is anything but a seasonal affair. The area’s innate draws have long cultured a year-round society, amplified by its
58 I N S I G H T Oct. 29 – Nov. 4, 2021
8-BEDROOM
shockingly convenient proximity to Manhattan. More recently, the rise of hybrid and remote work arrangements have opened new doors, welcoming an increasing number of weekend and full-time residents to stick around long after Lunch serves its last lobster roll of the year. In spite of its perceptive seasonality, the area’s infrastructure and services have grown to mirror what you’d expect of any developed suburban community. Many properties have municipal water and gas lines. Boaters, whether transient or at calling at home port, benefit from town and county marinas, not to mention countless private ones. Southampton Hospital, the birthplace of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis (née Bouvier), is affiliated with Stony Brook University and is well
WATERFRONT COMPOUND SAG HARBOR, N.Y. $21,019,871 8,000+ SQUARE FEET 2 ACRES 200 FEET OF WATERFRONT FEATURES: • 50-FOOT HEATED POOL • WINE TASTING ROOM • BOCCE COURT • MEDITATION GARDEN
Luxury Living Real Estate estates, distant in mind from all the beach bustle, yet still a shell’s throw from the sand. You’ll find an exceptional concentration of such properties in the hamlets of Bridgehampton and Water Mill, in the town of Southampton, and Wainscott and Sagaponack, in the town of East Hampton, though truly every corner of the Hamptons offers its share of grand-scale real estate. These swoon-worthy properties couple unparalleled privacy with endless amenities, pulling both from the usual laundry list of equestrian facilities, collector’s garages, indoor pools, and bowling alleys, and more bespoke flexes such as arboretums, spatial art installations, and polo fields—truly representing the pinnacle of global luxury.
It Takes a Village
Sandy beach or pool? You have the option at this Sag Harbor property, which features 200 feet of waterfront as well as a 50-foot gunite heated pool. A state-of-the-art chef’s kitchen will entice foodies.
ALL PHOTOS COURTESY OF JAMESEDITION
on its way to constructing a new facility designed by starchitect Rafael Viñoly. And while big-city energy is ever-present, make no mistake: the East End’s cosmopolitan flavor is markedly vernacular, defined by its centuries of old-world influence, rolling surf, and pristine turf—the latter, of course, both of nature’s creation and all of those championship golf courses. The Hamptons are a world in their own right, where tactile relics of its halcyon-day cast of characters are seemingly impossible not to connect with, leaping zeitgeist from the pages of Dan Rattiner’s books to infuse the more subdued pace of life here beloved for generations. After all, this is where Jackson Pollock threw paint across a barn, Truman Capote penned “In True Blood” by the piano at Bobby Van’s, and Billy Joel helmed the real Downeaster “Alexa.” More than a place (or rather a collection of them), the Hamptons are simply a state of mind. No matter what your dreams may look like, the Hamptons are a rare unstretched canvas to manifest them all. Consider these exciting lifestyles—and distinguished properties that align— for perennially tasteful living “out east.”
Fields of Gold The pastures and polo fields of the Hamptons’ verdant interior abound with secluded, large-acreage
Going to town here can at times seem like an occasion, particularly if you’re rolling onto the scene with statement-making wheels, but there’s also something to be said about already being there. The South Fork’s vibrant villages boast some of the most high-fashion neighborhoods anywhere on earth, affording a perfect marriage of luxury, hedged-in privacy, and the convenience of having everything within a car-free distance. You’ll have shopping, dining, and beaches all close to home, not to mention a train to Penn Station, Long Island City, or Brooklyn’s Atlantic Terminal. The in-town stock is also hardly singular, ranging from Victorian classics on modestly sized parcels to veritable compounds, like those of East Hampton’s Main Street or along Lake Agawam in Southampton Village. Best of all, you’ll never have to worry about finding that vintage classic a safe parking spot.
On the Dock of the Bay Atlantic beaches are what most associate with waterfront living in the Hamptons, but it’s the other shore, on Peconic and Gardiners bays, that played the critical role in putting the East End on the map. This serene, sand-bottom estuary is today an unspoiled haven for every form of water-borne recreation, skirted by an incredible array of waterfront properties bringing together the best elements of coastal living—few more coveted than a private mooring. Sag Harbor, which holds the distinction of being the oldest congressionally declared port of entry in the United States, still retains the feel of a classic maritime community, though its deepwater slips have long since passed from whaling ships to the “Cayman Navy,” a nickname local boaters have given the fleet of megayachts badged with George Town on their sterns. To paraphrase Otis himself, it’s worth roaming even 2,000 miles to make these docks your home. This article was originally published on JamesEdition. I N S I G H T Oct. 29 – Nov. 4, 2021 59
Luxury Living RVs
ROAM IN COMFORT IN THESE ROLLING VACATION HOMES
By Bill Lindsey
LARGE YET NIMBLE
MOBILE
Thor Delano
MANSIONS
Marathon Prevost Coach
MSRP: STARTING AT $179,550
This roomy, diesel-powered home on the road sleeps up to five in a nimble, easy-todrive package. Three floor plans include full dining and entertainment amenities, Murphy beds, and a cab-over bunk, all with slide-outs for maximum interior volume.
MSRP: DUE TO CUSTOM NATURE, PRICES VARY.
Built on 45-foot Prevost platforms, these land-yachts are the favorites of rock stars, NASCAR drivers, and campers who want all the comforts of a very lavish home. Each one is custommade to five-star resort standards with personalized paint schemes available.
GO ANYWHERE. REALLY. EarthRoamer HD MSRP: PRICES START AT $1,900,000
A brawny diesel-powered 4x4 powertrain takes the HD far off the beaten path—and gets it home safely. Enjoy adventures in posh comfort with a washer/ dryer, radiant heat, and yacht-quality furnishings. Each HD is custom-built to the owner’s specifications.
TOW YOUR HOME
Airstream International MSRP: STARTING AT $99,100
Iconic, aerodynamic, and crafted of shining aluminum, the International offers a choice of 12 floor plans to create the perfect vacation home. Engineered to be easy to tow, park it at the campsite and use the tow vehicle to go exploring. 60 I N S I G H T Oct. 29 – Nov. 4, 2021
TAG-ALONG MINI MANSION
TAG Teardrop Trailer MSRP: PRICES START AT $22,093
A huge truck isn’t needed to tow an aerodynamic, lightweight TAG. The interior is a cozy cocoon for two with a star-gazing window. It comes ready to explore, with air conditioning, heat, a compact galley, and roof-mounted solar panels.
PHOTOS BY: CREDIT LINE: COURTESY OF THOR MOTOR COACH; COURTESY OF MARATHON COACH; COURTESY OF EARTHROAMER; COURTESY OF AIRSTREAM; COURTESY OF NUCAMP
The enforced isolation of the pandemic, with closed resorts and the increased stress of flying, has more people than ever camping to find tranquility. For those who want to do so in comfort, here’s an overview of RV and camper trailers to fit every budget.
Style Luxury Goods
Make finding your
dream car an adventure... By Bill Lindsey
The car of your dreams is out there, and we'll show you how to find it.
COLLECTOR CAR AUCTIONS are the best way
to see a wide variety of exotic cars. Best of all, with the winning bid you can drive one home.
62 I N S I G H T Oct. 29 – Nov. 4, 2021
Lifestyle Cars
Specialty auctions make it easy to see hundreds of rare and custom cars in one location.
Auto Auctions: Going Once, Going Twice, Sold!
ALL PHOTOS COURTESY OF BARRETT-JACKSON
T
he great thing about getting older, or winning the lottery, is that you can now afford the things you dreamed of as a kid but couldn’t afford on a paperboy or babysitter salary. Cars certainly top this list, but that raises the question: How do you find that 1976 Ford GT500? The internet offers several options such as eBay and BringATrailer.com, as well as manufacturer-specific forums, such as rennlist.com focusing on Porsches. The problem is that you have to rely on the information and photos posted, with no idea how current or accurate they might be. Unless you get lucky and the listing is within driving distance, actually inspecting the car might not be practical. Even if you arrange to have a mechanic located near the seller inspect the car for you, the first time you actually see it will be when a vehicle transport company delivers it to your door. Wouldn’t it be great if there was an event where rare and desirable cars, trucks, motorcycles, and related collectibles were on display so you could see and touch them? Collectible car auctions are a great way to see and buy the vehicle of your dreams, all on display in one place, ready to take home when the hammer falls on the winning bid. Plus, they are hugely entertaining even if you don’t buy a car. While most auto auctions are industry-only affairs for car dealers to buy and sell trade-ins, numerous auctions cater to collectors of classic and unique vehicles and automobilia. They are also a great way to spend a day getting an up-close look at amazing vehicles, such as the 1979 Porsche 928 driven by Tom Cruise
in “Risky Business,” which recently sold by Barrett-Jackson for an astounding $1.8 million (note: the price doesn’t include the additional charge of a buyer’s premium), while rubbing shoulders with celebrities and very seriously wealthy individuals. Trivia tidbit: this 928 was the car in which Cruise learned how to drive a car with a manual transmission. Other notable public auto auctions are hosted by Mecum Auctions, Worldwide Auctioneers, Bonhams Motoring, Gooding & Company, and RM Sotheby’s.
Collectible car auctions are a great way to see and buy the vehicle of your dreams, all on display in one place. Buyer Beware If your hand is up when the hammer goes down, you own it. That could be good news or bad news, subject to how much effort you made to research and value the car, making pre-event homework crucial. Auction houses publish the list of cars well in advance, allowing you to determine if any are of interest. Research the car to determine if there were issues with that
year or model such as a history of engine failures or a tendency to rust. Do an online search to determine market value as you decide on the maximum price you’re willing to pay, which will include sales tax and the buyer’s premium, which can range from 10 percent to 20 percent of the bid, as well as the cost to correct any noted defects. Emotions play a huge role in auctions, so try to avoid making “I can fix that” rationalizations. Another thing to consider is that it’s your responsibility to get the car home from the auction, so be aware of the cost of transport if driving it isn’t possible. Some auctions have an as-is policy; check to see what if any refund or return policies exist, in the event your dream car turns out to be a rolling nightmare. In most cases, you can’t test drive the car, so you need to physically inspect it to the extent possible at the auction. If the auction doesn’t allow you to start the engine, make sure to watch and listen when it is started to roll onto the auction block. If you can see the VIN (vehicle identification number) you may want to run a Carfax check. Be prepared to walk away. Let the other guy win if a bidding war takes it above your maximum. Unless this is truly one-of-a-kind and you can afford to pay more, put your hand down. Don’t add the cost of a divorce attorney to the winning bid.
Come to buy or just dream. I N S I G H T Oct. 29 – Nov. 4, 2021 63
Travel Safari
A large African elephant deftly stands on two feet as he reaches for tall branches with his trunk, at Mana Pools, Zimbabwe.
A Safari to Remember
From remote safaris to walking encounters with animals, Zimbabwe offers a wealth of options
rom the pl ane, it looks like smoke from a large fire in the distance. But as you get closer, you can see a giant crack in the earth releasing a cloud of spray that rises high into the sky. This is Mosi-oa-Tunya (The Smoke that Thunders), widely known as Victoria Falls, one of Africa’s most iconic places and a U.N. Education, Science, and Cultural Organization World Heritage Site. The falls lie on the border of Zimbabwe and Zambia, where the Zambezi River widens to more than a mile and, like a curtain, its waters tumble over the long edge into a gorge as deep as 360 feet. The mists rush up out of the abyss soaking admirers. The water flows from the Zambia side, so the best waterfall views come from Zimbabwe. Victoria Falls is enough of a reason to go to Zimbabwe, but the rest of the country offers a wealth of safari opportunities. The government protects nearly 18,000 square miles of natural habitat, about 12 percent of the nation’s total area. This commit-
64 I N S I G H T Oct. 29 – Nov. 4, 2021
ment to conservation put them in partnership with neighboring countries, forming larger preserves that help protect animal migration routes. The Kavango-Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area, which includes Victoria Falls, Lake Kariba, and Hwange, protects an area the size of France.
5
On a Zimbabwe safari you can expect to see the “big five”: elephants, Cape buffaloes, rhinos (white and black), leopards, and lions.
Where to Go Charlie Slater of Remote Recreation plans customized safari-centric trips throughout Africa and beyond. Zimbabwe is “very old school,” he said. “Their safari industry has missed the last 20 years’ commercialization—which is a very, very good thing for people who want an authentic African safari,” Slater said. Victoria Falls is often the arrival airport for travelers and the falls themselves create quite a welcome or farewell—or both. Nearby Zambezi National Park offers safari experiences, and the river itself is popular for thrilling whitewater rafting tours. An hour’s drive from Victoria Falls is Hwange National Park, 5,657 square miles with grasslands where you can see lions, leopards, and hyenas, as
FROM LEFT TO RIGHT: GETTY IMAGES; COURTESY OF REMOTE RECREATION
F
By Kevin Revolinski
Travel Safari well as large herds of elephants, buffaloes, antelopes, giraffes, and zebras. Stay in a houseboat on Lake Kariba, which straddles the border, or try a safari in adjoining Matusadona National Park, where you’ll find the Big Five safari. Mana Pools National Park is part of the country’s second World Heritage Site. Situated next to the Zambezi in the north, the park and its floodplain maintain ecologically significant wetlands, where one can see abundant wildlife and more than 350 species of birds. Lions circle the watering hole at Chitake Spring each morning. You can go on canoeing and walking safaris there. Gonarezhou National Park and Malilangwe Wildlife Reserve are more remote and require a bush flight, but the payoff is great. Gonarezhou, meaning “Place of Many Elephants” earns its name with more than 11,000 of them, one of the highest densities of the gracious giants on the continent, while all the big cats are residents as well. In the Eastern Highlands, along the Mozambican border, the climate is cooler and mountainous, with a rolling green landscape rich with gorges, rivers, and waterfalls—best suited for hiking, horseback riding, fishing, and birding.
Go on Walkabout Zimbabwe is the best place for a walking safari, which is as it sounds: The traveler on foot in the bush meeting elephants or even lions in their
Looking up at a bull elephant, with full appreciation for its enormity and power, is something you will never forget.
Zimbabwe has only really come up on the general tourist radar rather recently, though it has so much to offer.
as a naturalist, as well as extensive training in driving, first aid, and handling weapons. Julian Brookstein has been guiding for 15 years, after a grueling training and testing period as a walking-safari guide. “I can only walk the way I do in Zimbabwe. Other countries are either tamer walking or no walking at all,” Brookstein said. Nothing compares to having a guide whose expert eye and bush sense puts you right on top of a pride of lions lazing about after a meal—and not just to show you, but to tell you what you’re looking at.
The Perfect Combination
If You Go When to Go: May through October are dry and best for game viewing, but it gets hot in September and October. Victoria Falls is best at the end of rainy season in April and May. August through December offer the best whitewater rafting. Give yourself about 10 to 14 days, and try to visit at least three parks for three days, with morning and afternoon game drives. Packing: Pack lightweight, light-colored clothes, including a fleece for nights, and use soft travel bags. They’re better for jeeps and small planes.
Zimbabwe has only really come up on the general tourist radar rather recently, though it has so much to offer. The popularity of other destinations translates to a dozen safari jeeps encircling a pride of lions. That’s not the case in Zimbabwe. Now is the time to visit. Whether you book a luxurious private villa overlooking Lake Kariba, a tented camp inside a park, or something in between, it all comes with great Zimbabwean hospitality. Combine this with abundant wildlife and with some of the best guides on the continent, and you have yourself a most unforgettable safari. Kevin Revolinski is an avid traveler, craft beer enthusiast, and home-cooking fan. He’s based in Madison, Wis.
Expert guides, such as Julian Brookstein (C), give invaluable insight. domain. Looking up at a bull elephant, with a full appreciation for its enormity and power, is something you’ll never forget, and consider the adrenaline rush as you follow in the footprints of lions. Sounds like madness, but it isn’t. Walking safaris are common and safe in Zimbabwe, a credit to the demanding training that’s required for certified guides. It can take as many as five years to gain the requisite expert knowledge
The government protects nearly
18,000 square miles of natural habitat.
A small group of hippopotamuses on Lake Kariba, Zimbabwe. I N S I G H T Oct. 29 – Nov. 4, 2021 65
HOME BAR ESSENTIALS: TOOLS OF THE TRADE THE ULTIMATE HOME OFFICE UPGRADE is a home bar to celebrate victories, or the end of a long, hard day. Beyond stocking your favorite wine, liquor, and mixers, you’ll need the following essential accessories to become ana expert mixologist at home.
Shaken Not Stirred
Stir Things Up
Fifth & Vermouth Multi-Level Jigger, Stainless Steel. MSRP: $13.95 The trick to consistently delicious drinks is the correct amount of ingredients. Fifth & Vermouth’s multi-level jigger provides easy-toread measurements from 1/2 to 2 1/2 ounces, as well as milliliter and tablespoon measurements. Crafted of stainless steel, it features a wide, no-spill base.
Elevated Craft Hybrid Cocktail Shaker. MSRP: $69.99 Accomplished mixologists use a shaker to thoroughly mix and chill drink ingredients, with the ice also diluting the mixture for the proper taste. The sleek cobbler-style shaker with an integrated strainer from Elevated Craft is great for home use.
A Bar Above Copper Smooth Bar Spoons:S MSRP: $14.98 Cocktails combining spirits are best served stirred. Stirred drinks are less diluted and less chilled with more “texture” than those shaken. A set of copper spoons from A Bar Above works in all glasses to ensure thorough mixtures without splashing.
An Effortless Pop
Never Run Out of Ice
Serve in Style
Le Creuset Original Lever and Foil Cutter. MSRP: $100 In searching for a wine opener, look for one that removes the cork in one smooth motion to prevent it from crumbling or breaking. The iconic Le Creuset Lever and Foil Cutter is an ideal choice for home mixologists.
Newair Countertop Clear Ice Maker. MSRP: $299.99 A drink can’t clink without ice, making a steady supply a must. The countertop-sized Newair ice maker utilizes a supercooled ice tray to make a fresh batch of perfectly shaped, crystal-clear cubes every 7 minutes, for up to 40 pounds per day.
Match Rocks Glass. MSRP: $84.00 Presentation is an often-overlooked aspect of mixology; using the correct glass for the drink is critical to perfecting the art. The artisans at Match offer a wide selection of unique, pewter-accented glassware, such as this rocks glass.
66 I N S I G H T Oct. 29 – Nov. 4, 2021
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP L: COURTESY OF FIFTH & VERMOUTH; COURTESY OF ELEVATED CRAFT; COURTESY OF A BAR ABOVE; COURTESY OF MATCH; COURTESY OF NEWAIR; COURTESY OF LE CREUSET
Measure It Carefully
Ballet Etiquette How to look like a season pass holder
A
ttending live performances of ballet is a thrilling experience, but those unfamiliar with it may find it daunting. Accordingly, we reached out to dancers and ballet companies for tips on how to act and how to dress. By Bill Lindsey
Do Dress to Impress
Your Phone
Shorts are for the beach, not the ballet. The performers can see the audience and appreciate when they are wearing their best, even for a weekend matinee. While the nature of the performance will dictate the dress code, with galas requiring formal attire, the quintessential little black dress or a suit are safe choices. For those who like to dress for the event, a gown or dinner jacket is always acceptable.
Several minutes before the curtain goes up, an announcement will be made, asking all patrons to turn their cellphones performance. The reason is simple: Even when in mute mode, the screen lighting up or the buzzing announcing an incoming call or text is distracting to patrons seated nearby. You can make calls while in the lobby during intermission, but not from your seat.
Do Bring Children Don’t Arrive Late Arriving late may be borderline acceptable for sporting events or live concerts, but it isn't permitted for the ballet. Insisting on being seated during the performance is disrespectful to those who arrived early (at least
the performance. In worstcase scenarios, it could also create a jarring distraction for the performers.
or Shoot Video Dancers derive great pleasure from an enthusiastic audience, but this doesn't include those who take flash photography or use cellphones to capture the performance. In addition to blocking the
view of other patrons, these actions can distract the dancers. Stay seated and enjoy the performance; most companies will post photos and videos on their websites for patrons to view and share.
While children may not appreciate the complexity of many traditional ballets, they will be enthralled by others such as "The Nutcracker." This timeless classic includes a cast of young performers, adding to its appeal to young patrons and inspiring future dancers. Note: The one exception to the rule of staying seated during a performance is to take crying or restless children to the lobby immediately.
Oct. 29E – October Nov. 4, 2021 67 E P OI N C SHI GMHATG A ZIN 29, 2021
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