BEIJING SEEKS GLOBAL DOMINANCE
The CCP wants to replace the United States—at any cost By Andrew Thornebrooke DEC. 31, 2021–JAN. 6, 2022 | $6.95
ISSUE 12
Editor’s Note
Beijing’s Growing Aggression has always been to replace the United States. Since its inception, it has seen the United States as the biggest obstacle to global communist domination. But the CCP also knew that it was too weak to take the United States head on. That’s why it has used its skills at deception to pretend that it seeks a peaceful rise on the world stage. This has confused many in the West. Many scholars, business leaders, and politicians alike believed for years that it was in their interest to help China become more prosperous, and that China would then move toward becoming a capitalist and democratic country. Nothing could be further from the truth. While the CCP has accumulated vast amounts of resources and wealth over the past few decades, it has never ceased in its efforts to replace the United States. One need only look at the regime's own statements. Take a paper by the CCP’s Central Party School issued in 2016, which states it is “only a matter of time” before the CCP is among those “leading the new world order.” Meanwhile, CCP leader Xi Jinping in 2018 said the regime must “lead the reform of the global governance system,” and in 2021, he said that “a more just and equitable international order”—led by China—“must be heeded.” And as recently as July, Xi said that those who would combat or oppress the People’s Republic of China would have their “heads bashed bloody.” Having grown its economy and military strength—probably best exemplified by its recent hypersonic missile test—the CCP now feels it’s time to take a more aggressive posture. Read in this week’s cover story about the CCP’s plans and the danger they pose to America, and the world. the goal of china’ s communist party
Jasper Fakkert Editor-in-chief
2 I N S I G H T Dec. 31, 2021–Jan. 6, 2022
STEPHEN GREGORY PUBLISHER JASPER FAKKERT EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
ON THE COVER The CCP has become more overtly aggressive in recent months. Read what's behind it in this week's cover story. GREG BAKER/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES
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issue 12 | dec. 31, 2021–jan. 6, 2022
26 | Next Silicon
50 | The Pause Button
Valley? Tech entrepreneurs are taking their laptops and heading to Miami Beach.
How to cherish the purpose of life in the everyday.
51 | Hopi Wisdom
Carrying oneself in a good way helps bring the world into balance.
28 | Build Back Better Up to 1.5 million working parents could exit the labor market under Biden’s plan.
52 | Citizens’ Rights When is “enough” actually “enough” in the age of COVID?
44 | Investing in
China How one of America’s most famous and gifted capitalists helps Beijing.
45 | Stock Market
Chinese companies will delist in the U.S. and relist in China. Investors should not follow.
46 | US Inflation
Soon the Fed will face a very delicate policy balancing act.
47 | Climate Change Fed economists debunk arguments that climate is a threat to banks.
48 | US Economy Is corporate greed to blame for rising prices?
49 | Chinese
Economy Why Evergrande won’t cause a “Lehman moment” for China.
56 | Scotland
The historic Careston Castle is up for sale for $3.9 million.
Features
12 | China’s Power Game Xi Jinping talks about cooperation while employing Marxist principles to push the world toward communism. 18 | Future of GOP Republican insiders say Trump will define the future of the GOP agenda, whether he runs again or not. 32| Parents’ Concerns Grow Battlelines are being drawn in the nation's schools as parents voice their concerns about the material being taught to their children. 36| Murder for Organs Coalition founder strives to bring more awareness of forced organ harvesting in China to the public. Geese fly overhead as the first winter frost blankets the fields in Oudeland van Strijen, Netherlands, on Dec. 21, 2021.
58 | Iceland
One of the best places in the world for a really good soak.
60 | Sydney to NYC
Bourke Street Bakery’s casual Aussie vibe belies culinary chops.
61 | Be e-polite
E-mails and texts live forever, making good digital manners a must.
64 | New from Old
Create exciting custom jewelry by having a designer repurpose old pieces.
67 | New Best Friends Pets reduce stress and add fun, but sometimes the best pets don't have fur.
JEFFREY GROENEWEG/ANP/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES
I N S I G H T Dec. 31, 2021–Jan. 6, 2022 3
SPOTLIGHT FARMER PROTEST
INDIAN FARMERS SHOUT slogans as they block railway tracks during a demonstration demanding compensation and jobs for the families of those who died during protests against the Indian government’s agricultural reforms, at Devi Dasspura village on the outskirts of Amritsar, India, on Dec. 20, 2021. PHOTO BY NARINDER NANU/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES
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Issue. 12
SIGNIFICANT EVENTS IN 2021
Year in Photos
A U.S. Marine grabs an infant over a barbed-wired fence during an evacuation at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul on Aug. 19, 2021. The Taliban took over Kabul on Aug. 15, just days after the Biden administration's withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan. PHOTO -/COURTESY OF OMAR HAIDIRI/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES
I N S I G H T Dec. 31, 2021–Jan. 6, 2022 7
Year in Photos
1.
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3.
COUNTERCLOCKWISE FROM LEFT: SAUL LOEB/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES, JEWEL SAMAD/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES, ADALBERTO ROQUE/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES, BRIAN ONGORO/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES, MARIO TAMA/GETTY IMAGES, A
8 I N S I G H T Dec. 31, 2021–Jan. 6, 2022
1. People who gathered to protest the 2020 presidential election results walk around and take photos inside the U.S. Capitol’s Rotunda on Jan. 6, 2021. 2. Pyres of people who lost their lives due to the CCP virus burn at a cremation ground in New Delhi on April 26, 2021. 3. A man is arrested during a demonstration against the leadership of Cuban leader Miguel Diaz-Canel, amid widespread shortages of basic goods and demands for political rights, in Havana on July 11, 2021. 6. 4. A medical worker administers a dose of the COVID19 vaccine to a woman as workers go door-to-door to administer vaccines to people who live far from health facilities, in Siaya, Kenya, on May 18, 2021. 5. Protestors gather outside City Hall at a March for Freedom rally, demonstrating against the LA City Council’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate for city employees and contractors, on Nov. 8, 2021. 6. Joe Biden is sworn in as the 46th president of the United States next to his wife, Jill Biden, during his inauguration on the West Front of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 20, 2021. 5.
4.
ALEX WONG/GETTY IMAGES
I N S I G H T Dec. 31, 2021–Jan. 6, 2022 9
Year in Photos
7.
8.
7. People hold a French national flag reading “Liberty, Equality, Fraternity” during a demonstration against the state’s COVID-19 measures, including vaccine mandates and health passes, in Paris on July 17, 2021. 8. Thousands of mostly Haitian illegal
immigrants, who camped under the international bridge in Del Rio, take supplies back and forth between Acuña, Mexico, and the United States (far side) across the Rio Grande, on Sept. 20, 2021. 9. Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) announced Dec.
11.
19, 2021, that he won’t support President Joe Biden’s sweeping social and climate spending package, the $1.85 trillion Build Back Better Act. 10. Kyle Rittenhouse (C), during his trial on Nov. 12, 2021. Rittenhouse was accused of shooting three
demonstrators, killing two of them, during a night of unrest that erupted in Kenosha after the death of Jacob Blake in August 2020. He was acquitted on all counts. 11. Hansle Parchment of Team Jamaica finishes first in the men's 110-meter hurdles final
12.
FROM TOP LEFT: GEOFFROY VAN DER HASSELT/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES, CHARLOTTE CUTHBERTSON/THE EPOCH TIMES, SAMUEL CORUM/GETTY IMAGES, SEAN KRAJACIC-POOL/GETTY IMAGES, MATTHIAS HANGST/GETTY IMAGES
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9.
10.
at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, at the Olympic Stadium on Aug. 5, 2021. 12. Pro-life demonstrators rally outside the U.S. Supreme Court as the court hears arguments in a challenge to a Texas law banning abortions after a detectable heartbeat, on
Nov. 1, 2021. 13. While the Chinese regime appeared to emerge confidently from the first year of the pandemic, 2021 was a year marked by growing domestic troubles and mounting aggressions abroad. Chinese leader Xi Jinping presided over a sweeping
crackdown targeting the private sector to solidify the Party’s hold on society. The regime's harsh zero-COVID policies, energy shortages, and debtridden real estate sector now threaten to further slow the country's economy in 2022. In the face of rising
international criticism over its malign actions, the regime has been undeterred. Beijing dialed up its military harassment of Taiwan, continued to expand its nuclear arsenal, and tested an advanced hypersonic missile as part of an effort to “leapfrog” U.S. military technology.
13.
S, DREW ANGERER/GETTY IMAGES, NOEL CELIS/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES
I N S I G H T Dec. 31, 2021–Jan. 6, 2022 11
Beijing Seeks Global Domin CHINA
The CCP wants to replace the United States—at any cost ✒ Text By Andrew Thornebrooke
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12 I N S I G H T Dec. 31, 2021–Jan. 6, 2022
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Chinese leader Xi Jinping has directed the Chinese military to strengthen its military modernization program, to pursue the Party’s ambition for global dominance. PHOTO BY WANG ZHAO - POOL /GETTY IMAGES
News Analysis
TO INTERNATIONAL
audiences, the CCP has repeatedly declared that its foreign policy goals are grounded in principles such as “universality,” “constructive dialogue,” and “winwin cooperation.” Yet such language is smoke and mirrors, analysts say, and belies concrete actions by the regime to grow its military and economic might around the world. In the words of the congressionally mandated “2021 China Power Report” by
the Pentagon, the CCP’s grand strategy is aimed at achieving “the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation” by 2049. This means, it says, matching or surpassing the United States in global influence and power, displacing U.S. partners in the region, and revising the international order to be “more advantageous to Beijing’s authoritarian system and national interests.”
Dismantle and Rebuild Despite talk of win-win scenarios I N S I G H T Dec. 31, 2021–Jan. 6, 2022 13
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paign for presidency. By May 2021, however, the president had changed his tune, saying at a press conference that a “battle between democracies and autocracies,” was afoot, and warned that the CCP was seeking nothing less than to dominate the United States. “[Xi] firmly believes that China, before the year ’30, ’35, is going to own America because autocracies can make quick decisions,” Biden said. That concerted effort to dismantle U.S. influence abroad, and own it, is the platform the CCP has coalesced around. In addition, Beijing is quickly building the military necessary to seize and hold that objective by force.
A Modern Military The regime’s military, the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), is undergoing an unprecedented program of growth and modernization in order to pursue the Party’s ambition for global dominance.
Xi directed the military in 2020 to be ready for conflicts spanning the whole region and, according to Chinese stateowned media Xinhua, emphasized that the Party must maintain absolute leadership over the army at all times. The PLA must “put all minds and energy on preparing for war,” Xi said. Likewise, the Chinese leader said in July that those who would combat or oppress the PRC would have their “heads bashed bloody.” Such rhetoric might come across as mere machismo were it not for the fact that it was matched by equally aggressive strategic development. “The average American is generally unaware of the military and diplomatic power that the PRC has achieved over the last two decades,” said James Fanell, a fellow at the Geneva Center for Security Policy and former director of intelligence and information operations for the U.S. Pacific Fleet.
FROM LEFT: KEVIN FRAYER/GETTY IMAGES, STR/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES
abroad, Chinese leader Xi Jinping delivers more grim depictions of his vision for the future when at home, away from the glare of the international limelight. Within the internal proceedings of the regime, he issues opaque calls for the CCP to reform global governance and lead the international order. In a 2018 speech, Xi said the CCP must “lead the reform of the global governance system.” In another speech in 2021, he said that “a more just and equitable international order must be heeded,” and led by China. Likewise, the paper of the CCP’s Central Party School issued an article in 2016, shortly after Xi’s military reforms, that declared it was “only a matter of time” before the CCP was among those “leading the new world order.” At a closed-door CCP meeting in November, called the Sixth Plenum, Xi led the Party in issuing a “communique” that rewrote parts of China’s modern history and outlined the Party’s goals for the future. In it, the CCP championed its own form of Maoist communism, referred to as “socialism with Chinese characteristics,” as a “new model for human advancement.” It further demanded that Marxist ideology be proselytized across the world as the sole political philosophy “not only capable of dismantling the old world, but also of building a new one.” “We must use Marxist positions, viewpoints, and methods to observe, understand, and steer the trends of the times, and constantly deepen our understanding of the laws underlying governance by a communist party, the building of socialism, and the development of human society,” the communique reads. The rapidity with which the People’s Republic of China (PRC) has transformed itself from a wholly impoverished agricultural nation into the world’s second-largest economy has been hard for some to grasp. Indeed, the idea that communist China is a real adversary, much less one aimed to dethrone and usurp America’s role in global leadership seemed a foreign concept to many just two years ago. President Joe Biden, for example, dismissed the notion in 2019 that China could seriously compete with the United States. “They’re not competition for us,” Biden said after announcing his cam-
The Lead China War
The People’s Liberation Army’s expanding military capabilities are aimed at confronting and overcoming known weaknesses in U.S. defense policy and capabilities.
A Chinese navy formation during military drills in the South China Sea on Jan. 2, 2017. The People’s Liberation Army Navy has been designed to defeat the U.S. Navy in a war at sea.
Speaking on the anniversary of the Korean War in 2020, Xi said simply, ‘A victory is needed to win peace and respect.’ “Likewise, the average American is unaware of the PLA’s unprecedented military modernization program and how today the PLA overmatches the U.S. military in naval, air, and rocket force power.” Referred to by Party leadership as an “all-out push” in military modernization, the PLA’s expanding military capabilities include the development of hypersonic weapons, a rapidly expanding nuclear arsenal, and the world’s largest navy, each aimed to confront and overcome a known weakness in U.S. defense policy and capabilities. Xi has referred to the PLA’s modernization program as “leapfrog development.” This is development aimed to skip ahead to next-generation military technologies without having to waste resources to first match the United States’ current arsenal. The CCP’s test of a hypersonic weapon in July, for example, reportedly tried out an orbital bombardment system that could be capable of getting nuclear
warheads around the U.S. early warning and missile defense systems, which were designed to protect against traditional ballistic weaponry. Gen. John Hyten, the Pentagon’s second-highest-ranking officer at the time, said the test looked like a first-use nuclear weapon, and denounced a “brutal” bureaucracy that hindered the U.S. military from developing a similar system a decade ago. Fanell believed that the continued advancement of the CCP’s impressive modernization program, and the equally impressive ignorance of said program in the West, was exacerbated by so-called China hands—people in academic institutions, think tanks, and government office who advance pro-China agendas or otherwise give cover to the CCP’s political maneuvering. “Just this week, a retired four-star admiral had the audacity to write that, while the PLAN was the largest navy in the
world, they were of a ‘far lower quality,’” Fanell said, referring to the PLA Navy. “That simply is false. I have been aboard PLAN warships several times over the course of the past 20 years, and I can tell you that PLAN warships and sailors are indeed not of a ‘far lower quality.’” The criticism isn’t new. Such was mentioned in the Heritage Foundation’s annual report on U.S. military strength earlier this year, which noted the trend of American strategists to overstate the importance of U.S. aircraft carriers while downplaying the numerical and geographic advantages of Chinese naval forces. “The impact from this statement and many, many others like it over the past 20 years has been to numb the American body politic from understanding the lethal threat that the PRC and PLA represent,” Fanell said. To that end, it’s necessary to understand that the Chinese regime fashioned much of its current force structure with the I N S I G H T Dec. 31, 2021–Jan. 6, 2022 15
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Taiwan’s democratic government goes against everything the CCP’s Sixth Plenum Communique stood for. Its continued existence demonstrates the falsity of the claim that only socialism with Chinese characteristics is capable of addressing the unique historical realities of the Chinese state. National rejuvenation, so central to the CCP’s grand strategy, is impossible without unification.
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All Roads Lead to Taiwan Taiwan is vital to Xi’s vision for the future of a global communist China. The CCP initiated record numbers of incursions into the Taiwanese air defense identification zone throughout 2021 in an effort to rattle Taiwan’s military and justify its claims that the island is part of its territory. Xi vowed to achieve “reunification of the nation” during a speech in October, and called the island’s continued de facto independence a “serious hidden danger to national rejuvenation.” Part of the reason for this desperation in seizing Taiwan is ideological. Another, strategic. “There’s no doubt the CCP sees Taiwan’s democratic model as a threat to its version of Marxism-Leninism,” said Keith Krach, former U.S. undersecretary of state. “The people of Taiwan share the same culture, customs, and language as their Chinese neighbors. They are a living, breathing proof that Chinese people don’t have to subjugate their individual freedom and human rights to the will of a monstrous communist state in order to be successful.” 16 I N S I G H T Dec. 31, 2021–Jan. 6, 2022
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Such a situation has rendered Xi desperate for a swift absorption of Taiwan by the mainland, according to Krach. And that desperation makes him dangerous. “General Secretary Xi sees the annexation of Taiwan as a crowning jewel in his legacy,” Krach said. “That certainly makes the China–Taiwan tensions more combustible, especially since he’s feeling the heat internally due to the energy crisis and his mishandling of the economy.” At the strategic level, the occupation of Taiwan would provide the CCP with the ability to project power beyond the so-called second island chain and threaten U.S. military bases and allied forces. This would effectively put all U.S. and allied forces in the region at risk from missile attacks.
Taiwan is part of the first island chain, a branch of major archipelagos that spreads from Indonesia past the Philippines and through Japan. Maintaining a presence through the first chain is necessary to project military power through the second, which is farther into the Pacific. The CCP has long been aware of that strategic need for control of Taiwan. According to a 2004 article by staterun media Global Times, taking over Taiwan would open up the eastern Pacific Ocean to the Chinese military and simultaneously erode the strategic barrier posed by the first island chain, which currently keeps its forces close to the mainland. Taiwan is thus necessary to the CCP’s struggle for global dominance, as both the ideological coherence of Chinese communism and the nation’s military capacity to conduct war with the United States hinge upon it. Perhaps for that reason, a recent editorial by the Global Times stated that the regime would “heavily attack US troops who come to Taiwan’s rescue,” and added that any weapons given to Taiwan by the United States must be destroyed. Krach said: “After biding its time for decades, playing the victim, eliciting preferential treatment from the free
CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT: SHUTTERSTOCK, SAMIRA BOUAOU/THE EPOCH TIMES, MANDY CHENG/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES, SAM YEH/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES
sole purpose of ejecting the United States from the Indo-Pacific. “The PLAN has been designed and built over the past 20 years to defeat the U.S. Navy in a war at sea, while the U.S. Department of Defense has been obsessed with conducting counter-terrorism operations in the Middle East,” Fanell said. “It must be stated that when it comes to the military domain, the U.S. is greatly behind the PLA, especially when it comes to war at sea. The PLAN is not only the largest navy on the planet today, but it has more anti-ship ballistic and cruise missiles than any other navy.” Fanell said that, at current levels, the United States simply lacks the strength to maintain the status quo in the region. Fixing that weakness is imperative, he said, given the central role of Taiwan in the ongoing Sino–American struggles for global influence. “Taiwan is the centerpiece of the CCP’s goal of displacing the United States’ global prominence and influence,” Fanell said. “The conquest of Taiwan is the centerpiece of the strategy for driving the U.S. out of the Indo-Pacific.”
The Lead China War
world, General Secretary Xi decided it’s time for China to seize the dominant role on the world stage. “The CCP also understands Taiwan’s strategic role as a trusted, high-tech powerhouse, especially as the world’s premier semiconductor manufacturer,” Krach said in reference to the fact that Taiwan is responsible for the production of some 63 percent of the world’s semiconductors, which are vital to technologies ranging from pickup trucks to ballistic missiles—a capability coveted by Beijing. “That’s why controlling Taiwan is a strategic priority for the CCP, and it should be the free world’s priority to defend Taiwan and make sure tomorrow’s tech is trusted tech.”
Hegemony The CCP’s grand strategy comes down to hegemony. Its ambition is to displace and replace the United States, and Xi has directed the military to strengthen its position toward this end. “The CCP goals of global hegemony are real, not just propaganda,” said Anders Corr, principal of advisory firm Corr Analytics and a contributor to INSIGHT. “They are moving forward with laws that have global extraterritorial effect, tied to aggressive extradition efforts,
along with increasing influence, trending towards control, of UN and other international institutions and multinational corporations.” To that end, the CCP is pursuing a whole-of-nation strategy, leveraging its military, economy, and diplomatic apparatus against the United States. That presents a danger to all Americans, according to Corr, as the CCP is almost certainly willing to go further in pursuing destructive conflict than the United States is willing to. “The CCP is more willing to risk war than we are, which it can use as a form of brinkmanship to force us into retreat,” Corr said. “War in the nuclear age against a nuclear-armed enemy is almost unthinkable for citizens in democracies, which from Beijing’s perspective is a weakness to be exploited.” The CCP’s diplomatic apparatus says it wants peace and win-win scenarios. What it leaves out, however, is exactly what Xi holds to be necessary for the peace to begin. Speaking on the anniversary of the Korean War in 2020, Xi said simply, “A victory is needed to win peace and respect.” It’s victory, not comradery, that the CCP seeks now. Frank Fang contributed to this report.
“The [People’s Liberation Army Navy] is not only the largest navy on the planet today, but it has more anti-ship ballistic and cruise missiles than any other navy.”
James Fanell, fellow, Geneva Center for Security Policy
Taiwan is vital to Xi’s vision for the future of a global communist China. Taiwanese sailors secure a S-70C helicopter onto the deck of a Panshi supply ship, near the naval port in Kaohsiung, on Jan. 27, 2016.
I N S I G H T Dec. 31, 2021–Jan. 6, 2022 17
President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump board Air Force One for the last time during his presidency, at Joint Base Andrews, Md., on Jan. 20, 2021. PHOTO BY PETE MAROVICH - POOL/GETTY IMAGES
18 I N S I G H T Dec. 31, 2021–Jan. 6, 2022
GOP Future
P OLITICS
PA R T Y I N S I D E R S :
TRUMP DEFINES FUTURE OF GOP By Mark Tapscott
E
News Analysis X UBER ANT R EPUBLICANS
cannot wait for the 2022 midterm elections that they expect will restore their congressional majorities and the 2024 presidential contest to put one of their own back in the Oval Office. Public approval ratings for President Joe Biden and the Democratic Congress are scraping bottom thanks to surging inflation, chaos at the Southern border, failure to end the still-deadly pandemic, a stunning relapse into energy dependence, and perceived impotence against growing Chinese and Russian aggression overseas. Even so, interviews by INSIGHT of Republican officeholders, advocates, and campaign strategists show the optimism is tempered by questions about the best strategy for getting to victory, worries about potentially crippling splits over the proper role of former President Donald Trump, and the party’s stance on certain social issues. But first, Republicans have to win back majorities in Congress next November.
WHETHER OR NOT HE RUNS AGAIN IN 2024, TRUMP’S POLICY LEGACY REPRESENTS THE GOP AGENDA
‘Kitchen-Table Issues’ Club for Growth President David McIntosh, a former congressman from Indiana, said: “The best lesson coming out of the Virginia race where we won the governorship is to talk about kitchen-table issues that matter to Americans. “Prices are going up, people can’t afford to fill up their gas tanks, their kids’ schools are not functioning anymore and when they are open, they are teaching the kids all of this racist critical race theory. I mean, talk to Americans about things that matter to them.” McIntosh sees little chance that Biden can turn things around before next November. “We were just talking about that and how once a politician’s approval numbers are in the tank for a long time, people lose faith in them, and it kind of settles in that there is just an incompetence there,” McIntosh said. “I see that happening to the Biden administration.” McIntosh’s group is actively recruiting conservative Republican candidates to challenge aging congressional incumbents. “It’s key that you recruit really good candidates, which is what Club for Growth is foI N S I G H T Dec. 31, 2021–Jan. 6, 2022 19
GOP Future
“We’re going to bust our tail and keep fighting against the crazy policies of the Left.” Rep. Jim Jordan
cused on right now. The other thing I see is there are a lot of younger candidates and the voters are finding that very appealing,” McIntosh said. “That tells me America is ready to pass the baton to the next generation.”
Confrontation or Compromise Asked if a newly seated Republican congressional majority should seek confrontations with Biden in 2023 on key policy issues or seek compromises while playing out the clock toward 2024, Rep. Chuck Fleishmann (R-Tenn.), a member of the powerful House Appropriations Committee, said Biden has gone so far to the left that Republicans must confront him. “This administration has gone so far afield from where I think any previous presidential administration has been in our history, they are aberrant, they are consistently wrong in their policies, and they are literally, sadly, destroying this country,” Fleischmann told INSIGHT. “We are going to have to confront them in every way, shape, or form and show our unity, and show the American people’s disfavor with Biden’s policies, domestically and foreign alike. I’ve never seen an administration in such a short period of time take the country so far in the wrong direction.” Fleishmann said he hears the same concerns back home, not just from conservative Republicans like himself, but also among independents and disaffected Democrats. He thinks it’s possible that Biden, if confronted strongly enough by a unified GOP in 2023, will perhaps moderate at least some of his policies. Another influential House Republican, Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), sees “a good chance that we will win, but we’re not overconfident, we’re going to bust our tail and keep fighting against the crazy policies of the left.” Jordan, the ranking GOP member of the House Judiciary Committee, said a restored Republican majority “should pick one or two key issues and make those the fights on the appropriations process because we will inevitably get to September 2023 and it will be time to fund the government.” At that point, Jordan claimed, “we will have to be focused on one or two key things that we say, ‘If you’re going to spend that kind of money that you know Biden will want to spend, we’re not going to 20 I N S I G H T Dec. 31, 2021–Jan. 6, 2022
go along with that without some real changes.’” Jordan believes those changes could be in immigration policy and border security, “or it could be some of the ridiculous things the Justice Department is doing to parents right now. Those are all good issues.” “Maybe the most important thing we do is oversight. There are tons of things we need to look at, the whole Dr. [Anthony] Fauci and gain-of-function and the lab leak, and how Fauci misled us for a year and a half. “We need to look at the IRS. How did thousands of Americans’ tax returns become public? We need to look into the Hunter Biden situation. How in the world did the Justice Department put a threat tag label on parents and go after moms and dads who are simply looking out for their kids at school? That has to be the focus when the Democrats are in the White House and we control Congress.”
‘Test Spin’ On the Senate side, Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.) advised colleagues concerning Biden in 2023 to first “take him out for a test spin” to “test how transactional Biden really is” when he has to deal with a Republican Congress. “[Senate Minority Leader] Mitch McConnell describes Biden perfectly. He says, Biden is ‘affable, he’s transactional, he’s pragmatic, but he’s not moderate.’ He’s certainly not been moderate in his first year of full power,” Cramer said. “But I do think at the outset of a divided government scenario, we ought to take him out for a test spin and see what we can agree on, what we can do. It’s important for the country,” Cramer said. He thinks the discussion on national security issues is an area in which relations between Biden and Congress could become much more productive.
Rep. Chuck Fleishmann (R-Tenn.) thinks it’s possible Biden, if confronted strongly enough by a unified GOP in 2023, will perhaps moderate at least some of his policies.
GOP Future
“At the outset of a divided government scenario, we ought to take [Biden] out for a test spin and see what we can agree on, what we can do.”
CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT: CHARLOTTE CUTHBERTSON/THE EPOCH TIMES, ANNA MONEYMAKER/ GETTY IMAGES, SAMUEL CORUM/GETTY IMAGES, UNITED STATES CONGRESS
Sen. Kevin Cramer
Some experts say that with or without Trump returning to the White House, Republicans will reinstate his policies at every opportunity.
“But the personnel business will get much more serious ... we could stop what I call some of the more radical nominations from going forward. That part of our power, if you will, in a restored Senate would have a pretty constructive effect on things going forward from a policy standpoint.” Sen. John Boozman (R-Ark.) looks forward to Republicans regaining control of congressional committees. “As we regain the majority, the real advantage you have then is you have control of the committees at that point, so you can set the agenda and you can also do oversight functions to see what’s going on, trying to reduce the regulatory atmosphere,” Boozman said. “I feel very sure we are going to get the opportunity and we need to go forward with a plan to govern and I really think that needs to be centered around those things that are so, so important like the regulatory atmosphere, getting
ourselves into a situation where we can reduce energy costs.” With “home heating costs going up 35 percent plus,” Boozman said, “we’ll see a lot of Americans will be going to bed a little bit colder this winter than they did last winter because our energy policies are being so poorly managed. I’m afraid the only energy policy we have right now is just to declare war on the oil and gas industry.” There is a risk for Republicans if they become too cautious after regaining congressional power, however, said Brian Darling, former counsel to Sen. Rank Paul (R-Ky.) and founder of Liberty Government Affairs. “The big question is whether Republicans will dig in and fight Democrats on spending as a way to show the differences between the parties or not,” Darling said. He expects Biden to “triangulate” like former presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama did following huge GOP midterm gains. “Everything hinges on whether Republicans decide to fight Democrats on the issues or sit on their collective hands and hope that Democrats implode. If they rely on a Democrat implosion, Republicans will have a short-lived majority,” Darling said.
Trump’s Policies How Republicans regain majorities could have a decisive influence on the 2024 presidential contest, especially regarding Trump, according to Americans for Tax Reform President Grover Norquist. “If candidates he supports over the better judgment of local parties and local elected officials win, then he has a claim to say ‘I brought you these victories,’ but if he insists on meddling inside a state and picking a Senate candidate because he’s mad at somebody about something in the past, and that person loses, then he could be seen as the guy who cost us the House or Senate,” Norquist said. Norquist said “the first thing they will do” once Republicans are back in control of Congress and the White House “is they will restore all of Trump’s progress. I mean it could be the biggest anti-Trump guy you can imagine, but the first thing he will do is bring back Trump’s deregulation, bring back Trump’s energy policies, stuff like that.” I N S I G H T Dec. 31, 2021–Jan. 6, 2022 21
GOP Future
Trump won in 2016 and remains extremely popular with millions of voters because ‘Donald Trump stood up to the Left,’ an expert says. Others interviewed by INSIGHT shared Norquist’s assessment that with or without Trump returning to the White House, Republicans will reinstate his policies at every opportunity. “I haven’t spoken directly to him about this, but Trump is certainly a force in Republican politics now,” Boozman said. “He is still very, very popular amongst the Republican base.” Boozman said whoever the next president is, he is confident the person will be a Republican, and “that is a very good thing. I voted with the president 94 percent of the time and am really very proud of that because we had the best economy we’ve had in 50 years. The president recognized we needed to get tough with China, and right now we’re seeing that was the correct decision.”
Trump Run
22 I N S I G H T Dec. 31, 2021–Jan. 6, 2022
of being reasonable and for free and fair debate.” Conservative voters “are looking for someone to fight for what they believe in,” Perkins added. “They feel that the elitists are dismissive of them and want to silence them and run their lives. Donald Trump stood up to those people.” But the FRC chief isn’t sure Trump is the best choice for Republicans in 2024 because his first term “did not end on a high note.” Others interviewed by INSIGHT expressed similar views. Less Government President Seton Motley said he prefers “someone with Trump’s policy agenda, who is not Trump, to run for the presidency. We need someone with the right policies, and the right personal and political skills to more fully see them implemented.” Motley pointed to Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis as likely “the most capable of being that person.” Also mentioned multiple times was former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, the former Kansas Republican congressman who
President Donald Trump at a Make America Great Again rally in Council Bluffs, Iowa, on Oct. 9, 2018. How Republicans regain majorities could have a decisive influence on the 2024 presidential contest, especially regarding Trump, expert says.
FROM LEFT: CHARLOTTE CUTHBERTSON/THE EPOCH TIMES
Jordan has little doubt that Trump will run again in 2024, and he thinks he will win another term in the White House. “I don’t have any doubt about that. He hasn’t announced it, there’s nothing official, but I would bet our house that he’s running, which I think is great, I want him to run,” Jordan said. The feisty Ohio Republican also dismissed the possibility of a Trump-driven split in the party because of the former chief executive’s continuing popularity among GOP voters and because the anti-Trump faction of the party led by Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) is all but powerless. Trump won in 2016 and remains extremely popular with millions of voters because “Donald Trump stood up to the left,” Family Research Council (FRC) President Tony Perkins said. “The left was accustomed to having their way. What he did by standing up to them is basically expose them, they are no longer hiding behind a facade
“[Donald Trump] is still very, very popular amongst the Republican base.” Sen. John Boozman
was also Trump’s first CIA director. Other possibilities mentioned for seeking the 2024 GOP presidential nomination included former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley and former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie. Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) received favorable nods as well.
Social Issues Perkins sees a warning flag waving on the social issues front, however, thanks to the Republican National Committee (RNC). “We’re seeing right now in the RNC where you have the current chair [Ronna McDaniel] a couple of weeks ago announce this Pride Coalition and they say, ‘Well, we’re having these other coalitions,’ but that’s the only coalition she’s announced.” Perkins was referring to a GOP Pride event hosted by Trump and former First Lady Melania Trump and former Acting Director of National Intelligence (DNI) Richard Grenell for gay and transgender supporters of the party.
Co-sponsoring the event was the group Log Cabin Republicans (LCR), which describes itself as “the nation’s largest Republican organization dedicated to representing LGBT conservatives and allies.” Perkins noted that LCR “advocates policies that are 180 degrees from the Republican Party platform. What attracted people to Trump in 2016 was he embraced the party platform because he didn’t have any policy positions of his own. “So he embraced the party platform, and guess what, as the history shows, Republicans do actually adhere to their party platform almost 80 percent of the time, so this platform matters and when you see an RNC chairman moving in a direction that would water that down, I think they are at risk of losing a lot of the evangelical/social conservative vote that made them a viable party.” Perkins added that “if the elitists want to take back control of the party, they may have the building, but that’s about all they are going to have.” I N S I G H T Dec. 31, 2021–Jan. 6, 2022 23
24 I N S I G H T Dec. 31, 2021–Jan. 6, 2022
T H G IL T O P S UKRAINE TENSIONS
UKRAINIAN SERVICEMEN walk through a trench on the front line with Russia-backed separatists near the small town of Svitlodarsk, in the Donetsk region, on Dec. 18, 2021. PHOTO BY ANATOLII STEPANOV/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES
I N S I G H T Dec. 31, 2021–Jan. 6, 2022 25
MIAMI
SUNNY DAYS FOR
TECH
Startups drawn to Miami’s emerging venture ecosystem
S
By Rachel Hartman HUNNING TRADITIONAL HUBS
An Offer to Help Indeed, from tax incentives to government programs and tech fairs, Miami’s atmosphere makes it increasingly easier for startups to launch—and then build. Downtown Miami is slated to gain more than 1,000 new technology industry jobs by 2024, according to the South 26 I N S I G H T Dec. 31, 2021–Jan. 6, 2022
Florida Business Journal. The city of Miami Beach is offering to pay qualifying companies to locate within its borders. High-tech and financial service firms that are eligible can expect to receive payments totaling $180,000 to $240,000 per company over the course of three or four years. The review and permitting process for companies that meet the requirements has been expedited and takes just 10 days to complete. The city of Miami Beach announced these initiatives in March, in response to a growing interest among companies in the Northeast and Silicon Valley to move to Florida. All these initiatives coincide with the campaign that Miami Mayor Francis Suarez launched when he wrote on Twitter, “How can I help?” in 2020, in response to frustrations voiced by venture capitalist Delian Asparouhov. At the time, Asparouhov was living in San Francisco and had witnessed the rise of taxes and rents in the area, along with the tension between the tech segment and local political movements. When the Founders Fund partner toyed with the thought of moving to Miami, he said on Twitter, “ok guys hear me out,
what if we move silicon valley to Miami?” Suarez jumped in, personally offering assistance through Twitter. His question garnered more than 2.7 million impressions. It also spurred Suarez on a quest to fulfill his offer to help. The conversation appeared to echo various concerns that were rippling through traditional, yet now crumbling, tech centers. Asparouhov moved his Silicon Valley firm to Miami, joining the ranks of other firms seeking lower costs and a more open community. Venture firms have responded as well, with managers such as Steven Cohen’s Point72 Ventures, Blackstone, and G Squared opening or expanding offices in Miami. According to PitchBook, Softbank started a $100 million fund for Miami that has increased to more than $250 million.
A Robust and Open Community A welcoming environment for entrepreneurs proves to be one of Miami’s main appeals. After basing a company in Los Angeles, Lauren Weiniger moved to Miami to launch another one. “We’re growing fast and decided to headquarter in Miami, which has been
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such as San Francisco and New York, entrepreneurs are taking their laptops and heading to—the beach. Miami Beach, that is. With a skyrocketing number of venture dollars swirling in the air, it seems the breeze is beckoning tech startups to come and test the waters throughout the Miami area. Venture deals have amounted to $3.5 billion this year across 234 transactions, which is nearly three times more than was reported in 2020, according to PitchBook data. Miami placed second on Forbes’s 2021 ranking of emerging technology hubs in the U.S., beating places such as Austin, Texas, and coming in just under Tampa, Florida, which took the top spot. Its new tech job listings grew faster than any other major U.S. city during the second quarter of 2021, outpacing other locales such as Phoenix and Silicon Valley.
Nation Technology The City of Miami Beach is offering to pay $180,000 to $240,000 to each qualifying company that will create at least 10 highpaying jobs in the city.
the venture capital to back it, the lower living costs of Miami are driving some to dig in stakes and stay. Richard Lavina, CEO and co-founder of Taxfyle, which connects individuals and businesses to tax professionals, scouted out other options before deciding on Miami as the base for his company. Prior to starting the company, Lavina graduated from the University of Miami and spent time working in South Florida. But when it came time to seek funding for the startup Taxfyle, however, the options in the area were sparse.
“Yes, everything is getting more expensive with inflation, but there’s still better value with what you get in Miami than in San Francisco, New York, Los Angeles, or even Austin.”
Richard Lavina, CEO and co-founder, Taxfyle
Miami Mayor Francis Suarez launched the city's initiatives to entice entrepreneurs to relocate to the city in response to a growing interest among companies to move from Silicon Valley to Florida. hugely beneficial,” Weiniger told INSIGHT. Her second company, Total Life, is a virtual therapy platform designed for seniors. “I moved from Los Angeles in part because the business resources, community, and mayor personally provided so many benefits.” When comparing the experiences of starting a company in Los Angeles and launching one in Miami, “it’s like night and day,” Weiniger said. In addition to an openness to tech and
“When we started back in 2016, there was no venture capital support in Miami,” he said. “This required us to go to Silicon Valley to seek the funding we needed.” He and his team trekked to Palo Alto and toured homes where they might potentially live. The conclusion? The price tag attached to living and working there was too high. “Things were so expensive in that area that moving would’ve slashed eight months of our budget when compared to staying in Miami,” Lavina told INSIGHT. He headed home to Miami and the lower overall costs associated with the region. “Yes, everything is getting more expensive with inflation, but there’s still better value with what you get in Miami than in San Francisco, New York, Los Angeles, or even Austin,” he said. The strategy has worked: Taxfyle’s easy-to-use mobile platform has been called the “Uber for taxes.” It has placed within the top 15 percent in the Inc. 5000 list for two years in a row, and
it was recognized as one of the Top 50 Fastest-Growing Private Companies in 2021 by South Florida Business Journal. “Miami provides a tax haven for businesses and people looking to lessen the load and financial burden other states and cities carry,” Jeff Ransdell, managing director of Fuel Venture Capital, a Miami-founded firm that focuses on tech startups, told INSIGHT. “Aside from that, you are very close to Latin America, currently a very untapped resource for innovation and capital.” Miami’s airport makes it easy to access both Latin America and Europe, narrowing the divide between these regions.
Workers from Local and Global Locations Finding workers to join the ranks at tech companies has been a process for some, as Miami doesn’t have the deep pools of talent that are readily found in other major tech centers. At Taxfyle, Lavina and his team worked to create a system that would attract and retain employees. “People have to pay bills, and as long as you’re able to present them with viable career paths in tech, we feel that the talent will want to work somewhere that provides them the best opportunities for their life goals,” Lavina said. “After six years, we are the living proof that you can run a successful startup outside Silicon Valley.” Furthermore, with trends to work from anywhere, accessing talent is at times a matter of looking through a wide-angle lens that reaches beyond Miami and crosses borders. Carevive, which connects and engages patients throughout the continuum of oncology care, has operated out of Miami offices for more than five years, as the company’s chief executive was based in the area. When the company took on a new CEO who is based in Boston, it also continued to expand its remote-working pool. Some companies are expanding globally but keeping their main offices close to the beach. “We’ve seen with the progress of remote working that Miami can be a great central hub for your teams or workers around the globe,” Ransdell said. After all, “if you can manage your team remotely, why would you want to be anywhere else other than paradise?” I N S I G H T Dec. 31, 2021–Jan. 6, 2022 27
E C ONOM Y
Biden’s Family Plan Could Make ‘Great Resignation’ Even Worse Analysis projects 1.5 million working parents will quit By Andrew Moran News Analysis S M A N Y A S 1 . 5 M I L L I O N working
28 I N S I G H T Dec. 31, 2021–Jan. 6, 2022
a work requirement. The economist endorsed Sen. Joe Manchin’s (D-W.Va.) proposal for an employment prerequisite. As part of the previous CTC, beneficiaries needed to work to receive the full credit. Still, Meyer anticipates that the tax credit, even if 1.5 million parents were to quit their jobs, would alleviate child poverty. He projected that child poverty could decline by 22 percent because of the payments. Others dispute his suggestion that more than 1 million working parents would be submitting their letters of resignation. Researchers at Columbia University’s Center on Poverty and Social Policy argued in a recent paper that the data show that CTC payments haven’t led to a noticeable effect on payrolls or the labor force participation rate. “Real-world data in the immediate wake of the CTC expansion do not support claims that the elimination of the phase-in portion of the CTC has discouraged work among parents in any meaningful way,” the researchers stated. Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One on Dec. 17, White House press secretary Jen Psaki stated that President Joe Biden might double the CTC payments in February if the $1.75 trillion social-spending and climate change plan is enacted in January.
FROM TOP: SAUL LOEB/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES, SHUTTERSTOCK
parents could exit the labor market as more U.S. households receive the expanded Child Tax Credit (CTC) benefit, a new study predicts. According to a recent analysis from University of Chicago economist Bruce Meyer, about 2.6 percent of parents could drop out of the workforce after being given monthly entitlement checks based on family income. Under the American Rescue Plan passed in March, lawmakers expanded the CTC from $2,000 to as much as $3,600 per child. Half of the CTC funds were sent to households or deposited into bank accounts in the form of monthly checks from July to December. Parents aren’t required to work to receive the CTC and its monthly payments. Meyer explained that some parents could choose to quit working because of the payments and if they can gather enough money from public assistance and family and friends. “The proposed expansion would get rid of the strong work incentives under the prior CTC; it would essentially eliminate a tax credit that encouraged work and replace it with something that discourages work,” Meyer told CBS MoneyWatch. “In the end, those at the bottom may not be better off.” He added that it would be “a good idea” to insert
The White House announced that President Joe Biden could double child tax credit payments in February if the $1.75 trillion socialspending and climate change plan is enacted in January.
$3,600
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“If we get it done in January, we’ve talked to Treasury officials and others about doing double payments in February as an option,” she told the press. “The president wants to see this move forward. It’s a priority for him as soon as Congress returns.” While the administration and Democratic lawmakers want to extend the payments as part of the legislative push, the massive spending bill isn’t guaranteed to pass, as Manchin has said he can’t support the measure in its current form. In addition, many congressional Democrats have conceded that they don’t have a considerable backup plan to maintain the monthly payments prior to their expiration. Ultimately, experts say that the United States has, for many decades, refrained from offering variations of basic income similar to the CTC payments, so there are still many unknowns and uncertainties.
day care is costly. It’s no secret that the cost of child care is expensive. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the price of day care and preschool advanced by 2.7 percent year-over-year in November. Families nationwide spend an average of $8,355 per child for year-round child care, with some estimates going as high as $16,000. “Monthly child-care costs can feel like an extra mortgage payment, especially if you live in an expensive area or have more than one kid,” Ted Rossman, Bankrate’s senior industry analyst, said in a statement. Biden’s American Families Plan includes proposals to diminish child care costs. For households earning less than 1.5 times their state median income levels, they wouldn’t pay for child care. Others earning above that level would pay no more than 7 percent of their income on child care.
Child Care Costs a Financial Burden
The Latest From ‘The Great Resignation’
For many parents, it might be economically beneficial to resign from their positions, since
Employers are coming across a myriad of chalI N S I G H T Dec. 31, 2021–Jan. 6, 2022 29
In Focus Labor Shortage
lenges in this economy, and labor has been one of the chief obstacles in this market. According to the BLS, about 4.2 million Americans quit their jobs in October, bringing the total number of people leaving employment to nearly 39 million in the first 10 months of 2021. It’s an exodus that some are calling “The Great Resignation.” It’s expected that 2021 will set a record if workers leave their jobs at comparable levels in November and December. 30 I N S I G H T Dec. 31, 2021–Jan. 6, 2022
Families nationwide spend an average of $8,355 per child for year-round child care, with some estimates going as high as $16,000.
2.7
PERCENT THE PRICE OF daycare and preschool advanced by 2.7 percent year-over-year in November.
The so-called quit rate for public- and private-sector workers is high for many reasons. Many people are quitting because of concerns over contracting the coronavirus, being unable to find or afford care for their children or aging parents, or they have located employment opportunities with better compensation. Indeed, the number of job openings in the United States increased to almost 11 million in October, with the figure concentrated in education, hotels, manufacturing, and restaurants. Experts contend that the labor market pendulum has swung in the direction of the workers. As a result, companies have been raising wages, expanding their perks and benefits, and introducing a wide range of bonuses to attract talent. “As companies face labor shortages, employers are making a serious effort to recruit workers by offering signing bonuses, additional benefits, and—most importantly—higher compensation across the income distribution,” Morgan Stanley recently purported in a research note. When businesses can’t find applicants, employers are doing everything they can to retain their current staff members. This, market analysts note, is part of the reason initial jobless claims have hovered around a five-decade low.
CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT: CHANDAN KHANNA/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES, JOHANNES EISELE/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES, SHUTTERSTOCK
When businesses cannot find applicants, employers are doing everything they can to retain their current staff members.
In Focus Labor Shortage
Businesses are too frightened to terminate their employees in this environment. According to a study from the Conference Board think tank, private firms are allocating 3.9 percent of their payroll budgets to wage increases in 2022, the biggest increase since 2008. The report noted a unique trend as companies try to limit record turnover rates. Many of the salary increases will be given to present employees. Meanwhile, the Conference Board survey reported that 39 percent of businesses revealed they’re boosting wages to keep pace with surging inflation. “The rapid increase in wages and inflation are forcing businesses to make important decisions regarding their approach to salaries, recruiting, and retention,” said Conference Board chief economist Gad Levanon in the report. “In particular, companies are likely to raise wages aggressively for their current employees or they will risk even lower retention rates. After being a non-issue in wage determination for several decades, sizable cost of living adjustments may be making a comeback.” “At the same time, business leaders will have to decide how much they will pass the additional labor costs to consumers through price increases. That decision, relative to competitors’ strategies, could impact companies’ market shares.” This development could persist heading into the next calendar year. A recent CareerArc/ Harris Poll survey discovered that 23 percent of employed Americans intend to quit their jobs over the next 12 months as a considerable number desire better working conditions and want higher pay. JPMorgan Chase recently warned that this labor shortage could persist for years, citing a diverse array of factors. JPMorgan’s chief global strategist David Kelly alluded to Baby Boomers retiring, falling immigration numbers, and skills mismatch as partially to blame for the lack of workers. “All of these forces should gradually resolve the current excess demand for labor,” Kelly stated in a research note. “However, barring a recession, this process could take years.”
“Monthly child-care costs can feel like an extra mortgage payment, especially if you live in an expensive area or have more than one kid.” Ted Rossman, senior industry analyst. Bankrate
“both larger in [their] effect on inflation and more persistent.” He revealed that one of the notable factors determining a rate hike was the Employment Cost Index (ECI) that was published in October. The report discovered that hourly labor costs climbed at a “very high” pace of 5.7 percent over the past three months. Over the past 12 months, average hourly earnings have climbed by 4.8 percent to $31.03. “If you had something where real wages were persistently above productivity growth, that puts upward pressure on firms, and they raise prices,” Powell said. “We don’t see that yet. But with the kind of hot labor market readings—wages we’re seeing, it’s something that we’re watching.” “You know, usually, in every other expansion, it’s that there aren’t enough jobs and people can’t find jobs,” he said. “What we need is another long expansion, like the ones we have been having over the last 40 years.” The head of the U.S. central bank acknowledged that many Americans don’t want to return to the workforce because of medical concerns, the paucity of child care, and nobody to look after seniors. “The ratio of job openings, for example, to vacancies is at all-time highs, quits—the wages, all those things are even hotter,” he said.
For many parents, it may be economically beneficial to resign from their positions, since day care is costly.
Fed Worried About Wage Threat in 2022 This month, many experts, from Wall Street analysts to top economic policymakers, have sounded the alarm about one of the biggest threats in the economy next year: A “wages push” by workers in 2022 that could contribute to higher inflationary pressures. While he conceded his concern about 39-yearhigh inflation, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell explained that ballooning wages are I N S I G H T Dec. 31, 2021–Jan. 6, 2022 31
E DUCAT ION B AT T L E
PARENTS FIGHT TO BAN EXPLICIT BOOKS
By Cara Ding
Anger rises in Chicago over sexually explicit books in school libraries
Terry Newsome, parent
D
Newsome, a father of two high school freshmen in a Democratic-leaning Chicago suburb, was never into local school board meetings. That is, until five months ago. Newsome was busy working as an associate vice president at a global information services provider. He was also fighting two cancers, one being stage-four prostate cancer. After he survived that one, his Italian mother, a devout Catholic, said to him, “Well, son, you must be kept on this earth for something.” About seven months ago, his then eighth-grader son came home from school and told Newsome: “Dad, my teacher just told us there is no American dream. It is not there for everybody, so it is not real.” Newsome, a descendant of European immi-
32 I N S I G H T Dec. 31, 2021–Jan. 6, 2022
grants who had lived the American dream, was shocked to hear that. He called the principal and reached out to parents, which opened his eyes to what was going on at public schools. “I’m like, ‘Oh my god.’ I already heard what happened in eighth grade, but it’s going to get worse in high school.” In July, Newsome attended his first school board meeting at Downers Grove’s Community High School (District 99). He voiced his opinions on hot issues such as critical race theory and mask mandates. Soon he emerged as an unofficial spokesperson for a concerned group of mostly mothers. “The moms are so happy to have an aggressive, type-A-personality father to join them. They had mostly fought this battle alone, against the giant system of public schools,” Newsome told
FROM LEFT: CARA DING/THE EPOCH TIMES, SANDOVALS29/CC BY-SA 4.0
“I really feel that we are in a war for the future of our children in our country.”
O W N E R S G R O V E , I l l .—Terry
In Focus Explicit Books
According to Downers Grove’s Community High School board policy, any student, parent, or community member can request a reconsideration of instructional materials used in District 99.
Terry Newsome, dressed in Downers Grove South High School spirit wear, sits in the school auditorium where he spoke up last month about the book “Gender Queer,” which features explicit sex scenes, on Dec. 13, 2021.
INSIGHT. Weeks ago, Newsome and his group found themselves in a nationwide fight to ban from schools a comic book with graphic sex scenes.
‘Gender Queer’ and Cultural War The book, authored by Maia Kobabe, is called “Gender Queer: A Memoir,” which chronicles Kobabe’s journey growing up as a nonbinary, asexual person. On several pages, Kobabe drew graphic sex scenes between two people. Some captions also contain sexual messages. Kobabe was often asked during book tours about the recommended ages of readers, and the answer was almost always, “High school and above.” That is an opinion supported by School Library Journal, a premier national publican for librarians working with children and teens.
The publication puts out more than 6,000 reviews every year, and its 2019 review of Kobabe’s book reads, “A book to be savored rather than devoured, this memoir will resonate with teens.” As more and more school libraries across the country opened doors to Kobabe’s books, a growing group of parents concerned with sexual content took on a fight to ban them from their children’s places of learning. Challenging voices can be heard in New Jersey, Texas, and Ohio. Several school districts in Florida, Pennsylvania, and Alaska have banned the books at schools. At Fairfax County in Northern Virginia, the epicenter for LGBTQ students’ issues, Kobabe’s books were pulled from but soon returned to school libraries. At District 99, Kobabe’s books have also pushed more parents to step from the sidelines and join the fight, according to Christine Martin. Martin’s son was a student at Downers Grove North High School. For years, Martin showed up at one school board meeting after another, questioning changes she didn’t like. “Parents are finally stepping up to the podiI N S I G H T Dec. 31, 2021–Jan. 6, 2022 33
In Focus Explicit Books
um to tell school boards, school administration, teachers, that what you are teaching within the school is not acceptable,” Martin told INSIGHT. “It is growing bigger and bigger. It is very grassroots,” she said.
Antifa and Threat On Nov. 15, at District 99’s monthly meeting, the new school auditorium was packed with about 200 attendees, many parents holding up signs that read “No Porn.” Newsome and several parents voiced their concerns about Kobabe’s books. Both Proud Boys and Antifa members were there as well, according to parents present at the meeting. Antifa is a far-left, anarcho-communist network of people with a history of violence. Antifa members took pictures of parents speaking out and posted them on their social media accounts. One father, Jim DeVitt, received a threatening phone call from an unknown person days after. That made Newsome’s wife very worried. She asked him: “Why do you have to do this? You’re putting us at risk.” Newsome replied, “I really feel that we’re in a war for the future of our children in our country.” She then asked, “Why you?” Newsome said: “If everybody in America says, ‘Why me?’ we’re not going to have an America anymore. “Think about those 18-year-olds that joined the military and fought for America. They came back in a wheelchair with no arms and legs, or they died. Well, why them?” A week after the board meeting, Newsome and another parent sat down with school librarians and principals to discuss Kobabe’s books.
“Parents are finally stepping up to the podium to tell school boards, school administration, teachers, that what you are teaching within the school is not acceptable.” Christine Martin, parent
A Sit Down With Principals
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Parents, concerned about their children being exposed to explicit sexual content, have increasingly challenged school libriaries for adding books like Mia Kobabe’s “Gender Queer: A Memoir” to their bookshelves.
ALL PHOTOS BY CARA DING/THE EPOCH TIMES
According to the school board policy, any student, parent, or community member could request a reconsideration of instructional materials used in District 99. On Newsome’s request form, in the section of reasons for objection, he wrote: “The book is child pornography. See photos. If any child sees this book, the result would be giving them access to child pornography.” That was exactly what Newsome told library administrators and principals at the meeting. Newsome said he wasn’t against books that depict teenagers who identify with uncommon gender identities. He said he just wasn’t comfortable with the sexual scenes in the books. When Kim Pakowski, the library chairperson at District 99’s Downers Grove South High
School, told Newsome she had no formal definition of child pornography, Newsome showed her a printout of a Merriam-Wester definition he had prepared, according to the official meeting minutes obtained by INSIGHT. Pakowski then focused on the intention of the author. She said the intent of pornography was to provide sexual excitement, but this book’s intent was different—it was to show the author’s unique experiences and journey. She said she had recommended adding “Fifty Shades of Grey” to bookshelves. Later, she decided not to, because of the author’s sexual intention. “Fifty Shades of Grey” landed three times on the American Library Association’s annual top 10 list of most banned and challenged books, because of sexually explicit content. At District 99’s two high schools, librarians make the decisions on book selections. After the meeting, both high school principals, Courtney DeMent and Edward Schwartz, announced their decision to Newsome through email: We agree “Gender Queer” should remain at our libraries. The book spoke to a unique group of students and had received positive reviews from authoritative organizations, the email read. The graphics also helped reluctant readers to find joy in reading, they added, according to an email obtained by INSIGHT.
In Focus Explicit Books
Noel Manley arrived early at District 99’s December school board meeting to make sure he got a chance to speak, on Dec. 13, 2021. Community High School District 99’s last school board meeting for 2021, on Dec. 13, 2021.
“Students have the choice to check this book out or not; those who do, and find it distasteful, can return it and [hopefully] select another book to read,” they wrote. On Dec. 1, Newsome raised the issue with District 99 Superintendent Hank Thiele. Thiele told Newsome that librarians shouldn’t be expected to comment on the legal definition of pornography; that was a lawyer’s job, according to an email obtained by INSIGHT. Thiele spoke with school board attorneys, who wrote in an email that the books weren’t pornography.
Keep Beating the Drum After the heated November board meeting, District 99 administrators moved the December meeting from the new spacious stadium to a small community room in an old administrative building. Only 20 people were allowed to attend. Two Downers Grove police officers and one school security guard were assigned to be present at the board meeting. On Dec. 13, the day of the meeting, Noel Manley, a parent who has been active in local school board meetings for 10 years, arrived an hour and a half early to make sure he got a chance to hold the microphone. This would be District 99’s last school board meeting of the year, and Manley wanted to use
Only 20 people were allowed to attend. Two Downers Grove police officers and one school security guard were assigned to be present at the board meeting. the three minutes given to each public commenter to summarize issues of the year, including that of Kobabe’s books. Manley didn’t think District 99 administrators would take Kobabe’s books off the shelves, but the issue could rally parents to support like-minded candidates in upcoming school board races, Manley told INSIGHT. “You have to constantly beat the drum to get people to vote on these issues,” Manley said. As for Newsome, he didn’t attend the December meeting at all. He went to an event supporting local congressional candidate Rob Cruz, who runs on an education agenda that speaks to Newsome. “Am I going to make a difference? Maybe yes, maybe not,” he said. “But I’ve got to at least try. I cannot go on and think that I didn’t even try to help my children’s future.” I N S I G H T Dec. 31, 2021–Jan. 6, 2022 35
Two Chinese doctors perform surgery in Chongqing, China, on Aug. 9, 2013. In one account, a patient received a matching liver and kidney for transplant surgeries within only a month in Tianjin City, according to NTD. PHOTOS BY PETER PARKS/AFP/GETTY IMAGES
OR GA N H A RV E ST ING
NOT-FROMCHINA PLEDGE
36 I N S I G H T Dec. 31, 2021–Jan. 6, 2022
China Human Rights
By Peta Evans
SCREENSHOT VIA SOHU.COM
Murder-for-organs evidence leads coalition director to launch pledge N AUST R A LI A N E DUCATION professional who was in disbelief after coming across a petition table about people being killed for their organs by the Chinese regime set out to verify the claims for herself. After studying all available evidence, she not only discovered that it was true, but that state-sanctioned forced organ harvesting was a billion-dollar industry. Since then, she’s worked tirelessly to bring an end to the organ pillaging, including forming a coalition of experts and advocates, helping to initiate a people’s tribunal, and now, leading the launch of the “#NotFromChina Pledge,” which calls on the world’s people to take a solemn vow to “never receive an organ transplant from China.” Moved by the gravity of the issue, former school teacher and College of Teachers Chair Susie Hughes, who resides on the east coast of Australia with her husband, left her career in the education sector and co-founded the International Coalition to End Transplant Abuse in China (ETAC) in 2016—a coalition of lawyers, academics, ethicists, medical professionals, researchers, and human rights advocates dedicated to ending forced organ harvesting in China. As the coalition’s executive director, Hughes coordinates more than 75 volunteers and has grown the organization into a well-respected, high-profile international presence. In 2018, Hughes led efforts to initiate the China Tribunal—a London-based independent people’s tribunal—which conducted a rigorous examination of murder-for-organs evidence, including more than 50 witness testimonies. The tribunal
released its final judgment in March 2020, stating that its investigations had led to the tribunal’s “unavoidable final conclusion that forced organ harvesting has been committed for years throughout China on a significant scale,” and that prisoners of conscience were the primary source of the organs. Most recently, Hughes led ETAC’s Dec. 4 launch of the #NotFromChina Pledge, a campaign co-sponsored by China Aid and the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation (VOC) that gives every individual who cares about the issue an opportunity to help stop any further killing of people for their organs by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). “Don’t trust the CCP,” Hughes told INSIGHT. “Sometimes people overlook the crimes the
Doctors carry fresh organs for transplant at a hospital in Henan Province, China, on Aug. 16, 2012.
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China Human Rights
Chinese Communist Party is perpetrating against the Chinese people, and others around the world, because of business interests, or wanting to access something that China has to offer. But none of that is worth turning a blind eye to an atrocity as bad as this. Take the #NotFromChina pledge to help end the murder for organs in China.” Hughes shared that ETAC is currently partnering with VOC to support the Stop Forced Organ Harvesting Act in the United States, legislation that would authorize the U.S. government to deny or revoke passports for people who engage in the illegal purchase of organs and to punish perpetrators through effective sanctions. “They’ve been amazing and a real inspiration,” she said, adding that other partners include World Without Genocide, the Raoul Wallenberg Centre for Human Rights, Freedom United, Families of the Missing, Stop Uyghur Genocide, the Falun Dafa Information Center, Justice for All, and more. “I’m really thankful for this, and we certainly wouldn’t be able to achieve as much without their support,” she said. “Uniting with others is really key in raising awareness and fighting against forced organ harvesting in China.”
‘My First Reaction Was Disbelief’
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issue of forced live organ harvesting from Chinese prisoners of conscience, and the response—or lack of it—around the world.
A Coalition Is Formed Hughes said that, after seeing the documentary, a group of lawyers, academics, ethicists, researchers, medical professionals, and human rights advocates began meeting regularly in Sydney. The meetings were chaired by Hughes and involved discussions about potential legislation and out-
Susie Hughes (back row, 2nd L) with participants of “The Coalition Rountable,” including the expert panel (front row, L–R) David Kilgour, Chris Chappell, Anastasia Lin, David Matas, Ethan Gutmann, and Matthew Robertson, in Stockholm in October 2016.
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: COURTESY OF NORMANN BJORVAND, SAMIRA BOUAOU/THE EPOCH TIMES, COURTESY OF ETAC
Hughes first came across the issue of forced organ harvesting when visiting a coastal town near Noosa Heads in Australia, but found the information just too hard to believe. “There was a petition table in the park near the beach. When I read the petition, which was about people being killed in China for their organs, I was shocked,” Hughes said. “My first reaction was disbelief—surely this couldn’t be happening. I then proceeded to read all that was available on the issue.” Hughes read through an independent investigative report co-authored by international human rights lawyer David Matas and former Canadian Secretary of State David Kilgour in 2006, which later became the book “Bloody Harvest.” The evidence presented was enough for her to finally believe the allegations. “I came to the realization that it was true,” Hughes said. “My next thought was: ‘Why don’t people know about this? And why aren’t the major human rights organizations doing anything about it?’” After watching the 2015 documentary “Hard to Believe,” which Hughes says is “an apt name” considering the process she had been through herself, she approached the producer and offered to coordinate the Australian premiere of the film, which carried the tagline “How doctors became murderers, and how we turned a blind eye.” According to the synopsis, the film examines the
Photo taken during “The Coalition Rountable” filming week in Stockholm, Sweden, in October 2016. Back Row: Susie Hughes (2ndL), her husband, Luke Hughes (3rd-L), Normann Bjorvand (5thL); Front Row: The Coalition Roundtable expert panel, (L–R) David Kilgour, Chris Chappell, Anastasia Lin, David Matas, Ethan Gutmann, Matthew Robertson.
China Human Rights
With the intent to join forces, Hughes took the opportunity to travel to Stockholm during the roundtable filming and approach the four of them about collaborating on co-founding an international NGO dedicated to ending forced organ harvesting in China, to which they all agreed. Taking the lead, Hughes registered ETAC in
“Sometimes, people overlook the crimes the Chinese Communist Party are perpetrating ... because of business interests, or wanting to access something that China has to offer.” Susie Hughes, executive director, ETAC
Susie Hughes, executive director and cofounder of ETAC, speaks at the policy forum on organ procurement and extrajudicial execution in China, on Capitol Hill in Washington on March 10, 2020.
reach activities that would bring more awareness of the issue to the public and to policymakers. Meanwhile, Ethan Gutmann, author of the 2014 book “The Slaughter,” co-authored a 2016 update to the report with Matas and Kilgour titled “Bloody Harvest/The Slaughter.” The three were then invited to participate in “The Coalition Roundtable” mini-series in Stockholm, Sweden, in October 2016, which was organized by film director and producer Normann Bjorvand to bring the work of the authors to a wider audience.
Australia in 2017 as an independent nonprofit organization and has dedicated herself to its mission ever since. As ETAC’s co-founder and executive director, she’s spent the past four to five years liaising with key stakeholders—ambassadors, government, legal and medical professionals, victim communities, and other nongovernment organizations—in the United States, the UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Europe, Korea, and Japan, organizing and hosting various advocacy and community education initiatives, events, and programs globally to bring greater scrutiny and awareness of transplant abuses in China. She said she’s received “incredible support.” “My colleagues at ETAC are really incredible people,” Hughes said. “A number of them have been with the organization since its inception and give an extraordinary amount of time to ETAC’s work pro bono. “I’m very fortunate to have a husband who is always there to support and who helps ETAC’s activities in a number of different ways. My friends and family are also very supportive and have shown a lot of interest in the issue. “We also now have a great network of supI N S I G H T Dec. 31, 2021–Jan. 6, 2022 39
China Human Rights
portive organizations that we partner with on different campaigns and events. It’s really fantastic to work with so many motivated and experienced people from these organizations, and it’s made the world of difference to the issue.”
The China Tribunal One of the most important initiatives by Hughes during her work at ETAC to date has been the 2018 formation of the China Tribunal—an independent people’s tribunal to inquire into forced organ harvesting in China. According to the tribunal’s website, people’s tribunals have been used before by citizens to investigate a range of human rights abuses, and they typically deal with grave crimes committed during events of mass suffering and killings that official international organizations are unwilling, unable, or too fearful to investigate. Although multiple reports from credible sources since 2006 had demonstrated evidence of forced organ harvesting, Hughes found that
that a people’s tribunal be formed, of which he would be willing to act as chair,” Hughes said. However, there needed to be a separation between ETAC and the tribunal for it to be truly independent; thus, ETAC was at no stage privy to the tribunal’s deliberations, Hughes said, and counsel to the tribunal Hamid Sabi acted as a shield between ETAC and the tribunal. “Specifically, the tribunal’s mandate was to hear and assess evidence to determine whether forced organ harvesting is occurring in China, and if so, what, if any, international crimes have been
“Doctors killed those innocent people simply because they pursued truthfulness, compassion, and forbearance, in the case of Falun Gong practitioners.” Sir Geoffrey Nice QC, chair, China Tribunal Final Judgment
40 I N S I G H T Dec. 31, 2021–Jan. 6, 2022
committed,” she said. The tribunal’s first public hearings took place in central London at the De Vere Grand Connaught Rooms from Dec. 8 to 10, 2018, where it heard evidence from 30 fact witnesses, investigators, and experts. The tribunal issued an interim judgment at the conclusion of the third day of hearings on Dec. 10, which coincided with Human Rights Day and the 70th anniversary of the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The final judgment was released at an event in London in June 2019 after the second public hearings of 24 more testimonies took place from April 6 to 7, 2019, with the full judgment being released in book form in March 2020. The tribunal’s final judgment was that the
Sir Geoffrey Nice QC, chair of the China Tribunal, deliver’s the tribunal’s judgment in London on June 17, 2019.
FROM LEFT: JUSTIN PALMER, SIMON GROSS/THE EPOCH TIMES
“controversy persisted,” and governments and organizations weren’t undertaking investigations. “This has been partly due to the readiness of some governments and international transplant organizations to accept the Chinese government’s ‘reform’ narrative, despite a continued lack of transparency that breaches the international standards promoted by these same organizations,” Hughes said. Therefore, to progress the debate about whether China has been killing innocent people for their organs, ETAC decided to approach distinguished barrister and expert in crimes of mass atrocity Sir Geoffrey Nice QC for an independent legal opinion. Nice had previously led the prosecution of former Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic during his work at the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, a United Nations court of law that dealt with war crimes. “In response, Sir Geoffrey Nice recommended
China Human Rights
“commission of crimes against humanity against the Falun Gong and Uyghurs has been proved beyond reasonable doubt.” It concluded that “forced organ harvesting has been committed for years throughout China on a significant scale and that Falun Gong practitioners have been one—and probably the main—source of organ supply,” and that “the concerted persecution and medical testing of the Uyghurs is more recent” and that “evidence of forced organ harvesting of this group may emerge in due course.” Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa, is a
Judgment event, “and lived lives of healthy exercise and meditation—that was seen as dangerous to the interests and objectives of the totalitarian state of the People’s Republic of China.” Hughes traveled to London for the China Tribunal proceedings, where she managed the logistics and gave a press briefing. “The testimonies from the Falun Gong practitioners and Uyghurs who have been detained in China really impacted me,” she said of the tribunal. “I couldn’t say one more than another—they all detailed experiences that most people would
spiritual discipline with meditative exercises and moral teachings based on the principles of truthfulness, compassion, and tolerance. In July 1999, the CCP launched a nationwide persecution campaign to round up adherents and throw them into prisons, labor camps, brainwashing centers, and psychiatric wards in an effort to force them into renouncing their faith. It was in 2006 that allegations of forced organ harvesting from Falun Gong adherents in detention first emerged, which prompted Matas and Kilgour’s joint investigations soon after. “Doctors killed those innocent people simply because they pursued truthfulness, compassion, and forbearance, in the case of Falun Gong practitioners,” Nice said at the China Tribunal Final
not even be able to imagine. “Even though I know this issue so well, and I know the details of what happens—the torture people are subjected to; the inhumane conditions they are forced to live in; the tiny, overcrowded cells; and the forced organ scans—seeing the witnesses recall these memories during the China Tribunal hearings and seeing the pain they endured made it very real. “It’s beyond what most of us could ever imagine. The injustice is tremendous. The China Tribunal was a step toward justice for these people, which, at the same time, was really very heartening.” Hughes said that seeing the evidentiary picture come together was “incredible” and that the tribunal’s judgment attracted “a huge
(L-R) David Kilgour, David Matas, and Ethan Gutmann, authors of “Bloody Harvest/The Slaughter: An Update.”
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VOLUNTEERS
As ETAC’s executive director, Hughes coordinates more than 75 volunteers and has grown the organization into a high-profile international presence.
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The China Tribunal Final Judgment event at the Grand Connaught Rooms in London on June 17, 2019.
amount” of media coverage at the time, “which was fantastic.” “The China Tribunal’s judgment made it very clear that the multiple lines of evidence presented revealed a picture of systematic, institutionalized, and intentional organ harvesting from innocent people, and of course, that it amounted to crimes against humanity,” she said. “There was no longer any question that these crimes were being perpetrated by the Chinese state.” Since the tribunal’s judgment was handed down in June 2019, Hughes has spoken about the findings at several events around the world, including at a side event at the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva in September 2019; at the World Uyghur Congress Conference in Brussels in December 2019; and at the policy forum on organ procurement and extrajudicial execution in China on Capitol Hill in Washington in March 2020, which was a VOC event co-sponsored by ETAC.
a ‘crop’ of body parts to be harvested.” The #NotFromChina Pledge is a personal commitment not to receive an organ transplant from China should one become ill. The pledge can be taken on the ETAC website, and a personalized “I took the pledge” card can be chosen to share on social media. Taking the pledge, Hughes said, is a way to demonstrate that this issue matters to you. “It helps mobilize a global movement to expose this abuse,” she said. “We hope that people from all walks of life will take the pledge and that together we can generate enough interest for this issue to receive the global attention that it deserves. “Stand on the side of justice and freedom, and speak to others about what is going on. Break the silence, support the oppressed, and have hope.”
Dr. David McGiffin, professor of cardiothoracic surgery and yransplantation at Monash University in Australia, took the #NotFromChina Pledge. Wendy Rogers, professor of clinical ethics at Macquarie University in Australia and chair of ETAC’s Advisory Committee, took the #NotFromChina Pledge.
‘Take the Pledge’
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THIS PAGE: ALL PHOTOS COURTESY OF ETAC
Though black-market organ trafficking does happen outside of China, Hughes said that state-sanctioned forced organ harvesting is an atrocity unique to the Chinese regime. “Atrocities that aren’t addressed worsen,” she said. “While the carrying out of these horrendous acts is most certainly a crime against the individuals who are killed and their families, it’s also an attack on the sanctity of human life, and a crime against all of humanity. “It is our responsibility as global citizens to do all that we can to stop it. Not only to fulfill our human duty to help others, but also so we don’t head toward a future where forced organ harvesting becomes normalized and spreads to other regions. A situation where certain citizens, good people who are deemed enemies of the state, are held captive as a commodity—nothing more than
P OL I T IC S • E C ONOM Y • OPI N ION T H AT M AT T E R S
Perspectives
Issue. 12
Gasoline prices at above $6 at a gas station in downtown Los Angeles on Dec.10, 2021. The U.S. annual inflation rate has surged to its highest level since 1982, coming in at 6.8 percent in November. PHOTO BY FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES
Dispelling Myths About Inflation Inflation isn’t caused by companies making more profits; it’s a tax on the poor that destroys the purchasing power of currency as a consequence of so-called expansionary monetary policy. 48
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SELLING AMERICA SHORT 44
US–CHINA CAPITAL CONTROLS 45
FED CHAIRMAN POWELL CANNOT AVOID RISK 46
GREENING THE FINANCIAL SYSTEMY 47
I N S I G H T Dec. 31, 2021–Jan. 6, 2022 43
THOMAS MCARDLE was a White House speechwriter for President George W. Bush and writes for IssuesInsights.com.
Thomas McArdle
Selling America Short
One of the most famous and gifted capitalists is helping Beijing overtake US
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nvision a country in which “the state runs capitalism to serve the interests of most people” and our politicians won’t let “rich capitalists stand in the way of doing what they believe is best for the most people of the country.” That sounds a lot like Sen. Bernie Sanders or Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez describing their far-left ideal for America. It’s not that far removed from the Marxist maxim that predates Karl Marx himself of “from each according to his ability, to each according to his needs,” and it goes completely against the free-market principles that drive successful investors and entrepreneurs in the Land of the Free, right? Except that this observation was written earlier this year by the multi-billionaire founder of the world’s largest hedge fund, Ray Dalio, co-chairman of Bridgewater Associates based in Westport, Connecticut. And the state-run capitalism to which he referred is that of communist China, which Dalio is more bullish on than anybody. Dalio’s drive and talents are legendary, and his life story of launching Bridgewater out of his two-bedroom apartment in New York City two years after graduating Harvard Business School nearly a half-century ago is the stuff of the American Dream. But recently on CNBC, far from celebrating America, Dalio was all moral equivalency as he analogized Beijing’s persecution and torture of its own people with “our own human rights issues” in the United States. He asked rhetorically, “Should I not invest in the United States?” on the basis of human rights. “What they have is an autocratic system,” Dalio said of Beijing’s rule, “and one of the leaders described it, he said that the United States is a country of individuals and individualism,” while “in China, it’s an extension of the family” and the internal abuses of the Chinese
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government that disturb Americans are comparable to the discipline of “a strict parent,” according to the Chinese governmental official Dalio was quoting. Dalio’s remarks come after Bridgewater raised $1.25 billion for its largest China fund yet. Since 2018, Bridgewater has had its own active subsidiary based in Shanghai; the firm’s only offices, other than its Connecticut base, are located in mainland China.
Dalio’s remarks come after Bridgewater raised $1.25 billion for its largest China fund yet. Worse still, The Wall Street Journal discovered that Dalio’s new fund is actually “a trust product overseen by state-owned China Resources Trust.” To say that Dalio is a confirmed Sinophile would be a gross understatement. He has visited mainland China many dozens of times, studied Chinese culture, and modeled some of Bridgewater’s business culture after practices encouraged by Mao Zedong during China’s Cultural Revolution, according to current and former employees. Dalio has spoken to the annual China Development Forum, which requires a six-figure donation to the Beijing government to attend, founded the “Beijing Dalio Public Welfare Foundation,” whose mission is “to contribute to a harmonious society,” and there is an auditorium named after him within Beijing’s historic Tsinghua University. Dalio’s deep knowledge and familiarity with the Chinese have paid off big. Bridgewater’s China subsidiary has delivered a dazzling 19 percent average annual return over its three years of operation, exceeding the 16.3 percent of mainland China’s CSI 300 index over the same period.
But those mounds of cash are soaked in the blood of many thousands of China’s own people. The Muslim-dominated far-west region of Xinjiang, after riots in its capital city, Urumqi, in 2009, has been subject to a mass persecution and incarceration without trial of its ethnic Uyghurs. The Uyghurs, however, are only the most recent victims of communist Chinese persecution in the 21st century. Blind lawyer and activist Chen Guangcheng, for instance, was incarcerated for years and beaten for engineering a class-action lawsuit on behalf of victims of Beijing’s infamous one-child policy. The regime has reneged on its promised “one country, two systems” approach to Hong Kong, clamping down on political freedoms in the former British colony, and Beijing’s air forces have been intimidating Taiwan. Nearly 20 years ago during a visit to Beijing, President George W. Bush was brimming with optimism as he spoke at Tsinghua University and said: “We see a China that is becoming one of the most dynamic and creative societies in the world. ... China is on a rising path, and America welcomes the emergence of a strong and peaceful and prosperous China.” As the Trump administration recognized, America was all in on a fallacy that was accepted by most in the free world: that free-market freedoms and U.S. support for China’s rise would wean it toward political liberty and away from its expansionist designs. It took a long time for the world to wake up to the reality that the CCP has for decades been using an aggressively lawless form of capitalism to spread the global reach of its tyranny. For one of America’s most famous and gifted capitalists to help Beijing overtake and subjugate America will go down as one of the strangest cases of short selling in history.
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
US–China Capital Controls
More PRC companies predicted to delist in US by 2024
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he rising competition between the United States and China is creating so much tension on Wall Street that Chinese companies listed in the United States are starting to retreat to Shanghai and Hong Kong rather than surrender their data to U.S. regulators. In early 2021, the New York Stock Exchange delisted China Telecom, China Mobile, and China Unicom in compliance with a U.S. executive order that banned U.S. investment in Chinese military-linked firms. But some Chinese companies are leaving the United States, or not listing in America, at the direction of the regime in Beijing. The latter hopes to keep its corporate data secret from U.S. regulators and investors, and, in the long term, to move finance to Shanghai and Hong Kong, where the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has more control, from New York, London, and Tokyo. The process is already well underway. A Dec. 15 report noted that David Loevinger of the TCW Group predicts that most Chinese companies listed in the United States will delist and “gravitate back to Hong Kong or Shanghai” by 2024. Alibaba, JD.com, Baidu, NetEase, and Weibo have already dual-listed in Hong Kong. “I think for a lot of Chinese companies listed in U.S. markets, it’s essentially game over,” Loevinger told CNBC. “This is an issue that’s been hanging out there for 20 years.” Didi, the Chinese ride-hailing company, went public in New York for $4.4 billion in June, and within six months announced plans to delist and move to Hong Kong. Company shares dropped precipitously. Didi supposedly did so due to pressure from Chinese regulators over concerns about U.S. access to Didi’s data, including personal information about Didi customers in China.
But, in the process, it got away with what should be considered highway robbery. Loevinger said: “I just don’t think China’s government is going to allow U.S. regulators to have unfettered access to internal auditing documents of Chinese companies. And if U.S. regulators can’t get access to those documents, then they can’t protect U.S. markets from fraud.”
Captured capital will deprive the United States of taxes, revenues, and investors, who will in turn become increasingly beholden to Beijing. The moves could have a positive effect—due to stricter U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) requirements and a new cautionary signal to investors—of protecting them against Chinese companies that refuse to reveal the financial data that all other companies are required to disclose according to SEC reporting requirements. Chinese company removals to China would discourage U.S. and other investors from capitalizing Chinese companies that will empower a country that is self-admittedly seeking to expand its dictatorial powers into one of global hegemony. But the danger is that some U.S. and international investors will follow Chinese companies, and their outsized and possibly Ponzi-ish returns, to Hong Kong and Beijing. The response of The New York Times to the Didi delisting was that “American investors will still have little trouble handing over their money to Chinese companies, but it will have to be on China’s terms.” Once investments are in China-list-
ed shares, the CCP could more easily capture them through capital controls such as reinvestment requirements that ensure that profits aren’t repatriated outside of China. The transparency risk for investors in China will stay high, since Chinese companies will continue to not disclose their financial details. And the authority of the U.S. government—in particular the SEC—will be undermined because Beijing will have again successfully refused to play by the rules. Captured capital will deprive the United States and allies of taxes, revenues, and investors, who will in turn become increasingly beholden—politically as well as economically—to Beijing. These investors will then be useful conduits for political influence in Washington, Brussels, and Tokyo in the service of CCP interests globally. The question that arises—due to American and allied investors who, true to type, are chasing returns in China with little if any regard for their national security implications—is whether laws should be strengthened against investing in adversaries such as China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea. The question also arises as to what should be done about the approximately $2.3 trillion in institutional and state pension fund investments in China. Is it possible to require investors to liquidate these positions and invest elsewhere? Will Beijing make this impossible through capital controls? If so, can U.S. and allied courts make investors whole by attaching Chinese assets internationally? These are all policy questions that the United States and allies must take more seriously. The longer we wait, the more we invest in communist China, increasingly to the point where it becomes too big to fail. At that point, America—and with it, democracy globally—will have lost. I N S I G H T Dec. 31, 2021–Jan. 6, 2022 45
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
Fed Chairman Powell Cannot Avoid Risk Safe policy choices will only last a few more months
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he feder al reserve will soon face a very delicate policy balancing act. At last, Fed Chairman Jerome Powell has given up on the “inflation is transitory” claim. Policymakers accordingly have acted. They plan in the coming months to taper down the size of direct bond purchases, what the Fed calls “quantitative easing.” They also contemplate three small interest rate increases. That should be sufficient if the whole cause of inflation is supply chain problems. If, however, the inflation has more fundamental roots, more aggressive steps sooner will be necessary. The Fed, clearly, sits on the horns of a dilemma. The recent policy change was easy. With the economy clearly recovering, the special monetary support instituted in 2020 is no longer necessary. Policy has made just such adjustments in the past. For instance, the approach to recovery from the great recession of 2008–09 prompted the Fed to “normalize” policy, to use its word—taper its quantitative easing program and gradually raise interest rates from near zero. That “normalization” continued in small steps until 2019. Rerunning this strategy now would be entirely appropriate even if inflation was not a concern. But such easy policy choices will end quickly. By spring at the latest, policymakers will have to decide whether inflationary pressures are more fundamental and lasting. In such a case, they will need to act much more aggressively or run the risk that the inflation will embed itself into people’s expectations—raising wage demands in anticipation of a rising cost of living, creating aggressive pricing policies among businesses, inducing stockpiling to
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get ahead of expected cost increases, and the like. Should this happen, inflation will acquire a self-sustaining momentum that will do considerable economic damage and take a long effort to reverse. But Fed decision-makers also know that if they move too aggressively and inflation really is just a matter of supply chain problems, they run the risk of precipitating recession to little purpose. There is no middle way. Powell and his Fed colleagues will have to decide—and before there are any assurances.
If the price pressures are only a supply chain matter, the Fed needs to go slowly and with restraint, or else it risks a recession. There’s weight on both sides of this dilemma. Supply chain problems have surely contributed to inflation. Reinforcing the idea that price pressures reflect this acute but transitory matter is how suddenly they have developed in an economy that for a long time has been all but inflation-free. But the chairman and his team are also aware of greater inflationary potentials. They can see the huge government deficits that have persisted for years and a flood of Fed-created liquidity that has accompanied them. During this time, the Fed has kept interest rates inordinately low and bought bonds freely, more than $3 trillion in new Treasury issues in just the past 12 to 18 months. Economic theory and history warn that this behavior
is inflationary. Policymakers also know that wage costs in China, and elsewhere in Asia, are rising and taking from the economy the flows of inexpensive imports that have helped check inflation in past years. As indicated, huge risks lie in mistaking the cause of inflation. If the price pressures are only a supply chain matter, the Fed needs to go slowly and with restraint, or else it risks a recession. But if inflation has deeper, more fundamental roots, too gradualist a policy risks allowing the inflation to embed itself in people’s thinking and practice, causing lasting economic harm. Since it’s highly doubtful that policymakers will receive any assurances before they need to act, they should now set two clear standards. First, they must decide what information will convince them whether inflation is, or is not, fundamental. Second, they must decide, among themselves if not publicly, what policy they will follow once they’ve made that judgment, and in the absence of assurances, it will be a judgment call. No plan ever works perfectly, but setting such standards is the only way policymakers can resist an emotionalism on one hand that might lead to panic and too much restraint, and wishful thinking on the other that might induce delay and allow a fundamental inflation to take hold of people’s expectations and practices. To be sure, there will be room for mid-course corrections. There always are. But still, Powell and his team are rapidly running out of maneuvering room. They will need to make a risky judgment call. Contemplating this dilemma, Powell no doubt wonders why he ever sought reappointment.
EMEL AKAN is a senior reporter for The Epoch Times in Washington, D.C. Previously she worked in the financial sector as an investment banker at JPMorgan.
Emel Akan
Greening the Financial System Is climate change a real threat to the US banking sector?
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he federal reserve, soon after the November 2020 presidential election, declared climate change a potential threat to the U.S. financial system, joining a club of central banks that seek to “mobilize” more capital for green energy. The Biden administration and top Fed officials announced their plans to introduce regulations to address climate-related financial risks, saying they believe banks are vulnerable to the effects of wildfires, hurricanes, floods, and droughts. But a staff study by the New York Federal Reserve Bank shows that climate has almost no impact on banks. The paper published in November analyzes risks posed by severe weather conditions to the nation’s banks and financial system. The title of the report asks, “How Bad Are Weather Disasters for Banks?” “Not very,” say the authors of the report in the first sentence of the abstract. “We find that weather disasters over the last quarter-century had insignificant or small effects on U.S. banks’ performance,” three economists wrote, crushing the arguments made by activist investors, bankers, and politicians. The researchers studied thousands of FEMA-level disasters from 1995 to 2018. They looked at all weather events that were destructive enough for a governor to formally request federal aid from the president. They also collected bank data over the same period to see how large and small banks fared against these disasters. “Disasters increase loan demand, which offsets losses and actually boosts profits at larger banks,” the researchers wrote. “Local banks tend to avoid mortgage lending where floods are more common than official flood maps would predict, suggesting that local knowledge may also mitigate disaster impacts.”
Critics argue that using financial supervision as a back door to achieve climate policy objectives is against the central bank’s policy of independence. Regulators around the world are racing to implement models to measure the financial risk arising from climate change. Central banks including the Fed seek to implement climate stress tests of banks. But the staff report goes against the narrative that climate crisis is a systemic risk for financial stability. “This is a courageous paper to write, and to write so clearly,” said John Cochrane, an economist at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University, who has been a strong critic of plans to include the Fed in a global push to cut emissions. “The fantasy of ‘climate risks to the financial system’ is passed around and around in order to justify using financial regulation to implement this Administration’s climate policies,” he wrote in a recent blog. Critics argue that using financial supervision as a back door to achieve
climate policy objectives is against the central bank’s policy of independence. They say that the administration and the regulators seek to politicize access to capital by choking off bank financing for sectors they disapprove of, such as coal, oil, and gas. Hence, the real risk to banks and the financial system comes from the climate policies, not climate change, they argue. “Documenting that this particular emperor has no clothes takes great courage,” Cochrane says. Some investors, bankers, and policymakers, however, believe that the relationship between the financial sector and the climate crisis is often overlooked. “Climate change is an emerging and increasing threat to America’s financial system that requires action,” Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said recently. In its annual report to Congress this year, the Financial Stability Oversight Council, a group of financial regulators led by Yellen, identified climate change as a “priority” for addressing threats to U.S. financial stability for the first time. The regulators group financial risks facing banks into two broad categories: physical risks and transition risks. Physical risks refer to costs that arise from extreme weather events. Transition risks are the ones that arise from policy changes in the process of moving toward a low-carbon economy. However, developing scenario analysis tools to model climate-related financial risks is still in its infancy. There’s a lack of consensus among experts around the world on how to develop these tools. And, as the New York Fed study shows, there isn’t enough data to support the arguments that climate change hurts bank profits. Hence, the study may be revealing an internal fight among policymakers as to whether the U.S. central bank should get into the business of addressing climate change. I N S I G H T Dec. 31, 2021–Jan. 6, 2022 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
The Myth of Cost-Push Inflation
The monetary factor is key to understanding the continued rise in prices
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en. elizabeth warren (D-Mass.) recently stated that rising prices were due to corporations increasing their profits: “This isn’t about inflation. This is about price gouging for these guys.” That's simply incorrect. No, corporations haven’t doubled their profits, and rising prices aren’t due to the evil doings of businesses. If evil corporations are to blame for rising prices in 2021, as Warren says, I imagine they were magnanimous and generous before, right? Inflation is a tax on the poor. It destroys the purchasing power of wages and engulfs the little savings that workers accumulate. The rich can protect themselves by investing in real assets, real estate, and financial assets; the poor cannot. Inflation isn’t a coincidence; it’s a policy. The monetary factor is key to understanding the continued rise in almost all prices at the same time—an enormous monetary stimulus destined in its entirety to fund massive current spending plans, infrastructure, construction and remodeling, energy-intensive sectors, and checks to families financed with debt monetized by the central banks. To this we must add the effects of the shutdown of a just-in-time economy during the pandemic, which generates some bottlenecks exacerbated by massive money supply growth. Much of what they sell us as “supply chain disruption” or input cost effects is nothing more than more money directed at relatively scarce assets— more amounts of currency directed toward the same number of goods. Professor John B. Hearn explains it: “Stephanie Kelton, a prominent advocate of MMT [Modern Monetary Theory], stated that ‘all inflations for the last 100 years are cost push inflations.’ Both MMT and Keynesians require an expla-
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Much of what they sell us as ‘supply chain disruption’ or input cost effects is nothing more than more money directed at relatively scarce assets. nation of inflation, for their theories to progress, that can explain how inflation occurs when there is deficient aggregate demand in the economy. “As much as we want to believe that oil prices, energy prices, wage rises and falling currency values can cause inflation it is just not logical. By definition all inflations are defined by more units of money used in the same number of transactions. All of the above can change relative prices, but none of them can increase the number of units of money in the economy. There is therefore only one cause of inflation and that is the action of a Central Bank who, in a modern economy, manage the stock and flow of money in that economy.” When they try to convince us that inflation doesn’t have a monetary cause, they make us look at a good or service that has risen, for example, by 50 percent temporarily, but they hide from us that the median of essential
goods and services rises more than the consumer price index (CPI) every year. That’s why Keynesian economists always talk about the annual CPI and not the accumulated one. Dallas S. Batten, in an article published by the St. Louis Federal Reserve, explains: “The cost-push argument views inflation as the result of continually rising costs of production—costs that rise unilaterally, independent of market forces. ... The idea that greedy businesses and/or labor unions can cause a continual rise in prices cannot be supported by either the conceptual development or the empirical evidence provided. Alternatively, the hypothesis that inflation is caused by excessive money growth is well supported.” Inflation was unleashed when the credit demand brake mechanism was partially eliminated, directing new money supply to direct current spending by governments and financing subsidies to economic agents in the midst of a forced shutdown of the economy. Money supply far exceeds demand for the first time in years. According to Morgan Stanley, the biggest impact on companies is the collapse in margins of those who can’t pass on the increase in costs to their prices, and this especially affects small and medium-sized enterprises, while large companies can manage inflation better, but profits don’t double. In fact, margins tend to fall. There’s a paradox whereby many businesses see their sales rise but their margins and profits fall. That’s why bankruptcies and foreclosures have skyrocketed. Those of us who work in the financial sector can’t fall into the perverse incentive of defending inflationism just to scratch another rise in risky assets. Our obligation is to defend monetary sanity and economic progress, not to encourage bubbles. Let’s attack inflationism before it attacks us all.
Fan Yu
FAN YU is an expert in finance and economics and has contributed analyses on China’s economy since 2015.
Chinese Developer Defaults Are No Lehman Moment The ‘restricted default’ is a policy decision by the Chinese regime fter months of speculation, two major Chinese residential real estate developers have defaulted on their bond payments. In December, Evergrande and Kaisa failed to pay interest due on $1.6 billion worth of U.S. dollar-denominated bonds in aggregate. Evergrande was the highest-profile, as the Shenzhen-based developer had for months tried to raise cash to pay down its $300 billion in liabilities. Experts had predicted for months that Evergrande would default, which could cascade into a lack of financing for the real estate sector, as most Chinese property developers are highly indebted, effectively culminating in a so-called Lehman moment for the entire Chinese financial sector. Even the U.S. Federal Reserve warned of risks to the U.S. economy because of contagion from a financial collapse in China. “Financial stresses in China could strain global financial markets through a deterioration of risk sentiment, pose risks to global economic growth, and affect the United States,” the Fed’s most recent financial stability result stated. But a week after two of the biggest Chinese developers defaulted, there’s little contagion to be found in the market. The Chinese high yield market staged a small rebound following Evergrande and Kaisa’s default warnings, until the week of Dec. 13, when smaller developer Shimao Group Holdings’ bonds sold off on rumors of financial difficulties. Shimao had been viewed as one of the “strongest” Chinese developers until that point. This isn’t to say that a bigger challenge won’t torpedo China’s financial system, but Evergrande and “rumors” of financial difficulties aren’t problems too big for the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) to solve today. And this is why Evergrande won’t cause a
A week after two of the biggest Chinese developers defaulted, there’s little contagion to be found in the market. “Lehman moment” for China. Let’s rewind back to 2007–2008, when the “Great Financial Crisis” hit the U.S. financial sector. After the collapse of Bear Stearns, Lehman was looked at as potentially the next “domino” to fall as the highly levered New York investment bank’s stock faltered in late summer 2008. Lehman depended on short-term commercial paper funding, which is a type of short-term note whose availability and liquidity rely on trust and reputation. As the firm’s imminent collapse was rumored, no investor was willing to extend credit to it. In this case, Lehman was crippled by reputational damage. It was unable to obtain financing and had no federal backstop. During the weekend of Sept. 13, 2008, the New York Federal Reserve chaired a meeting in which the CEOs and executives of many major New York and international investment banks were in attendance to hash out a rescue plan for Lehman. In the end, two potential
suitors, Bank of America and Barclays, declined to purchase the entirety of Lehman (with the former deciding to merge with Merrill Lynch, another bank rumored to be in financial difficulty), leaving Lehman with no choice but to file for bankruptcy ahead of Monday, Sept. 15. The Fed couldn’t force any of its competitors to rescue Lehman, and ultimately it didn’t deem the company “too big to fail” and step in itself. Western experts—assessing China using a free market, Western lens—often forget that China is still a socialist planned economy. The CCP controls China today. Any organization, company, or person will engage in an effort at the Party’s command. A similar type of disaster could have a decidedly different ending in China. The CCP could compel any and all Chinese banks, asset managers, and real estate companies to rescue Evergrande if it chose to go in that direction. Evergrande declined to pay its offshore bond interest by design. That Beijing regulators expressed to the media that the developer should work out its debt issues with the market means authorities elected to not intervene. Evergrande could obtain financing if the CCP wanted it to obtain financing. Beijing could compel any of its massive commercial banks to extend credit. It has major government-sponsored asset management firms set up in the late 1990s specifically dedicated to working out bad debt, and could have directed them to buy up Evergrande debt at par. For those firms, it’s been there, done that. So Evergrande’s “restricted default,” to borrow Fitch’s description, is a policy decision by the CCP. It’s an engineered default as part of Beijing’s current tightrope management of the country’s real estate market: to not let property prices rise too much yet not allow for a collapse. I N S I G H T Dec. 31, 2021–Jan. 6, 2022 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
Finding the Purpose of Your Life Take it one step at a time
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hat’s really worthwhile? What’s the point of all this effort and energy we expend day in and day out? Where’s the goal line? Or, to put the question another way: What’s the purpose in our lives? Many of us are so inundated with the flood of events, information, and obligations of everyday living that we hardly have the time to ask ourselves these questions, much less answer them. Enjoying a lazy morning and a cup of hot tea on the porch while contemplating why we’re here on planet Earth is a luxury most of us simply can’t afford. When we must meet deadlines at the office, for example, and we are falling behind or running in place rather than sprinting ahead to reach our goals, it’s tough to look at the bigger picture of our lives. Problems flare up like the Hydra’s heads: cut one off, and two grow back. Some—family or friends, therapists, or self-help gurus—may advise us to slow down, but the hard, cold truth is that slowing down is rarely an option. When we’re in the middle of a rat race, to pause or to reduce our pace is an impossibility. To return to “What’s the purpose of my life?”: perhaps that inquiry is too broad a generalization, too vague and fuzzy in scope for any sort of coherent answer. In fact, if confronted with that question, most of us might react with a baffled silence. But what if we narrow the question down? What if we instead ask ourselves, “What’s the purpose of this moment in time, this day? What am I to do with the next 24
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What if we ask ourselves, “What am I to do with the next 24 hours the universe has given me?” hours the universe has given me?” Here we find a rock to stand on, a solid foundation that holds a possible and satisfactory solution to this conundrum of purpose. For the contractor with a wife and children, for instance, one purpose of his day is to once again go out into the world, do his job as best he can, and return home in the evening with money earned to provide for the needs of his loved ones. For his wife, the purpose of her day is to see to the education of her children and make a home for her family. In other words, our days are a framework of duties, obligations, joys, worries, and sorrows that in and of themselves define our purpose. When we live in the present, our purpose becomes clear as glass. When we approach each of these days with thought and care, taking a few moments on waking to remind ourselves of the higher motives and objectives behind the details of the
day, we are following the advice offered by wise men and women down through the ages: “Live in the present.” Furthermore, if we live each of those days intentionally, practicing the virtues, following the Golden Rule, loving those around us, taking time to appreciate the beauty of our world, and fighting for the right when necessary, by the end of our lives we will have stacked up thousands of purpose-filled days. We will have no need to wonder, “What is the purpose of life?” We will instead have lived out the answer to that question. “Waste no more time arguing what a good man should be,” the Roman emperor and stoic philosopher Marcus Aurelius once said. “Be one.” This same logic applies to the question of purpose. “Waste no more time contemplating the purpose of life,” we might say. “Fill each day with purpose, do your duty, love friends and family, and you have answered the question.” And someday, when we go to our rest, those we leave behind will remember us as having understood and fulfilled the purpose of life.
Profile A Hopi Farmer
For Hopis, Growing Corn Helps Nourish the Spirit By Nathan Worcester
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rian monongye farms the old way, the way his people have for untold centuries. But to understand what that means for Monongye, a member of the Hopi Fire Clan on the Hopi Reservation in northern Arizona, you have to begin at the beginning, when his tribe believes all of us entered our current reality—the Fourth World. “The people were escaping the turmoil in the previous world, because it was going to be destroyed,” he said. In the Third World, a righteous remnant sent birds to the Fourth World through a hole in the sky. The birds encountered Maasaw, the Creator, who agreed to let them rise to the Fourth World if they adopted his way of life. “All he had was a planting stick, a gourd of water, and some corn seeds,” Monongye said. At the dawn of the new world, the peoples gathered together and chose from among many ears of corn. The Hopi got the short blue corn—a sign that their existence would be long and grueling but, in the end, successful and bountiful. “They’re going to be able to celebrate the fruits of their labor,” Monongye said—a welcome message for dry farmers in the high desert, where the challenging environment must be carefully cultivated. For the Hopi, “the people of the short blue corn,” farming and gardening offer both physical and spiritual nourishment. No crop they farm holds more importance than corn. “Corn is our main staple. It’s our mother. Without corn, nothing can happen,” Monongye said. “It’s a part of us. It’s in our blood.” When a Hopi is born, that ancestral mother guards over
KAUSHIK RAJASHEKARA
them: an ear of corn is placed beside the baby’s head for 20 days. For older Hopi, farming has a key social dimension as well. “They say if you’re wanting to acquire a wife or a girlfriend, first you have to master that art of farming,” he said. Hopi farming also is oriented toward the wider world in a way outsiders might not expect. “We need to carry ourselves in a good way, so the rest of the world will receive these good energies that we put out there, so the rest of the world will be in balance.”
“Negative thoughts or anything like that—you’re transferring that energy to the seeds, and that energy radiates out.”
He thinks current events may be fulfilling some of the tribe’s prophecies. When COVID-19 hit, some Hopi who had drifted from the old ways returned to their fields. “The saying is that one day, all the food is going to disappear off the shelves, and the only ones who are going to be able to eat and take care of themselves are the ones who continue to plant the corn, plant the seed and live off the land, gather the greens, the nourishment that our mother gives us,” Monongye said. “This knowledge of being able to identify edible plants, being able to grow the seeds that have been passed down, will help us survive what’s coming or what’s here now.”
Brian Monongye, a member of the Hopi Fire Clan.
Monongye thinks that farmers and gardeners who carry themselves right can be Hopi (“Anything good,” he said, “is Hopi”). Part of right action takes place in the heart and the mind. “Negative thoughts or anything like that—you’re transferring that energy to the seeds, and that energy radiates out, and so that’s going to determine whether you have a good or a bad harvest, or whether you just do okay,” he said. Monongye doesn’t have any central motto or mantra when it comes to farming. It’s the connections that matter—connections to his ancestors, to Mother Earth, and to honoring his people’s covenant when they first entered the Fourth World. “I want our way of life to continue into the future,” he said. He believes ongoing threats to nature from humans may vindicate his tribe’s approach to the environment— in his view, people who approach the land in the right way will be able to survive. I N S I G H T Dec. 31, 2021–Jan. 6, 2022 51
Nation Profile
THOUGHT LEADERS
Informed Consent and Citizens’ Rights in the Age of COVID Americans should ask themselves what their threshold is for saying ‘enough,’ says Dr. Aaron Kheriaty
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eople need to be able to ask questions,” says Dr. Aaron Kheriaty. “That’s central to what it means to live in a free society.”
COVID. Subsequently, you got natural immunity through it. Tell me a little bit about that process.
In back-to-back episodes of “American Thought Leaders,” host Jan Jekielek discussed the pandemic, informed consent, and citizens’ rights with Kheriaty, a professor of psychiatry at the University of California Irvine’s School of Medicine and director of the medical ethics program at UCI Health. For filing an August lawsuit challenging his university’s vaccine mandates on behalf of himself and others who have natural immunity, Kheriaty was suspended and the school put him on “investigatory leave.”
2020, I did get COVID, confirmed by two independent PCR tests from two independent labs, two days apart. All the classic symptoms, except for shortness of breath. My symptoms lasted about 48 hours. My wife and my five children also got COVID. Fortunately for the children, the illness was very mild, but it was confirmed by antibody testing. I was confident at that point. I was in a situation in which I didn’t have to be subjected to the same worries that a lot of folks were still living with.
JAN JEKIELEK: Through
MR . JEKIELEK:
your work in the hospitals, you actually contracted
We’re 21 months into the pandemic.
AARON KHERIATY: In July
52 I N S I G H T Dec. 31, 2021–Jan. 6, 2022
Dr. Aaron Kheriaty, a professor of psychiatry at UC Irvine's School of Medicine, in Irvine, California on Oct. 27, 2021.
Nation Profile
“The public health establishment has never defined what counts as an emergency during this pandemic, which raises the question: When is the pandemic as a public health emergency over?” What do we actually know about the prevalence of natural immunity in society?
JACK WANG/THE EPOCH TIMES
DR . KHERIATY: One of
the current failures of our public health establishment is that we don’t have a solid answer to that question. We have some estimates from the CDC that are now many months old. I think the last estimates they published were back in May. At that time, it was well over 30 percent of Americans. Most people estimate that probably more than half, somewhere between 50 and 60 percent of Americans, have already had COVID and recovered, and have natural immunity, including many Americans that are already vaccinated. MR . JEKIELEK: It seems
this natural immunity that you’ve outlined doesn’t seem to be factored in at all. DR . KHERIATY: I think
there are at least three reasons why the CDC has
dragged its feet on the question of natural immunity. The first reason is that if we acknowledge natural immunity, there’s a fear people are going to deliberately try to get infected with COVID rather than getting vaccinated. The second reason has to do with efficiency. The public health establishment was very concerned that nothing got in the way of getting a needle in every arm. Any other step in the process, like getting antibody testing or giving people the option to opt out if they already had natural immunity, was seen as cumbersome. The third reason has to do with the public health establishment’s worries about their own credibility. Many worry, I think incorrectly, that if we acknowledge natural immunity, the obvious next question is: How many people have it? So we have to do the population-based testing to see if 55 percent of Americans have natural immunity.
Many in the public health establishment will see that as an admission of policy failure, especially for the policies of 2020. Many Americans made huge sacrifices, including the loss of their businesses and income, staying locked down at home for months on end. I think those policies were misguided. A more targeted approach would’ve been much more effective and done far less harm to people. MR . JEKIELEK: There’s
this perception among a significant number of people that the risks of the vaccines are being downplayed. What are your thoughts? DR . KHERIATY: What are
the long-term risks of the vaccine? We don’t know. Are there, for example, fertility-related risks? We don’t know. There’s certainly a lot of reported cases of menstrual irregularities. The public health establishment is quick to reassure women there are no known risks of fertility problems with these vaccines. But the absence of evidence isn’t evidence of absence. In other words, we don’t have evidence that it’s harmful, but we don’t have proof that it’s not harmful either. We need to be honest about telling people what we know and what we don’t know. This is informed consent and happens all the time in medicine. MR . JEKIELEK: Is there
any scenario where you might imagine coercion is necessary? I don’t mean forcing a needle into
someone’s arm, but other means of coercion. DR. KHERIATY: I don’t
think you should ever forcibly inject someone with a drug or a vaccine against their will if they are a competent adult. It’s one thing if you have a cognitively disabled person and you have another individual consenting on their behalf. We do that routinely in medicine for children or for adults who don’t have the ability to understand the risks, benefits, and alternatives to the proposed treatment. But for a competent adult, it’s a form of assault. It’s never OK. Now, if someone chooses not to get something and that’s putting themselves and others at undue risk, could there be an emergency situation in which those folks might be restricted from certain activities? I think that might be warranted. But those circumstances certainly don’t apply right now during the pandemic. The public health establishment has never defined what counts as an emergency during this pandemic, which raises the question: When is the pandemic as a public health emergency over? The threshold always seems to be receding over the horizon. Lots of Americans can sense this. We were promised two weeks to flatten the curve. Then it was basically lockdown till we get a vaccine. Then, we rolled out the vaccine, and it’s this threshold for herd
I N S I G H T Dec. 31, 2021–Jan. 6, 2022 53
Nation Profile
“We need to be honest about telling people what we know and what we don’t know.” immunity. That threshold keeps moving up, and people start worrying for perfectly legitimate reasons about why what counts as an emergency is always left fuzzy. These emergency powers are not being relinquished. MR . JEKIELEK: Where is
this taking us as a society, in your mind? DR . KHERIATY: I worry
that a series of novel proposals have been rolled out since the pandemic began that have asked, and, in some cases, demanded, that individuals do things which under any other circumstances they would not accept. The idea of
having to show a QR code or a card verifying I have received a particular medical intervention to get on a plane or a train, go to a restaurant, or access basic goods and services would have been unthinkable two years ago. Now we’re getting used to that notion. It’s become commonplace for complete strangers to ask you about your vaccination status. To me, that’s like turning to a stranger or someone who wants to sit down in the restaurant I’m running and asking them if they’ve ever had syphilis or gonorrhea. That would be entirely inappropriate and an invasion of their privacy.
But this is, in principle, the kind of thing that in the last year is becoming socially acceptable. We’re communicating the message that the unvaccinated are unclean. We’re treating perfectly healthy people as though they’re a real and imminent threat. There are reasons to believe that the system we’ve set up is not only taking away people’s basic rights and freedoms, but in the future can be used for all kinds of other coercive mandates. And it’s not even achieving the ends for which it was put in place. People need to be able to voice their concerns. That’s how you regain the trust of the American people. And I think people will accept an honest assessment of past shortcomings or failures. What they won’t accept is people doubling down on failed solutions as the failures become more and more apparent so that they don’t have to walk those back or second guess them.
This interview has been edited for clarity and brevity. Medical workers prepare syringes with doses of COVID19 vaccine while working behind beer taps at Fenway Park in Boston on Jan. 29, 2021. 54 I N S I G H T Dec. 31, 2021–Jan. 6, 2022
JOSEPH PREZIOSO/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES
In the interest of saving face and doubling down, you will only harm your credibility even more. I think the best way forward is to open up the possibility for meaningful conversations. People need to be able to ask questions. That’s central to what it means to live in a free society. The common feature of totalitarianism is not men in jackboots or concentration camps—as horrifying as all those features are. What all totalitarian governments share in common is a social climate in which people are forbidden to ask certain questions. Americans need to ask themselves: “Where is my limit in terms of the personal freedoms that have already been taken away from me and the freedoms that may be taken away in the future? Where’s my threshold for saying, ‘Enough’? This far, but no further?” And if they decide that line has already been crossed, then I think it’s time for them to stand up and reassert their rights: their right to informed consent, to work, and to travel with reasonable safety precautions in place, but without burdens that are not benefiting anyone. People can trust their own judgment. They should start trusting their own judgment more.
T R AV E L • F O O D • L U X U R Y L I V I N G
Unwind
Issue. 12
The Skogafoss, one of the biggest waterfalls in Iceland, is a major draw for tourists. PHOTO BY MARIDAV/SHUTTERSTOCK
Land of Fire and Ice Iceland’s geology has given rise to dramatic landscapes, as well as an abundance of geothermal attractions 58
THE ONE SURE WAY to get a piece of jewelry that perfectly matches your desires is to work with a designer to have it custom made. 64 AS E-MAILS, texts, and instant messages play an ever-larger role in our communications, observing basic courtesies grows in importance. 61 A COLORFUL AQUARIUM is ideal for livening up an apartment or office that may be too small for a dog or cat. 67
I N S I G H T Dec. 31, 2021–Jan. 6, 2022 55
The distinctive red sandstone front facade of Careston Castle. This magnificent Scottish manor home is surrounded by lush gardens, mature policy parkland, and mature woodlands.
A Scottish ARCHITECTURAL GEM Careston Castle, which dates back to the 13th century, is up for sale By Phil Butler
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56 I N S I G H T Dec. 31, 2021–Jan. 6, 2022
Careston Castle has a long and storied past. While the deep history of its original construction as a fortification is unknown, it’s thought that the original keep, which dates from the end of the 13th century, was the home of Keraldus, court officer (or dempster) to the Earls of Angus. Most of what visitors see of Careston today is credited to Sir Henry Lindsay of Kinfauns, from his ownership of the estate in the middle of the 16th century. Further additions were added in the late 1800s by John Adamson, who was the son of a whaling captain. The estate has remained the family home of the Adamsons since that time. Surrounded by fantastic parklands, mature woods, and some of Scotland’s most fertile farmlands, Careston is truly a treasure of the Scottish highlands. In all, there are 354 acres, three cottages, sheltered gardens, tailored lawns, and picturesque parklands that surround the main house. A long drive through mature forest connects the castle to the A90 main highway, and thereby to nearby Brechin with its famous 13th-century cathedral; Dundee is 23 miles away. An all-weather tennis court, vegetable and flower greenhouses, a detached four-car garage, and an array of barns and equipment sheds complete the property listing. Phil Butler is a publisher, editor, author, and analyst who is a widely cited expert on subjects ranging from digital and social media to travel technology.
CARESTON CASTLE COUNTY ANGUS, SCOTLAND £2,900,000 ($3,863,467) • 6 BEDROOMS • 15,698 SQUARE FEET • 345 ACRES KEY FEATURES: • HISTORIC PROPERTY • UNIQUE ARCHITECTURAL FEATURES • EXTENSIVE GARDENS, PASTURES, WOODLANDS • VERY PRIVATE AGENT SAVILLS EVELYN CHANNING +44 (0) 131 247 3720 CHRISTOPHER THOMSON +44 (0) 131 247 3720
ALL PHOTOS COURTESY OF ITAGO MEDIA LTD.
or the first time in more than a century, Careston Castle, one of Scotland’s most famous estates, is on the market for $3,863,467 (2,900,000 pounds). This historic manor, which has elements dating from the 13th century, has been meticulously restored and maintained as a cherished family home for decades. Situated in the heart of the beautiful Angus countryside, Careston Castle is a “Category A” listed mansion, a Scottish designation for buildings of “special architectural or historic interest.” Originally part of a vast estate, the property has been divided into lots, the last remaining piece being the distinctive red sandstone castle itself, along with the acreage and outbuildings immediately surrounding the historic manor. Famous for its intricately carved fireplaces, said to be the finest in all Scotland, the exterior of the mansion features castellated turrets, crow-stepped gables, and astragal windows on the exterior. The 15,698-square-foot mansion has wonderful stone and timber floors throughout the interior, which offers six bedrooms and four reception rooms on four separate floors. There’s the Laird’s Bedroom with its en-suite bath and dressing room, as well as a guest suite with two bedrooms and private bath. Four other bedrooms on the second floor share three bathrooms. There are also five unused rooms on the third floor, plus all the service spaces you’d expect for such a manor house.
The drawing room features a famed carved fireplace set against elaborate wood paneling. This room offers wonderful open views of the surrounding parkland, and is one of the key areas where guests have been entertained over the decades.
The sitting room reveals the true character of Careston, which has always served as a family residence first.
The superb fireplaces are thought to be based on the work of French designer Jacques du Cerceau.
The formal gardens adjacent to the main house offer plenty of nooks and secret places to enjoy the outdoors.
The exquisite family dining room, with a seating for 10, has another of the castle’s famous hand-carved fireplaces as its central focus. Careston Castle is a splendid mix of hominess and grandeur. I N S I G H T Dec. 31, 2021–Jan. 6, 2022 57
Travel Iceland
People bathe in the popular Blue Lagoon. WENILIOU/SHUTTERSTOCK
Icelandic Wonders
From hot springs to lava tubes, the best attractions are volcanic By Tim Johnson
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58 I N S I G H T Dec. 31, 2021–Jan. 6, 2022
THE ISLAND STRADDLES two major tectonic plates, the Eurasian and the North American, something that’s actually visible on the surface at Thingvellir National Park.
a little more fun, you can opt for Laugardalslaug, the largest pool in the city. This large, modern complex includes steam baths and deck chairs for sunbathing and even two waterslides (as well as a mini-golf course, if you’re so inclined). For a glimpse of how all the magic happens, head to Geysir. The original geyser—the whole category was named for it—is part of the Haukadalur Valley, a geothermal field about two hours outside of the capital. While Geysir is big, propelling a stream of water more than 20 stories in the air, it’s no Old Faithful: It erupts very infrequently and is currently inactive. Fortunately, there’s nearby Strokkur, another geyser that delivers a show on a regular basis, every five to 10 minutes. The surrounding area in Haukadalur also bubbles and steams, with mud pots, springs, and fumaroles, which look like volcanoes in miniature. A number of natural features unique to Iceland make all of this possible. The island straddles two major tectonic plates, Eurasian and North
ANNA DUNLOP/SHUTTERSTOCK, ALEXEY STIOP/SHUTTERSTOCK
asking in the midnight sun, gushing with waterfalls, and covered with snow-capped peaks, this island’s greatest attractions are volcanic. Just under its surface, everything seethes and steams. Home to roughly 200 volcanoes, Iceland offers countless hot springs and draws almost all of its power from renewable, geothermal energy. There are few better places in the world to visit for a really good soak. Reykjavik, Iceland, is home to 17 hot spring pools, all open to the public. These aren’t tourist traps—locals frequent them, paying a nominal fee for entrance. They often serve as social hubs for folks who live in the neighborhood and gather there to have a soak and hang out. The most historic is Sundhollin, literally “swimming hall,” one of the oldest in the country, an Art Deco building that feels like the nicest YMCA you’ve ever visited. It dates back to 1937, with indoor and outdoor pools, as well as hot tubs. Or, for
Travel Iceland American, something that’s actually visible on the surface at Thingvellir National Park. There, the rift valley sinks by more than an inch every year. It’s the only place on earth where you can see these plates pulling apart, visible on the surface in cracks and big cliffs. Because of this constant shifting, magma is brought close to the surface. Eighty percent of the country is covered in either glaciers or lava fields. Water, flowing from those glaciers, proceeds through porous volcanic rock and is then super-heated and manifested in many ways across the island. You can experience this dramatic geology in other ways as well. A number of lava tubes run underground and some are open for guided tours. After donning a hardhat, you’ll descend into a natural tunnel formed by all of that molten rock thousands of years ago while the guide describes its force and why it took this particular course. But slipping into a pool warmed by the earth’s crust remains the best, most immersive, and enjoyable way to experience Iceland’s geothermal activity. While the capital and its environs can keep you busy for days, it’s worth heading out to the hinterland. A number of routes provide rewarding journeys, but you’ll never forget the Westfjords. A peninsula connected by a four-mile-wide isthmus, the Westfjords collectively form several fingers of land, seeming to reach out into the
230,000 people, or about twothirds of Icelanders, live in the capital of Reykjavik.
ICELAND REYKJAVIK
It takes about five hours to fly from New York City to Reykjavik.
places to warm up. Many of the communities, including Isafjorour, IceIf You Go land, the largest town in When to Go: the region (population: High season is 3,000 people), maintain mid-June through very serviceable municAugust, although ipal hot springs swimthe off season offers plenty of ming pools. activities as well. But you might want Note that in winter, to seek out something daylight is limited a little more rugged. At to four to six hours Hellulaug, a rocky, nata day, compared to summer, which ural pool, you can relax gets about 16 to 20 in the 100-degree water hours. and look out on the waGetting There: ters of Vatnsfjorourr, About 20 airlines a fjord, or the spring service Iceland. You at Heydalur, right in can also take a ferry from Denmark. the middle of the Westfjords, long-ago blessed Getting Around: Although it is by a 12th-century bishpossible to travel op and situated near a around the island greenhouse where they by bus, driving harness geothermal forcaffords more es to grow vegetables. flexibility, but stay alert for road and And, of course, there’s weather conditions. the Blue Lagoon. By far Roads can also be Iceland’s most famous treacherous. attraction, this series of man-made pools is located near the country’s international airport, often the last stop for travelers headed back from their travels. Traversed by walkways and surrounded by black rock and a sleek complex that includes a hotel, spa, and restaurants, you can get a massage right in the water or stay the night. Or you could just slather on a mask of silica, grab a beer at one of the swim-up bars, and float your way around. All of that blue water will seem like just a geothermal dream by the time you board your plane for the flight back across the Atlantic. Tim Johnson is based in Toronto. He has visited 140 countries across all seven continents.
The Geysir is located in Haukadalur Valley, a geothermal field about two hours outside of Reykjavik. North Atlantic. It’s a place vast and broad-shouldered, where you feel small and humble—a land of snow-capped mountains, massive, green valleys, beaches that seem a mile wide, plunging sea cliffs, and tiny fishing villages perched on the edge of the earth, long isolated and for centuries serviced only by boats. In this windswept place, you can find plenty of
80%
OF THE COUNTRY is covered in either glaciers or lava fields. Westfjords at sunset. I N S I G H T Dec. 31, 2021–Jan. 6, 2022 59
Food Restaurants
BOURKE STREET BAKERY: CASUAL AUSSIE VIBES, SERIOUS CULINARY CHOPS At the New York outposts of the wildly successful Sydney bakery empire, Paul Allam brings his legendary sourdough loaves, perfect pastries, and tireless pursuit of excellence By Channaly Philipp
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Chocolate bundt cakes.
(Clockwise from top) S’mores tart, pumpkin spice cake, plum cake, and blueberry danish.
BOURKE STREET BAKERY
Locations: 15 East 28th St. (near Madison Avenue), 162 Eighth Ave. (at West 18th Street), and 313 Amsterdam Ave. (near West 75th Street), New York, NY Hours: Open daily 8 a.m.–5 p.m. BourkeStreetBakery.com Nationwide shipping at GoldBelly.com
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Paul Allam, co-owner, chef, and baker at Bourke Street Bakery. opening packets,” Allam said. “I’m lucky to have traveled and eaten in many countries around the world. Does that tell you I’m not so young anymore?” In Italy, he was utterly impressed by the artisanal traditions and the time devoted to enjoying food. Among the ingredients he’s found are barberries from Iran and XO sauce from China. In New York, Allam has found sourcing organic and biodynamic ingredients much more affordable because of the city’s larger market. He’s found “world-class berries” and figs for danishes, and “incredible” craft beers and natural and biodynamic wines. He sources grains regionally, working with ancient and heirloom varieties. “We are making new and interesting sourdough with really
high hydration and long fermentation—and the bread is coming out blooming and beautiful. Sourdough has always been the heart and soul of the bakery, so I’m very happy about that,” he said. The one ingredient Allam couldn’t find a satisfying local equivalent to was Aussie lamb, so he imports it. His lamb and harissa sausage roll is one of the bakery’s more famous items. In the United States, Allam has noticed that seasons and festivals are more pronounced than they are in Australia. “They are celebrated and expressed through food—it really suits us, actually, because we like to change things up and move things along when new produce becomes available. It keeps things interesting for customers, and the kitchen, too.”
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: CHANNALY PHILIPP/THE EPOCH TIMES, GARY HE, CHANNALY PHILIPP/THE EPOCH TIMES
o r pau l a l l a m , the decision to move halfway around the world from Sydney to New York came from his love for the Big Apple—but also from a vision that an outpost of his popular Sydney bakery would do well there. “People love to eat good food here, and the coffee culture has really transformed in the past decade,” Allam said. He was onto something: Bourke Street Bakery now has three locations in Manhattan, opened in May 2019 and November and December 2021. At any location, it seems impossible to make a wrong choice. Allam has an unwavering commitment to quality ingredients and the kind of craftsmanship that draws bakers and cooks who aspire to the same high standard. The bakery has loyal fans who hanker after items you just can’t find anywhere else in the city—sourdough loaves made with turmeric and black pepper, or dried plum, and a surprise bread every week. That’s not to mention the sweet treats, such as the airy croissants and ginger creme brulee tart. Even humble ingredients—butter, ketchup—are made in-house. The care taken for the food extends to the coffee. In Australia, coffee culture is a big deal, and espresso-based drinks are among the best-selling items at Allam’s bakeries in Sydney. The bakery’s feel is quintessentially Australian, with a casual, relaxed vibe, but the culinary side is serious business. “As a trained chef who became a baker later in life, I’m obsessed with produce and ingredients— finding seasonal, fabulous ingredients, wonderful produce—food made from scratch, not from
The Art of
Digital Etiquette
Here are some tips on how to foster and maintain digital relationships and master electronic chats With texts, messaging, and emails increasingly replacing many phone calls and in-person conversations for personal and business purposes, we’ve compiled several tips to help improve online communication skills. By Bill Lindsey
1 Make a Good Impression
4 Did I Wake You? It’s easy to lose sight of time zone differences, such as when a person in New York sends a text at 9 a.m. to someone in San Diego, where it is 6 a.m. Even to others in your time zone, texting after office hours is disrespectful. If it’s an absolute emergency, start with an apologetic explanation. Otherwise, send an email to explain why you will be sending a text to arrive during early business hours in the morning.
Just as you’d start an in-person or phone conversation, open with “Good Morning!” or a similar greeting. For first-time texts or emails, introduce yourself and explain, briefly, why you are contacting the recipient. Type carefully to avoid typos. Resist the temptation to respond to messages, texts, or calls that may come in while you’re e-conversing; it’s too easy to accidentally mix up the conversations, responding to the wrong party.
CSA-ARCHIVE/GETTY IMAGES
2 Don’t Be Rude Just as talking overly loudly on the phone distracts those nearby, it is also rude to text or email while spending time with friends or family. Excuse yourself to find a quiet spot where you can focus on the digital conversation. Pay attention to text messages by staying on topic, and read emails carefully and completely before responding. Not responding to questions is just as bad as sending an email reply that shows you didn’t read the message.
3
Think Twice, Type Once
You have no control over any email or text sent; they may be deleted after being read, or they could be saved or even shared. Just as drunk texting rarely ends well, so too, reacting in irritation or anger can come back to haunt you. For the same reason, think about attachments before you send them. Everything you send electronically lives forever and cannot be retracted.
5 Time Matters When you’re on the receiving end of a text or email, common courtesy requires an acknowledgment as quickly as possible or practical. At the minimum, responding with a “thumbs up” emoji lets the sender know you’ve seen their message. When texting for business purposes, get to the point quickly and keep the digital conversation as brief as possible, allowing the person(s) on the other end to get back to work.
I N S I G H T Dec. 31, 2021–Jan. 6, 2022 61
Epoch Booklist
Are there books you’d recommend? We’d love to hear from you. Let us know at features@epochtimes.com
This week, we cover a book from a pro-democracy activist about the loss of RECOMMENDED READING freedom in Hong Kong, and classics about the dangers of bargaining with the devil.
NONFICTION
‘Iron John’
By Robert Bly
On What It Means to Be a Man With fatherlessness affecting so many young men today, the journey to manhood is one that young men must embark on themselves. “Iron John,” told through a fairy tale, manages to be entertaining while offering useful advice for men and the women who seek to understand them. DA CAPO, 2015, 304 PAGES
exile, he tells a tale that’s widely applicable to the world, explaining how seeds were sown a long time ago, resulting in disinformation and division between groups. His conclusion: truth is the answer, and you have to tell the truth. Even though Hong Kong’s fate looks as though it’s sealed, he ends on a hopeful note: No action is meaningless. THE EXPERIMENT, 2021, 240 PAGES
‘The Leader’s Bookshelf’
By James Stavridis and R. Manning Ancell
Historical Roadmaps for Leadership
‘Freedom: How We Lose It and How We Fight Back’
By Nathan Law and Evan Fowler
Hong Kong: A Case Study Nathan Law used to be a regular citizen. Jolted into action by witnessing the erosion of freedom in Hong Kong, he became an activist, a legislator, and a prisoner. Now in
Retired Navy Adm. James Stavridis and writer Manning Ancell have put together a list of books recommended by upper echelon military officers that they consider to be valuable tools for leadership. This impressive collection includes histories, biographies, and novels that not only underline leadership qualities, but also direct us to valuable lessons we can learn from past accounts of battles and wars. This book is highly recommended and is a must for anyone
62 I N S I G H T Dec. 31, 2021–Jan. 6, 2022
interested in military history. NAVAL INSTITUTE PRESS, 2017, 288 PAGES
‘Outer Order, Inner Calm’
hedonism and amorality and wreaks havoc on the lives that he touches, he never taints his own appearance. However, his portrait, painted by an artist friend at age 17, becomes uglier and disfigured with every sin. Wilde’s novel raises the question of how we can live a life that does right by our souls. CHILTERN, 2020, 256 PAGES
A Quick Spark of Inspiration
Don’t miss the top 10 tips in the back of the book, which is a nice final touch. HARMONY, 2019, 240 PAGES
CLASSICS
‘The Picture of Dorian Gray’
By Oscar Wilde
The Man in the Mirror As Dorian Gray embraces a life of
‘A Library Book for Bear’
By Bonny Becker, illustr. by Kady MacDonald Denton
The Joy of Books
By Gretchen Rubin
Rubin walks the reader through the five steps for establishing outer order: make choices, create order, know yourself and others, cultivate helpful habits, and add beauty. Reading any part of it for five or 10 minutes provides a boost of motivation to get up and make progress, and the tips are the kind you’ll want to be reminded of over and over again.
FOR KIDS
‘Doctor Faustus’
By Christopher Marlowe
A Bargain With the Devil This play features a scholar, Faustus, whose pride and overweening ambition lead him to sell his soul to the devil in exchange for knowledge and magical powers. As we follow Faustus through his journey—some scenes are comedic—the play acts as a mirror for us. What moral goods are we willing to exchange to obtain our desires? Are we able, unlike the indecisive Faustus, to reverse our course? It also reveals the conflict between religion and Renaissance science, raising another point: How much faith should we put in science today? W.W. NORTON & COMPANY, 2005, 448 PAGES
Featuring the chipper and optimistic little Mouse and his reluctant, set-in-his-ways friend Bear, this book is a perfect combination of comic relief with themes of friendship and personality differences. It makes a wonderful read-aloud. CANDLEWICK, 2014, 32 PAGES
‘Trains’
By Lynn Curlee
For Children Who Love Trains The wealth of knowledge and history conveyed in slightly more than 40 pages speaks to Curlee’s writing talents. Children will learn about the invention and influence of trains and develop a deep appreciation for those iron horses of yesteryear. ATHENEUM BOOKS, 2009, 48 PAGES
Ian Kane is a U.S. Army veteran, filmmaker, and author. He enjoys the great outdoors and volunteering.
MOVIE REVIEWS
Epoch Watchlist
This week, we cover a woke-free Marvel release that delivers and a heart-wrenching but insightful look at dementia.
NEW RELEASE: WOKE-FREE ENTERTAINMENT THAT DELIVER
A HEARTFELT LOOK AT DEMENTIA AND FAMILIAL LOVE
The Father (2021)
Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021 ) When young Peter Parker’s (Tom Holland) secret identity is revealed to the public, those closest to him have their lives thrown into chaos. Peter seeks the help of the enigmatic Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) and his mystical powers. However, Strange’s well-intentioned help leads to unexpected consequences. This film signals that solid storytelling, bereft of divisive woke nonsense, can elevate even Marvel’s recent downward spiral from mere nostalgia-bait to genuine fan service and incredibly fun entertainment.
ACTION | ADVENTURE | FANTASY
Release Date: Dec. 17, 2021 Director: John Watts Starring: Tom Holland, Zendaya, Benedict Cumberbatch Runtime: 2 hours, 28 minutes MPAA Rating: PG-13 Where to Watch: In theaters
new political landscape before he takes his final ride out into the sunset of retirement. COMEDY | DR AMA
A politician from a bygone era takes one last run at political office as mayor of a U.S. city, but he faces many challenges, as
not only have times changed, but various forces are arrayed against him. Both a touching and humorous character study of a complex man who tries to navigate a
and Colman, it earnestly explores what family members go through with their mentally ill loved ones. DR AMA | MYSTERY
Release Date: Feb. 26, 2021 Director: Florian Zellar Starring: Anthony Hopkins, Olivia Colman, Mark Gatiss Runtime: 1 hour, 37 minutes MPAA Rating: PG-13 Where to Watch: Redbox, Vudu, DirectTV
FAMILY PICK
The Impossible (2013)
A HUMOROUS AND FASCINATING CHARACTER STUDY
The Last Hurrah (1958)
When ailing Londoner Anthony (Anthony Hopkins) finds out that his daughter Anne (Olivia Colman) is moving to Paris to be with her partner, his already tenuous grasp on reality begins to degrade even further. Time begins to shift back and forth as he struggles to make sense of his warped environs. This is an incredibly heart-wrenching yet insightful lens into dementia. Deftly anchored by the standout performances of Hopkins
Release Date: Oct. 23, 1958 Director: John Ford Starring: Spencer Tracy, Jeffrey Hunter, Dianne Foster Running Time: 2 hours, 1 minute Rating: Approved Where to Watch: fuboTV, DirectTV, Amazon Prime
Based on real events, a family consisting of Henry (Ewan McGregor), Maria (Naomi Watts), and their kids spend their Christmas at a resort in Thailand. Tragedy suddenly strikes when a tsunami hits the entire coastline and separates the family members from each other. This is a very timely film that showcases the indelible bond that many families have, no matter what horrific circumstances they may find themselves
in. It also shows us that ordinary people can help each other even in chaotic times. DR AMA | HISTORY | THRILLER
Release Date: Jan. 4, 2013 Director: J.A. Bayona Starring: Naomi Watts, Ewan McGregor, Tom Holland Running Time: 1 hour, 54 minutes MPAA Rating: PG-13 Where to Watch: Roku, Redbox, Direct TV
I N S I G H T Dec. 31, 2021–Jan. 6, 2022 63
Bespoke BAUBLES
The ultimate in jewelry are pieces made by a skilled artisan, using one-of-a-kind designs, whether the jewelry designer’s or your own
By Bill Lindsey
Sometimes the best way to get the jewelry of your dreams is to design it yourself and commission a designer to create it. PHOTO BY FOTOBREST/SHUTTERSTOCK
Lifestyle Jewelry
Jewelers can use metals and gems from old, no longer worn jewelry to create exciting custom pieces.
W PHOTOS COURTESY OF AMBERS DESIGNS/SHUTTERSTOCK, VANMARK JEWELRY
hile today there is an ever-increasing array of jewelry designs available, having the only one in the world of a ring, bracelet, or necklace holds huge appeal. There are two ways to approach this: One is to purchase a premade custom piece from a designer who creates their own one-of-a-kind designs. The other option is to work with a designer who will work with you to create custom jewelry.
Art You Can Wear For 32 years, Mark Lloyd, owner of Vanmark Jewelry in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, has been creating wearable works of art. Well-known for his sport fish-themed jewelry, Lloyd also accepts custom projects. “My goal is to create jewelry that perfectly matches my client’s expectations,” he said. “We’ll start with an overview of what they want. I’ll ask questions to fine-tune the overall design and show them a sketch of how it will look. I’ll also provide an estimate of the total cost to make sure it is in line with their budget. When I see their eyes light up as they
look at the sketch, I know we’re ready to make it a reality.”
Unique Designs Another designer who creates custom jewelry, as well as his own designs, is Robert Pelliccia, whose works are exclusively sold by JR Dunn Jewelers in Lighthouse Point, Florida. “We use Pinterest to get ideas to kickstart the design process, such as finding elements from a number of different pieces,” he said. “We then refine the design until it is perfect.” “I can create new jewelry using readily available jewels and metals, but many of my customers ask me to use precious metals and gemstones from jewelry they’ve inherited or pieces they no longer wear,” Lloyd said. “This way they get new jewelry that already has sentimental value.” During this phase, the designer will work closely with the customer to ensure the precious metals provided will create the perfect outcome. “If I’m working with platinum, silver, or various purities of gold, I’ll
make sure the color of the finished piece will be exactly what they expect,” he said. “I’ll also use this time to determine the font and size of any engraving as well as the texture or finish desired.” When the design is finalized, the final cost or an estimate can be determined as well as a time frame. Many designers will create an agreement and have the customer sign the sketch. A deposit of 20 to 50 percent may be requested, based on the overall cost of materials and work required.
How Custom Jewelry Is Made There are two ways to create custom jewelry. “You can use the lost wax method or fabrication,” Lloyd said. “About 90 percent of my custom works are made using the lost wax method.” As a broad overview, the process begins with the designer carving a wax model of the piece. Some designers use a 3-D printer to create the wax model. The wax model is then placed I N S I G H T Dec. 31, 2021–Jan. 6, 2022 65
Lifestyle Jewelry
LIFESTYLE
MAKE IT YOURS
Can’t find the jewelry you want? Have it made.
Designers use time-consuming traditional methods to handcraft bespoke jewelry.
The customer needs to trust the jeweler and designer to bring their vision to life.
66 I N S I G H T Dec. 31, 2021–Jan. 6, 2022
Draw It Give the designer a starting point by providing a drawing of what you want, from as many angles as possible. This allows fine-tuning the design to move it to the actual creation phase.
2 Repurpose Old Jewelry Many custom jewelry designers use the customer’s jewelry and gemstones to create new pieces after confirming the material is suitable and of sufficient quantity for the desired design.
3 Set a Budget and Date There is no limit to what can be created when you work with a skilled designer to create bespoke jewelry. Here is a ring made with 7,801 diamonds designed by jeweler Kotti Srikanth, who was awarded with the Guinness World Record for the most diamonds set in one ring.
The complexity of the desired design will be reflected in the final cost as well as the time required to create it. The exacting, timeintensive process may take several weeks to complete.
JOEFOTOIS/GETTY IMAGES, NOAH SEELAM/GETTY IMAGES
in a cylinder into which plaster is added. Care must be taken to ensure there are no bubbles in the plaster, which could distort the finished jewelry. The investment is placed in a kiln overnight, during which time the wax model is vaporized, leaving a negative mold. The next day the metal can be melted and poured into the mold. When the plaster mold is “quenched” in cool water, the plaster dissolves, revealing the jewelry. At this point, the piece is cleaned and polished, and stones can be set if needed. Lloyd says the alternative fabrication process is less time-consuming as it allows the designer to use pre-made components and findings, individual pieces such as a fastener for a pendant. However, he and Pelliccia both prefer using the lost wax method. If the design utilizes gemstones, Lloyd prefers to mount them while the customer observes. “The customer needs to trust their jeweler implicitly. In order to preserve that trust and avoid any possibility of a question as to the customers’ gems being used, I will inspect and
measure them during the design phase with the customer, asking the customer to bring them back when I’m ready to set them,” he said. “In cases where I need to keep the gemstones in my possession, I’ll use a loupe to show the customer any flaws that identify the stones, providing a sketch they can use to confirm the same stones are in the finished piece.” Creating a custom piece of jewelry might seem to be fraught with the potential for the finished piece to differ from the initial vision. However, Lloyd and Pelliccia agree that by working closely with the customer during the design phase and allowing them to view the wax model prior to casting, the finished piece has always turned out perfect.
1
Luxury Living Aquariums
NO-STRESS PETS ARE IDEAL FOR HOME AND OFFICE Pets add happiness and can reduce stress at home and the office, but dogs and cats require a lot of care. A better fit may be fish, a small turtle, or even a colorful lizard, which can all be left unattended for a few days. By Bill Lindsey C E N T E R O F AT T E N T I O N
D A N C I N G S TA R S
Vepotek Cylinder Aquarium
Eon Jellyfish Aquarium
$2,499
Jellyfish aren’t the first species that comes to mind for an aquarium, but maybe they should be. The square flow tank with color-changing LEDs allows the “jellies” to swim in a hypnotic, soothing rhythm.
$950–$2,800
Standing almost six feet tall, this unique cylindrical 78-gallon tank provides an exceptional view of its fish from all angles. The view gets better after dark, with blue, purple, and white LED lighting. The acrylic tank and ABS plastic stand are compatible with both fresh and saltwater species and are designed for easy maintenance.
COFFEE AND FISH
Claire Rectangular Coffee Table Tank COURTESY OF VEPOTEK; CAROLINA CUSTOM CAGES; SUNSET MARINE LABS; ARCHIE AND OSCAR; AND AQUEON.
$1,189
DESK DINOSAURS
Lizard Terrarium/Vivarium $249.99
Lizards such as bearded dragons and geckos are active and can be very affectionate, especially when their home is a custom terrarium. Choose the background to create an exotic desert or lush jungle motif.
This amazing 25-gallon tank adds life to any room, and it’s practical, too. It comes with gravel, a filter, a pump, and plants, ready for a school of GloFish Tetra or other colorful freshwater species.
THREE-RING SIAMESE SIDESHOW
Betta Falls Aquarium $59.99
Bettas, also known as Siamese fighting fish, are known for glamorous tails and bodies. Frosted separating panels allow three bettas to coexist peacefully, enjoying a bubbling stream of fresh water. I N S I G H T Dec. 31, 2021–Jan. 6, 2022 67
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