DO FOOD NOT SECURITY USE
Growing food at home sees a resurgence as inflation, supply chain worries increase BY CHARLOTTE CUTHBERTSON
JULY 22–28, 2022 | $6.95
NO. 29
Editor’s Note
‘Food Security’ p e r h a p s t h e u lt i m at e i n p r e pa r e d n e s s
is having sustainable food security. While to many the idea of being selfsufficient in growing vegetables sounds daunting, experts in this week’s edition say it’s worth making the effort. On 1/20th of an acre, a vegan family of four can grow 4,400 pounds of food a year using one gardening method. Concerns over food security and increased costs are on the rise, and in response there has been a resurgence of people growing food at home. “I just think people ought to begin growing their own food, because I don’t think there’s any good answers on the market,” said Lucinda Bailey, co-founder of a seed bank company in Texas. The need for self-sufficiency was driven home for many people during the COVID-19 pandemic, when stringent lockdown policies limited people’s freedoms. Over the past three years, organic seed and gardening product company Peaceful Valley has seen its top demographic switch from retirees to the 22-to-35 age group, evenly split between male and female. The growth in interest is not limited to specialty retailers. Mega chain Home Depot tells Insight that it has also seen an increase in people buying products and seeds for growing their own food. Worries over food, seed, and fertilizer shortages will likely continue to push Americans into their backyards to become more self-sufficient. Jasper Fakkert Editor-in-chief
2 I N S I G H T July 22–28, 2022
JASPER FAKKERT EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
FOOD SECURITY
CHANNALY PHILIPP LIFE & TRADITION, TRAVEL EDITOR
Growing food at home sees a resurgence as inflation, supply chain worries increase BY CHARLOTTE CUTHBERTSON
JULY 22–28, 2022 | $6.95
NO. 29
ON THE COVER The ultimate way to prepare for hard times is to grow your own food, and experts recommend just getting started in any way you can. HUDIEMM/GETTY IMAGES
CHRISY TRUDEAU MIND & BODY EDITOR CRYSTAL SHI HOME, FOOD EDITOR SHARON KILARSKI ARTS & CULTURE EDITOR BILL LINDSEY LUXURY EDITOR FEI MENG ILLUSTRATOR SHANSHAN HU PRODUCTION CONTACT US THE EPOCH TIMES ASSOCIATION INC. 229 W.28TH ST., FL.7 NEW YORK, NY 10001 ADVERTISING ADVERTISENOW@EPOCHTIMES.COM SUBSCRIPTIONS, GENERAL INQUIRIES, LETTERS TO THE EDITOR HELP.THEEPOCHTIMES.COM (USPS21-800)IS PUBLISHED WEEKLY BY THE EPOCH MEDIA GROUP, 9550 FLAIR DR. SUITE 411, EL MONTE, CA 91731-2922. PERIODICAL POSTAGE PAID AT EL MONTE, CA, AND ADDITIONAL MAILING OFFICES. POSTMASTER: SEND ADDRESS CHANGES TO THE EPOCH TIMES, 229 W. 28TH STREET, FLOOR 5, NEW YORK, NY 10001.
VOL. 2 | NO. 29 | July 22–28, 2022
16 | Hospital Staff Crisis
49 | Chinese Economy
Hundreds call out sick with COVID-19 after a hospital system mandates the vaccine for staff.
China’s economic woes are revealed by the regime’s drastic measures.
50 | Accepting Reality
20 | Florida’s First Lady
When faced by adverse scenarios, we can choose to prevail.
Casey DeSantis on life in the governor’s mansion with three preschoolers.
52 | ‘Mass Formation’
26 | 2020 Election
Disconnected and lonely people can form an irrational collective.
Aftermath A couple who joined the “Trump Train” are facing mounting legal fees for following Biden’s campaign bus.
56 | City Living
Features
28 | Life After
Amputation How a limb maker and the miracle of prosthetics are giving people hope.
42 | Dutch Farmer
Protests A nitrogen scientist questions the rationale behind climate policies.
44 | Economic Recession
The U.S. economy is already facing a perfect storm.
45 | Ending Dictatorships
Could “democratic coups” work in Moscow and Beijing?
47 | US Labor Market Despite the strong jobs market rebound, some experts are cautious.
48 | European Central Bank Why a weak euro and Europe’s high inflation are alarming trends.
12 | Religious Freedom Following a U.S. move, attacks on Christians in Nigeria have surged. 30 | Food Security Growing food at home is undergoing a resurgence as inflation and supply chain worries increase. THE LEAD
38 | Marxism in Education Advocates decry teaching materials that “indoctrinate” youth to engage in violent forms of protest. President Joe Biden has tested positive for COVID-19, the White House confirmed in a statement on July 21. Biden, 79, has received a total of four vaccine doses, including two booster shots, according to the statement. CHRIS KELPONIS-POOL/GETTY IMAGES
A charming condominium unit in the heart of bustling Chicago.
58 | Frozen Paradise
There are more sled dogs than people in captivating Disko Bay.
60 | Miniature
Investments As a way to diversify a portfolio, consider purchasing assetgrade stamps.
63 | Summer Style
These high-tech shirts provide serious UV protection.
66 | Mom’s Menu
Midwestern comfort food has arrived in the Big Apple.
67 | Kid’s Money
Manners To raise astute children, teach them financial responsibility. I N S I G H T July 22–28, 2022 3
T H G IL T O P S Airborne Gymnastics
A FRENCH ATHLETE PERFORMS PARKOUR ON a roof top in Paris on July 19. David Belle originally developed the parkour concept in the 1990s based on precepts taught to him by his father, a Parisian firefighter, about the art of movement. PHOTO BY JULIEN DE ROSA/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES
4 I N S I G H T July 22–28, 2022
I N S I G H T July 22–28, 2022 5
SHEN YUN SHOP
Great Culture Revived. Fine Jewelry | Italian Scarves | Home Decor
ShenYunShop.com
6 I N S I G H T July 22–28, 2022
Tel: 1.80 0.208.2384
NAT ION • WOR L D • W H AT H A P P E N E D T H I S W E E K
The Week
No.29
An emergency room nurse tends to a patient at the Houston Methodist The Woodlands Hospital, in Houston on Aug. 18, 2021. PHOTO BY BRANDON BELL/GETTY IMAGES
Hospital System Faces Staffing Crisis A report shows the number of assaults in Nigeria increased after Washington dropped the country from its “concern” list. 12
Teaching materials at a Boston high school suggest that violence is a legitimate way for newly arrived immigrants to resist “oppression.” 38
16
A Dutch nitrogen scientist criticizes the government’s depiction of farmers as polluters and the “mirage of policymaking.” 42
INSIDE I N S I G H T July 22–28, 2022 7
The Week in Short US
e s n i h C e h t ,g n o l o t r a f r o F “ d e s u b a s h y tr a P t s i n u m o C namu h suoigerge d t im
-
moc dna re w op rieht ” .s n o i t a l o i v s t h g i r
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), on the 23rd anniversary of the CCP’s persecution of the spiritual discipline Falun Gong.
“The whole federal government ... should be utilized to stop the death and destruction that fentanyl is causing.” Ashley Moody, Florida attorney general
Nearly 30 percent of Americans born in the late 1990s and early 2000s still live at home with their parents or relatives, a Credit Karma survey shows.
Almost 60 percent of Americans believe that the Chineseowned short video app TikTok should be removed from app stores, after revelations that U.S. user data have been repeatedly accessed in China, according to a poll.
16%
The confidence of U.S. citizens in American newspapers has fallen to all-time lows, with only 16 percent saying they have “quite a lot” or “a great deal” of confidence in newspapers, a Gallup poll finds.
$1 Million
Left-wing mega donor George Soros has given $1 million to help Beto O’Rourke’s efforts to unseat Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, filings show.
$37 Billion
The Biden administration says it’s asking Congress for $37 billion in funding to deal with surging crime.
$500,000 in Cryptocurrency — The Justice Department says it seized half a million dollars in cryptocurrency paid to North Korean state-backed hackers. The seized funds include ransoms paid by two U.S. medical centers targeted by ransomware attacks.
8 I N S I G H T July 22–28, 2022
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30%
60%
The Week in Short US CDC
Vast Majority of CDC Workers Working Remotely MORE THAN THREE-QUARTERS
A Border Patrol agent organizes a large group of illegal immigrants near Eagle Pass, Texas, on May 20. IMMIGRATION
Biden Administration Makes 2 Big Changes to Help Illegal Immigrants PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN’S administration has made two major changes to
immigration policy by reinterpreting federal law. Up to July, those protected by temporary protected status (TPS) had to remain in the country unless they received approval to travel. If TPS beneficiaries did leave the country and returned, they’d have the same status—illegal or legal— when they returned. Now, all beneficiaries who return will be “inspected and admitted,” a bureaucratic term that means one has entered the country legally. Another big change involves the Immigration and Nationality Act, which says that immigrants who were illegally in the United States and left aren’t allowed to reenter for a certain period of time. The immigrants were expected to wait outside the United States, to comply with the law. However, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services is now saying that an immigrant can be inside the United States, and this will not reset the clock. CRIME
Growing Number of Teachers Charged With Child Sex Crimes: Analysis
of workers at the nation’s largest public health agency are working remotely, even after COVID-19 metrics plunged following fresh peaks in January, according to data obtained by Insight. Of the approximately 12,679 full-time workers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 78 percent are either not working in-person at all, or are only doing so part of the time, the CDC’s records office told Insigh in response to a Freedom of Information Act request. MANDATES
New Study Suggests Mask Mandates Are Ineffective A PREPRINT STUDY published
this month reveals that COVID-19 mask mandates in schools have little to no effect. “Our findings contribute to a growing body of literature which suggests school-based mask mandates have limited to no impact on the case rates of COVID-19 among K–12 students,” researchers at the University of Southern California and the University of California– Davis said in the study published on Research Square.
AT LEAST 181 TEACHERS, principals, and staff have been arrested
for child sex crimes in the United States so far this year, according to an analysis of reports. The K–12 educators were arrested between Jan. 1 and June 30, according to a Fox News analysis. Arrests that didn’t make it into media reports weren’t counted. Four principals, 153 teachers, 12 substitute teachers, and 12 teachers’ aides were arrested on a litany of charges, including sexually assaulting students and possessing child pornography. About 140 of those who were arrested carried out alleged crimes against students.
A sign on a door tells people to wear masks, in downtown Philadelphia on April 15. I N S I G H T July 22–28, 2022 9
The Week in Short World EUROPE
EU Asks Countries to Significantly Cut Natural Gas Consumption Until Next Year THE EUROPEAN UNION has asked
Sri Lanka’s newly elected president, Ranil Wickremesinghe, addresses the media at the Gangaramaya Buddhist temple in Colombo, Sri Lanka, on July 20. SOUTH ASIA
Sri Lanka’s Wickremesinghe Elected as New President
its member states to cut consumption of natural gas by 15 percent at a minimum until spring 2023. The proposed regulation would set an initial 15 percent reduction in natural gas usage between Aug. 1, 2022, and March 31, 2023. At the same time, top EU officials allege that the reduction is needed due to Russia’s war in Ukraine. In response to the conflict, the EU, which includes a number of NATO states, has backed Ukraine while imposing numerous sanctions on Moscow, including on top Kremlin leaders.
SRI LANK A’S PARLIAMENT has elected Ranil Wickremesinghe as the
AUSTRALIA
Reserve Bank of Australia to Undergo Review for 1st Time in Decades AUSTRALIAN TREASURER Jim Chalmers has announced the first major
review of the Reserve Bank of Australia since the 1990s that will scrutinize its inflation target arrangements, policy tools, governance, and culture. “This is an important opportunity to get the ball rolling on the Reserve Bank review that the country desperately needs to make sure that the setting of monetary policy is done most effectively into the future as well,” he told reporters. Chalmers emphasized that the review wasn’t about “revolutionizing” Australian monetary policy, but rather A security officer stands guard inside the Reserve Bank of Australia building in Sydney on June 7. about refining and reforming it. 10 I N S I G H T July 22–28, 2022
An employee performs an inspection at the Uniper Energy Storage facility in Bierwang, Germany, on June 10. CHINA–TAIWAN
China Could Use Civilian Vessels to Sustain Invasion of Taiwan: Expert THE CHINESE COMMUNIST PARTY
(CCP) could use civilian vessels to sustain an invasion of Taiwan and subsequent war, according to one expert. By raising civilian assets to augment the CCP’s military wing, the People’s Liberation Army, the CCP could drastically increase its capacity for sustainment in an invasion scenario, said Lonnie Henley, a lecturer at George Washington University. Still, he added, it’s difficult to ascertain exactly what the CCP’s plans for a protracted fight over Taiwan might look like.
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country’s new president, despite his growing unpopularity among antigovernment protesters who view him as an ally of his predecessor. He secured 134 of the total 219 votes in the Parliament, defeating his rival, ruling party lawmaker Dullas Alahapperuma, who had 82 votes. Wickremesinghe, who was serving as interim president and previously had served as prime minister, replaces Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who on July 13 fled the country after anti-government protesters stormed his official residence to demand his resignation.
World in Photos
1. 2.
3.
1. A firefighter works to contain a wildfire encroaching on nearby homes in the Shiregreen area of Sheffield, England, on July 20. 2. Boats in the dry bed of Brenets Lake, part of the Doubs River, a natural border between eastern France and western Switzerland, in Les Brenets, Switzerland, on July 18. The river has dried up due to a combination of factors. 3. Police officers surround protesters who gathered for the anniversary of the 2015 suicide attack that took place in the southern Turkish town of Suruc, in Istanbul’s Kadikoy district on July 20. 4. Palestinian children shower to cool off on a hot summer day in Gaza City on July 20.
4.
I N S I G H T July 22–28, 2022 11
World Religious Freedom
AFRICA
ATTACKS ON CHRISTIANS IN NIGERIA ARE SURGING A report shows the number of assaults increased after Washington dropped the country from its ‘concern’ list By Masara Kim
M
ORE CHRISTIANS HAVE BEEN KILLED
in Nigeria since President Joe Biden’s administration declared there were no religious freedom violations in the country in October 2021, watchdogs and church leaders told Insight. In the first half of 2022, more than 2,543 Nigerian Christians were murdered by Islamic attackers, according to the International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law (Intersociety). The figure represents an 8.6 percent increase from a total of 4,650 Christian murders reported by Open Doors International. It includes 350 murders by government security forces propagating an Islamic agenda, reads the report signed by Emeka Umeagbalasi, board chairman of Intersociety, and five others. Also included are 140 Christian hostages killed by their Muslim abductors. Analysts speaking to Insight have called for global action to avert the formation of an Islamic caliphate in Africa’s most populous nation.
In October 2021, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken dropped Nigeria from the list of countries of particular concern, sparking criticism from around the world. Blinken had ignored recommendations from the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom and global rights groups that pointed to endemic violations in the country. 12 I N S I G H T July 22–28, 2022
A group of Christian Adara farmers at Ecwa Church in the town of Kajuru, in Nigeria’s Kaduna state, on April 14, 2019.
PHOTO BY LUIS TATO/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES
US Senators Charge
The commission, which monitors the state of global religious freedom, is tasked with issuing recommendations as to the countries it believes should be designated as countries of concern for their religious liberty violations. Nigeria had been designated in 2020 by the Trump administration, based on such recommendations. The delisting of Nigeria means that the country had improved its religious conditions and would no longer face sanctions on the basis of them. “On the contrary, the situation in Nigeria has
World Religious Freedom
The attacks causing population displacements across the country are aimed at religious and political domination, an expert says.
grown worse,” argued five U.S. senators in a memo demanding the country’s redesignation. Sens. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), Mike Brawn (R-Ind.), Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), and James Inhofe (R-Okla.), in a joint memo to Blinken, described the decision as misguided. “Given the abysmal state of religious freedom in Nigeria, it is incumbent upon you to reverse last year’s decision and redesignate the country as a [country of particular concern]. The moment demands that you do so without delay,” the memo states. The senators cited the recent “blasphemy kill-
ing” of Deborah Emmanuel Yakubu—a Christian college student who was stoned to death in northwest Sokoto state—and the massacre of more than 40 parishioners at St. Francis Catholic Church in the city of Owo in southwest Ondo state. They also acknowledged Nigerian authorities’ suppression of religious minorities and their detaining of individuals indefinitely on “blasphemy-related charges.”
Killings Not ‘Persecution’ Nigeria’s information minister, Lai Mohammed, I N S I G H T July 22–28, 2022 13
World Religious Freedom
admitted on July 5 that ISIS terrorists have been attacking churches and Christians in the country’s northeast. But Mohammed reiterated claims by genocide deniers that killings in other regions aren’t religious. “Nobody in Nigeria is being persecuted, but we have issues of criminality going on and the criminals really do not make [a] distinction of any religion,” Mohammed told reporters in London. Salihu Garba, a native of Sokoto state in northwest Nigeria who currently lives in the United States and serves as a minister with the Evangelical Church Winning All in Maryland, told Insight that Christians are the targets of Nigerian Muslim extremists. “They occasionally attack nominal Muslims as well as ethnic and religious minorities whom they perceive to have sympathy for Christians,” Garba said. On April 2, a popular Islamic cleric in Nigeria’s capital city of Abuja, Sheikh Muhammad Nuru Khalid, was fired by his mosque for condemning the killings. Khalid, a member of the Hausa ethnicity, told Insight he was threatened after being fired for his comments. “But I am not intimidated because the killings are real, and I am called to build and not destroy humanity,” he said. Vice chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria in the country’s north, Rev. Joseph Hayab, told Insight that Mohammed’s prolonged denial of the murders was encouraging impunity in the country chiefly ruled by Fulani Muslims. “Nigerian Christians are not safe and are constantly living in fear,” Hayab wrote in a text message. “Today, many pastors are afraid to take pastoral work in some communities.”
Surging Figures Open Doors International, a group that monitors persecution of Christians around the world, reported in 2021 that 4,650 Christians—or 80 percent of the world’s Christians killed for their faith—died in Nigeria. That means 13 Christians per day were murdered, according to William Murray, president of Religious Freedom Coalition. A new report by Intersociety states that attacks on Christians have increased in the past six months. “The 2,543 Christian killings or deaths indicated that 14 [Christians] were killed daily and 420 monthly,” reads the report obtained by Insight and confirmed by Umeagbalasi. The report shows the top three states include 14 I N S I G H T July 22–28, 2022
2,543
MURDERED
In the first half of 2022, more than 2,543 Nigerian Christians were murdered by Islamic attackers, according to Intersociety.
80%
In 2021, a reported 4,650 Christians, or 80 percent of the world’s Christians killed for their faith, died in Nigeria. State officials walk past victims being treated for wounds sustained during an attack at St. Francis Catholic Church in Owo town, southwest Nigeria, on June 5.
northwest Kaduna, with 323 deaths; central Niger, with 264 deaths; and Plateau, also in the central region, trailing closely with 229 deaths. Figures include 140 murders of kidnapped Christians by terrorists. Also included are what are said to be 350 targeted religious murders by security forces. The figures could be a lot higher, said Mark Lipdo, program coordinator at Stefanos Foundation, an organization that tracks religious killings in Nigeria. “We can count the number of Christians killed in Plateau, Southern Kaduna, Benue, and other places, but can you count the number of Christians killed in Zamfara, Katsina, Sokoto, and other parts of the north?” Lipdo said. “Nobody goes there to cover the stories.” The Epoch Times has previously reported on terrorists and officials suppressing press freedom through targeted attacks and the intimidation of reporters. Epoch Times reporter Luka Binniyat was jailed in Kaduna for reporting on attacks.
Islamic Empire Fears The attacks causing population displacements across the country are aimed at religious and political domination, Lipdo said. “Their target is to create an Islamic empire,” he said. Garba gave a parallel opinion, saying: “The plan is to exterminate Christianity in the whole of Nigeria. Where they don’t succeed with that, they will reduce Christianity to a level where it will no longer be a threat to Islam.” According to Solomon Maren, a member of
FROM L: -/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES, EMMY IBU/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES
World Religious Freedom
the Nigerian House of Representatives, as much as a quarter of Nigeria’s 200 million population has been displaced by Islamic attacks in recent years. “In fact, local governments have been displaced,” Maren told Insight. “Many of the communities have been taken over by the attackers.” After the brazen attack on Catholic worshippers at St. Francis Catholic Church, U.S. Rep. Chris Smith (R-N.J.) noted the “significant spread in violence against Christians and new threats in Nigeria that cannot be ignored.” “Previously, Ondo had not seen major militant activity, and the attack indicates the southward migration of terror towards Christian-majority regions as well as Nigeria’s oil-producing areas,” Smith wrote in a letter to Victoria Nuland, U.S. undersecretary of state for political affairs. A former archbishop of the Catholic archdiocese of Owerri, the capital of southeast Imo state, Anthony Obinna, told Insight that several territories in the region have been seized by Islamic militants.
A funeral service for 17 worshippers and two priests who were allegedly killed by Fulani herdsmen, in AyatiIkpayongo, Nigeria, on May 22, 2018.
“Nigerian Christians are not safe and are constantly living in fear.” Rev. Joseph Hayab, vice chairman, Christian Association of Nigeria
“Those areas have become no-go zones for Christians,” Obinna said. Local officials have confirmed the annexations.
No End in Sight In a June 7 statement, Abia state Gov. Okezie Ikpeazu ordered a military raid of forests allegedly seized by terrorists in the state. The prelate of the Methodist Church Nigeria, Kalu Samuel Uche, was recently kidnapped near one of the forests known as Isuochi. The large tropical rainforest located in the Umunneochi county of Abia borders all nine states in Nigeria’s southeast. “As long as the perpetrators can continue with impunity there’s no indication that there will be an end to the killings,” British parliamentarian Baroness Caroline Cox wrote to Insight. “There’s an urgent need for the Nigerian government and the international community to call the perpetrators to account. “Until and unless they do so, they can be seen to be complicit.” I N S I G H T July 22–28, 2022 15
First hospital to mandate vaccine for employees could now be facing critical shortages as hundreds contract COVID-19
EXCLUSIVE
HOSPITAL FACES
Staffing Crisis By Emily Miller
16 I N S I G H T July 22–28, 2022
Nation Health Care
T An emergency room nurse tends to a patient at the Houston Methodist The Woodlands Hospital, in Houston on Aug. 18, 2021. PHOTO BY BRANDON BELL/ GETTY IMAGES
HE FIRST U.S. HOSPITAL SYSTEM to enforce a COVID-19 vaccine mandate for all employees could now be facing a staffing shortage because of a rise in infections. Houston Methodist now has hundreds of employees out of work because they tested positive for the virus that causes COVID-19. At the same hospital system in 2021, 153 staff members who refused to get vaccinated quit or were fired. Now, Houston Methodist’s leadership is trying to avert a crisis. “What is worrisome is the climbing number of our employees who cannot work because they are home sick with COVID-19. Almost 400 employees tested positive last week,” Dr. Robert Phillips, Houston Methodist’s executive vice president and chief physician executive, wrote in an internal email on July 12 obtained by Insight. “While most of these employees are getting COVID-19 from the community, it is vital that we don’t face a situation where too many employees are out sick and we find ourselves with a staffing shortage.” Houston Methodist, with a workforce of about 28,000, was the first hospital system in the country to mandate the COVID-19 vaccine for all of its employees. It also was the first system in the nation to mandate the vaccine for its private health care providers who are credentialed members of its medical staff. The hospital later required all its employees to get a vaccine booster by March 1. While most employees got vaccinated and stayed, the system is having trouble with staffing as the vaccines prove increasingly worse at protecting against infection as new variants of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, emerge. “The spike in cases is happening all over the country and is likely attributed to the highly contagious and more vaccine-resistant omicron subvariant,” Phillips wrote. “BA.5 is now the most infectious variant so far and is thought to be four times more vaccine evasive than the last dominant variant.” BA.5 is a subvariant of Omicron. It recently became the dominant strain in the United States, according to federal data. Phillips nodded at how the vaccines provide little protection against infection, describing BA.5 as four times more “vaccine-evasive” than the last dominant strain, which was BA2.12.1. While many employees are sick, Phillips said the spike is “not yet correlating with a large surge in hospitalizations” at HousI N S I G H T July 22–28, 2022 17
Nation Health Care
ton Methodist, with just 290 COVID-19 patients in the system as of July 12. None of the patients are Houston Methodist employees, according to spokeswoman Stefanie Asin. Asked how many of the hospitalized COVID-19 patients are vaccinated, Asin said she didn’t know. Nearly half of the patients in the system in late 2021 were vaccinated.
Nurse Jennifer Bridges in Houston on June 22, 2021. Bridges was fired by Houston Methodist in June 2021 for refusing the vaccine.
Problem With Mandates
18 I N S I G H T July 22–28, 2022
“A true vaccine would prevent you from catching the virus. It’s time Methodist owns up to its mistakes.” Jennifer Bridges, former nurse, Houston Methodist
FROM L: FRANCOIS PICARD/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES, BRANDON BELL/ GETTY IMAGES, FRANCOIS PICARD/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES
“The problem with vaccine mandates is that they are immunologically ignorant by ignoring the powerful effect of natural immunity,” Dr. Marty Makary, a Johns Hopkins surgeon and professor, told Insight. “Natural immunity has been formally studied in over 200 studies and has been found to be more effective than vaccinated immunity.” Studies from scientists in Qatar, the United States, and other countries have found those who survived COVID-19 had superior protection than the vaccinated, though a smaller number of studies indicate the opposite. Nurse Jennifer Bridges was fired by Houston Methodist in June 2021 for refusing the vaccine. “This only proves our point that the vaccine doesn’t work. A true vaccine would prevent you from catching the virus. It’s time Methodist owns up to its mistakes,” Bridges told Insight after reviewing Phillips’s memo. “That is absolutely a false premise,” Asin responded. “The vaccines were never intended to stop you from getting it. The point of the
vaccines is to keep you from severe illness and being hospitalized. The mandates and the vaccines are absolutely working.” Bridges now works at a private COVID-19 clinic located in Houston called BreatheMD, which is owned by Dr. Mary Talley Bowden. “I had COVID two years ago and have never gotten sick again—even though all I do is care for COVID patients,” she said. Bridges and a number of other former Houston Methodist workers sued their employer over its refusal to recognize natural immunity, as well as other aspects of the mandate, but the lawsuit was thrown out and an appeal was rejected. But Makary, who is a member of the National Academy of Medicine, said the science shows the naturally immune should have been retained. “When Methodist fired nurses who had natural immunity for not being vaccinated, they fired those least likely to spread the infection at the workplace,” he said. “Many nurses have circulating antibodies that neutralize the COVID virus, but they are not antibodies that Methodist hospital recognizes.” Bridges said: “The patients are suffering in the hospitals, and the little staff they have are overworked due to these shortages. It’s sad that they would rather keep away very healthy, unvaccinated nurses with natural immunity when they need us so badly.” “What does natural immunity actually mean?” Asin responded. “We required the
Nation Health Care
vaccines for our employees to keep the patients safe.” She said they don’t currently have staffing shortages.
Change in Tune The vaccines were authorized by federal regulators to prevent symptomatic infection, and were touted by vaccine makers and numerous health officials as offering high protection. As that protection has waned, authorities have focused on the protection the vaccines provide against severe disease. While Houston Methodist now says the vaccines were intended to protect its employees from severe illness, that isn’t what its leaders said a year and a half ago, according to emails reviewed by Insight. In February 2021, the hospital system emailed an offer of a $500 bonus to any employee who got two shots of the vaccines. The email says, “The Hope Bonus is a reward for setting the right example and doing our part to stop the spread.” Dr. Marc Boom, president and CEO of Houston Methodist, emailed employees on April 15, 2021, telling them that the mandate was for preventing infection and spread to patients. “We’re seeing positive results as the number of employee infections has dropped inversely with the number of employees receiving the vaccine. It appears we’ve successfully created herd immunity at Houston Methodist,” he wrote. Herd immunity means the level of protection that comes from vaccines, prior infec-
(Left) Emergency room nurses and EMTs tend to patients in hallways at the Houston Methodist The Woodlands Hospital in Houston on Aug. 18, 2021. (Above) The Houston Methodist Baytown Hospital in Baytown, Texas.
Houston Methodist was the first hospital system in the country to mandate the COVID-19 vaccine for all of its employees.
tion, or both is so high that the spread of a disease is no longer an issue. “COVID vaccines were originally thought to reduce COVID transmission, but that understanding quickly changed, rendering policies for unvaccinated people obsolete,” Makary said. “If someone who does not have natural immunity chooses not to get vaccinated, they do so at their own individual risk, but they pose no public health threat now that population immunity is high.” Bowden, Bridges’s new employer, lost her privileges with Houston Methodist after she announced that she would only treat unvaccinated patients who couldn’t get care elsewhere. The hospital said Bowden was spreading “misinformation.” She was suspended, and then resigned. Bowden said the number of vaccinated employees who are out sick means Houston Methodist leaders owe an explanation “to those of us who were persecuted for questioning the mandates.” “We have 400 employees out sick with COVID. They are out sick without severe illness. We stand by the effectiveness of the vaccine,” Asin said. Phillips told his employees to do their best not to get sick. “Our patients need us to stay healthy, so I strongly encourage our employees to be as vigilant as possible,” he said. “Please use good judgment in your personal lives as community spread ... is high right now.” I N S I G H T July 22–28, 2022 19
Event Conservativism
F L O R I DA
Casey DeSantis Talks Kids
Florida’s first lady shares how her preschoolers are ‘leaving their mark’ on the governor’s mansion
M By Nanette Holt
ore than 500 mothers from across the country traveled home from downtown Tampa, Florida, on July 17, energized and eager to carry out conservative activism in their own counties. After attending the three-day Joyful Warriors National Summit, members of Moms for Liberty renewed their mission: to stand against liberal and progressive policies creeping into schools and other institutions. But they also carried away encouragement in their roles as mothers. That boost, some said, came in the form of a glimpse into how Florida’s first couple navigates life with three preschoolers in the governor’s mansion. Those details were revealed by Casey DeSantis, wife of Florida’s Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, during the first nationwide gathering of Moms for Liberty. The Florida-based group drew popular conservative speakers to a conference center along the yacht-lined Hillsborough River. While they dined on meals included in the $199 event tickets, moms—and some dads—listened to conservative politicos, including Gov. DeSantis, U.S. Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.), former U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos, and Dr. Ben Carson, who served as U.S. secretary of housing and urban development under then-President Donald Trump. Speakers also included pundits well-known in Christian circles, including podcaster Allie Beth Stuckey, author and mathematician James Lindsay, and Alveda King, the activist niece of Martin Luther King Jr. They cheered for Jeff Childers, a Florida attorney and COVID-19 blogger who has provided legal advice to the Moms for Liberty movement since before its official launch in 2021. They also applauded Rep. Joe Harding, the lawmaker responsible for Florida’s “Parental Rights in Education bill,” misleadingly labeled as the “Don’t Say Gay” bill by opponents nationwide.
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Analysts have said that Gov. DeSantis will need to win by a significant margin if he does plan to try to take the White House. But the speaker who may have supercharged mothers most was the one who said the least—5year-old Madison DeSantis, who had the last word during her mother’s time on stage. The oldest of the three DeSantis children sat on her mother, often sucking her thumb or tapping her mom’s arm to signal that she wanted to whisper a comment. Casey DeSantis gently reminded her little girl to sit properly, then allowed her to go play with a doll. Unfazed by the interruptions, the 42-year-old described the challenge of raising three small children in a home decorated with irreplaceable relics. She also shared how her husband’s inclusion of their children in his work doesn’t always go as planned. She told of when their son, Mason, now 4, fell asleep on the floor next to the podium while the governor spoke. “You know there’s going to be repercussions in the form of memes,” she said. Following Casey DeSantis’s speech, Sarah Han-
ALL PHOTOS COURTESY OF RON DESANTIS FOR GOVERNOR
ganu, who runs a Moms for Liberty chapter in Dutchess County, New York, said: “I loved it—I think we need to see more of that! “It shows they’re parents, too, and they have skin in the game.” Hanganu, who homeschools her two children, said she appreciates that the Florida governor kept schools open across his state during the pandemic and banned the forced masking of children. She wishes the governor of her state would follow DeSantis’s lead. As the pandemic unfolded, DeSantis also vowed not to allow the forced vaccination of children for COVID-19, and he halted the quarantining of healthy schoolchildren after exposure to the virus. All these policy moves drew criticism from his political opponents.
(Above) Casey DeSantis, wife of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, shares a chair with her 5-year-old daughter, Madison, as she speaks at the Moms for Liberty Joyful Warriors National Summit in Tampa, Fla., on June 15. (Right) Gov. Ron DeSantis carries his son, Mason.
Midterm Election DeSantis currently is running for reelection, and many political handicappers say he’s likely I N S I G H T July 22–28, 2022 21
Event Conservativism
Gov. Ron DeSantis shakes hands with supporters of his reelection campaign.
As the pandemic unfolded, Gov. DeSantis vowed not to allow forced vaccination of children for COVID-19.
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old Mamie, has helped them discover that Magic Erasers can, indeed, remove crayon marks from early-19th-century French wallpaper, which adorns the state dining room in the mansion. “We have learned that slime—you have to get it out of Oriental rugs quickly,” she said. All governors leave something special behind when they finish their term and move out, she said. She and her husband are doing their best “not to be destroying the place” and to “be good stewards,” she said. But she imagines there will be evidence that her children have “left their mark.” And those areas might be pointed out in future public tours of the residence years from now, she said with a chuckle. Although she’s working on discouraging the youngsters from leaping off the furniture, the thuds from their jubilant landings often result in calls from security officers based in an office below the residence. The audience laughed as she described her frequent assurances to officers’ calls that a rapid tactical response to the noise wasn’t necessary.
First Lady’s Cancer Diagnosis Initiative DeSantis spoke about her initiatives as first lady, including a new push to speed up the process to get imaging for breast cancer diagnoses. That came out of her cancer battle that began in October 2021. The governor announced in February that she’s now “cancer-free.” “I know a lot of people in this room were pray-
FROM L: COURTESY OF RON DESANTIS FOR GOVERNOR, CASEY DESANTIS ON TWITTER/SCREENSHOT VIA INSIGHT
to keep his job as Florida’s top executive. That election is Nov. 8. His Democratic challengers will face off in a primary on Aug. 23. The Sunshine State’s governor challenges President Joe Biden’s policies and often teams up with state Attorney General Ashley Moody, who also spoke at the conference, to initiate lawsuits challenging orders from the Biden administration. DeSantis dismisses suggestions that he’s considering a bid for president in 2024, although many professional politics watchers don’t believe that. They expect DeSantis to embrace a campaign for president after November. Poll numbers show that his popularity is growing among Republicans across the country, even closing the gap on Trump. The governor kicked off the Moms for Liberty conference as attendees ate breakfast. His wife’s on-stage appearance, which had the tone of a chat with friends over coffee, began a few hours later during lunch. The former newscaster started by confessing that she’d just come from a press conference across town about expanding the reach of her initiative HOPE Florida. “Madison decided she wanted to sit on my lap during the entire thing, which was enjoyable,” Casey DeSantis said with mock sarcasm, as fellow mothers in the room laughed in commiseration. “All of my notes [were] in front of me. She took a Sharpie on all of my notes, then she started coloring on me, which was enjoyable.” She described how their other daughter, 2-year-
Event Conservativism
Casey DeSantis spoke about a new push to speed up the process to get imaging to assist in breast cancer diagnoses, which came out of her own cancer battle.
(Above) Florida’s first lady, Casey DeSantis, with youngest child, Mamie. (Right) Casey DeSantis participates in a roundtable discussion about her Hope Florida initiative with her 5-year-old daughter, Madison, in her lap on July 15.
ing for me,” she said. “I can’t tell you what that does in your spirit.” She had to push to get the imaging that eventually revealed her cancer, she said. She urged the women in the room to become their own health advocates. She urged the women to support her husband’s reelection campaign, describing him as an example of the American dream. She spoke of his “humble beginnings” in the small mid-Florida town of Dunedin, where his parents still live in the same 1,800-square-foot house. She talked about how baseball scholarships allowed DeSantis to earn a law degree, starting at Yale and then Harvard. And she said he then decided to join the military “because it was the right thing to do, and he wanted to give back.”
She noted that he earned a Bronze Star for service in Iraq and Guantanamo Bay, finishing his career with the U.S. Navy as a JAG officer. She touted his record as governor of the thirdmost populous U.S. state, overseeing “the 13th largest economy in the world,” and warned that Florida would have been very different to live in had he not eked out a win in 2018, besting Democratic candidate Andrew Gillum by just 32,000 votes. In November, “we need to win a slam-dunk election,” she told the crowd, asking them to sign on with Mamas for DeSantis. Analysts have said that DeSantis will need to win by a significant margin if he does plan to try to take the White House. In June, Casey DeSantis launched the Mamas movement that aims to harness the power of a million Florida mothers and grandmothers to help with her husband’s reelection campaign. “When you want to get something done,” she said, “you go to a mama.” To conclude her appearance, she offered the microphone to her daughter, asking if she would like to “thank everyone for working so hard.” Madison DeSantis took the mic and demurely said, “Thank you.” The room erupted in cheers. I N S I G H T July 22–28, 2022 23
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T H G IL T O P S Enjoying a Ride A PET PELICAN STANDS ON TOP OF a car in traffic in Kabul, Afghanistan, on July 19. Kabul is the capital city and the largest urban center in the country. PHOTO BY LILLIAN SUWANRUMPHA/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES
I N S I G H T July 22–28, 2022 25
L AWS U I T
Legal Fees Mount for ‘Trump Train’ Couple
The Texas couple is accused of voter intimidation for following Biden campaign bus By Darlene McCormick Sanchez couple that joined the a CNN story that detailed the case. They Trump Train following a weren’t sure the suit was real until they Biden–Harris campaign were served with papers four weeks after bus on a Texas high- the media reported it. way in 2020 has spent “It’s been crazy, like something you $80,000 defending themselves against never expect to happen,” Robert Mesaros a lawsuit claiming voter intimidation said. “It blew my mind. We didn’t know under the Ku Klux Klan Act of 1871. what to do.” Joeylynn and Robert Mesaros of New Multiple attorneys at the Texas Civil Braunfels, Texas, told Insight they did Rights Project, Protect Democracy Projnothing wrong. ect, and the international firm of Willkie They believe that the civil suit filed Farr and Gallagher out of Washington against them in 2021 by supporters of filed the lawsuit against Trump Train President Joe Biden was designed to participants and a similar lawsuit against punish political opposition and chill San Marcos, Texas, law enforcement for free speech. failing to offer a police escort for the bus. “While their plan is The firms represent ultimately to bankBiden campaign staffThe suit left the rupt us in this proer David Gins; former cess, we know that Mesaros on their Texas state Sen. Wendy money is replaceDavis, a Democrat who own, with little able,” Joeylynn Mesaonce ran against Texas ros wrote in an email. choice but to empty Gov. Gregg Abbott, a Re“We are focusing our publican; and bus drivtheir retirement attention on being er Timothy Holloway. accounts and their The fourth plaintiff is joyful in our family, our health, and othchild’s college fund campaign volunteer er things they cannot Cervini, who drove for their defense. Eric take from us.” a car in front of the bus, Videos of Trump according to the Texas Train members surCivil Rights Project. rounding the bus as it traveled on InterBesides the Mesaroses, defendants state 35 near Austin, Texas, went viral named in the lawsuit include Eliazar Cisand drew praise from then-President neros, Hannah Ceh, and Dolores Park. The Donald Trump. defendants appear to have been identiThe FBI investigated the incident, fied by license plates. They’ve hired difwhich resulted in a collision after a Biden ferent attorneys. supporter’s white vehicle appeared to The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. Western cross into the lane of a truck driven by a District of Texas, claims that on Oct. Trump supporter. No charges were filed. 30, 2020, Trump supporters “terrorized The couple’s ordeal started eight and menaced” Biden supporters and months after they joined the caravan of conspired to suppress their right to vote. trucks and cars decorated with Trump The complaint alleges that the Trump stickers and flags. Train participants drove within inches of They were shocked to find out about the bus and tried to force it off the road. the lawsuit when a friend alerted them to At one point, Trump supporters swerved
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in front of the bus, slowing it to a crawl on a major highway, the lawsuit claims. In an attempt to tie the case to the Jan. 6, 2021, breach of the U.S. Capitol, the complaint states that relatives of one defendant had been at the Washington protest that day. The same 150-year-old KKK law was used to sue Trump after Jan. 6, 2021. Joeylynn Mesaros thought conservatives would come to their defense. But after calling some 50 different groups and law firms, they realized they were on their own. It left them with little choice but to empty their retirement accounts and their child’s college fund for their defense. “We’re a single-income family,” Joeylynn Mesaros said, noting that her husband works as a plumber and that she’s a stay-at-home mom. “It feels like they’re just having fun. It’s abusive.” The plaintiffs demanded every Facebook post and email concerning politics
Nation Civil Case
ALL PHOTOS COURTESY OF JOEYLYNN MESAROS
(Left) Robert and Joeylynn Mesaros. Joeylynn thought conservatives would come to their defense. But after calling some 50 different groups and law firms, they realized they were on their own. (Above) Joeylynn Mesaros sits in a truck decorated with flags and a giant “Make America Great Again” hat.
they made from 2019 forward as part of discovery. That means her husband sometimes stays up to 3 a.m. to help her with documentation, she said. To make matters worse, Joeylynn Mesaros said the Texas Civil Rights Project in Austin used graphics of a hooded KKK figure standing next to an armed man carrying a Trump flag in their portrayal of the case online. With little money, the Mesaroses decided to try fundraising to pay their legal costs. They created the Free Speech Defender website that raised $170,000 of the estimated $500,000 needed to defend themselves and possibly launch a countersuit. They hope there’s enough money after the lawsuit to reimburse their retirement and college funds. The couple decided to keep the site going even after their lawsuit to help others faced with litigation over political speech. “We want to hang in the game and believe God called us to do this for a victory
for free speech,” she said. The couple’s Houston attorney, Jerad Najvar, told Insight that the case is moving forward after Judge Robert Pitman, an Obama appointee, denied a motion to dismiss this spring. The same judge granted the plaintiffs’ motion for a protective order that prevents disclosing much of the information they receive during discovery, said Najvar, who specializes in political law. So while the plaintiffs could get their side out to the public for months and use it for fundraising, the defendants’ couldn’t entirely tell their side, Najvar said. “It’s very unusual—not only unusual, but completely inappropriate,” Najvar said of the protective order. “Wild accusations” in the lawsuit have defamed his clients for exercising their First Amendment rights, he said. Najvar intends to pursue sanctions against plaintiff attorneys for what he characterized as deliberately mislead-
ing statements in the lawsuit. In a June letter to the plaintiffs’ attorneys, he called the allegation that the Mesaroses dangerously cut off the bus a “fabrication contradicted by the plaintiffs’ own video.” “The video showed the bus pulled up behind his clients, who stopped on the shoulder and honked incessantly. Robert Mesaros slowly and safely reentered the right lane and pulled away,” Najvar said. Lackland Bloom Jr., a Southern Methodist University law professor and expert in constitutional law, told Insight in an email that he believes the case will eventually be dismissed. To prevail, the plaintiffs in a lawsuit brought under the KKK Act must allege that the state was involved in the denial of constitutional rights, he said. Simply alleging that the state failed to provide protection would be insufficient. Najvar said his clients will win. He believes the lawsuit stemmed from embarrassment at the show of support Trump generated in Texas, especially near the border. “Ultimately, we’re going to be fine because the facts and law are on our side,” he said. Representatives for the Texas Civil Rights Project, Protect Democracy Project, and Willkie Farr and Gallagher didn’t return calls seeking comment. I N S I G H T July 22–28, 2022 27
Brian Horton makes adjustments to a prosthetic leg at Southlake Orthopaedics in Birmingham, Ala., on July 10. Horton’s goal for patients who have lost limbs is to allow them to “live a normal life.”
PROSTHETICS
As technology progresses, so does the world of prosthetics, giving a new life to those who have lost a limb By Jannis Falkenstern
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ALL PHOTOS BY JANNIS FALKENSTERN/THE EPOCH TIMES
Limb Maker Changing Lives, One Prosthetic at a Time
i r m i n g h a m , a l a . — A workplace accident changed Christopher Thornton’s life, but he found hope through the miracle of prosthetics and one limb maker, Brian Horton. Thornton was involved in a forklift accident almost three years ago, he told recently told Insight. After three operations, he was faced with a life-altering decision: an amputation. He forced himself to watch his children from the sidelines as they participated in school activities, “not being able to help them practice for a little more than two years,” he said. “I was on crutches for 2 1/2 years,” he said with tears welling in his eyes. “I lost 2 1/2 years of my life. “It’s not fun being on crutches, especially not if you have an active style family. I missed out on
Nation Life After Amputation
a lot of things because I just physically couldn’t do things.” However, Thornton elected to have his injured foot amputated, and that’s when he met Horton of Southlake Orthopaedics, whom he credits with “giving him his life back.” Before his accident, Thornton said he was an avid hunter and fisherman. He said with Horton’s help he has “learned to adapt” and has found new ways to enjoy old hobbies. “I started back hunting. I’m starting to fish again,” he said. “Getting in the boat was tricky— but I figured out how to do it.” He admitted most of his successes with learning how to manage a prosthetic have been “trial and error” and finding his “new normal.” “You do one thing, you know, you figure it out,” he said. “You do it right the next time.” Thornton has a goal to get back into a deer stand by the fall and winter deer hunting season. Stands can range from 15 to 20 feet high in trees in the deep Alabama woods where, he said, “no one can hear you scream for help.” He said none of the things that he’s able to do now would be possible without the “miracle” of his prosthetic. The Amputee Coalition estimates more than 2 million Americans live with limb loss, and another 28 million are at risk of amputation surgery each year. They attribute this to three main causes, the most common being vascular disease, which affects 54 percent of those with diabetes, peripheral arterial disease (PAD), and blood clots. Any of these results in poor blood flow to the limbs, the coalition says on its website. “This can cause pain, tissue damage, and wounds that don’t heal correctly, which over time, may lead to amputation,” the website states. “Black Americans are up to four times more likely to face amputation than white Americans because of an increased risk of diabetes and PAD.” The other two causes of limb loss are trauma, which affects 45 percent of amputees, and cancer. Horton estimates that 185,000 amputations occur in the United States each year and another 3.6 million people will be “living with limb loss or amputation of an arm or leg by the year 2050.” He said he began his work with prosthetics in the late 1980s when amputees were “pretty much relegated to crutches and wheelchairs.” But a group of doctors visiting the small hospital where he was working at the time came armed with prosthetics that closely emulated missing limbs. “I was working in a hospital setting for a vascu-
“Prosthetics was made for me, or either I was made for prosthetics.” Brian Horton, Southlake Orthopaedics
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MAIN CAUSES OF AMPUTATION
lar surgeon with amputees,” he told Insight, at his office in Birmingham. “I was doing strengthening and wound care when I met those guys.” He said the prosthetic group would visit the small hospital once a week, and Horton found himself working with them on a regular basis. “That’s how I learned,” he said. “Prosthetics was made for me, or either I was made for prosthetics. I can’t imagine doing anything else. “I knew right then that’s what I wanted to do.” Seeing patients bedridden from “one day to the next” weighed on Horton, and he began to see the difference that prosthetics were making in people’s lives, especially teenagers, he said. “As a teenager and losing their leg, you’re thinking, man, this is bad,” he said. “But with prosthetics, it’s just really a new beginning, and it’s really not the end of anything—just a new way of living.” Horton’s goal for patients who have lost limbs is to allow them to “live a normal life” and said that as technology progresses, so does the world of prosthetics. He encourages those who are looking to help others to lead a more productive life after losing a limb to look into the world of prosthetics and orthotics. “It can be lucrative—both financially as well as personally rewarding,” he said. “The demand for orthotists and prosthetists is high. Baby boomers are going to physicians in large numbers due to arthritis and diabetes.”
1. Vascular disease 2. Trauma 3. Cancer
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More than 2 million Americans are currently living with limb loss, and another 28 million are at risk of amputation surgery each year, according to The Amputee Coalition.
Brian Horton (L) adjusts Christopher Thornton’s prosthetic at his lab. I N S I G H T July 22–28, 2022 29
PREPAREDNESS
Food S
Growing food at home sees resurgence as
By Charlotte Cuthbertson
A person holds seeds during a school lesson on planting a vegetable garden. PHOTO BY DAVID MCNEW/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES
ecurity
inflation, supply chain worries increase
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v ega n fa m ily of four , w ithou t any gardening experience, can grow all of their own food for a year using 1/20th of an acre. That’s 4,400 pounds of food per year, grown in six garden beds using the “predictable” and formulaic Mittleider gardening system, said Lucinda Bailey, co-founder of seed bank company Texas Ready. “I’ve taught 40 different methods at community college level and this is the only system that I could say, ‘If I do a half hour of this kind of labor, I put in this many dollars, I will get 70 pounds at the end of the season,’” Bailey told Insight. “In a down economy, we’ve got to produce the calories for our family. It’s a change in lifestyle—it really is—to get people to be able to grow all their groceries in their backyard, but it’s entirely possible.”
“I just think people ought to begin growing their own food, because I don’t think there are any good answers on the market.” Lucinda Bailey, co-founder, Texas Ready
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that you’re really going to be able to chow down on. You don’t throw the seeds in and tomorrow you have salad—that isn’t how it works. It could take 60, 90 days before you’re really having that hearty soup.” In 2020, government-imposed lockdowns kept people at home and many turned to growing their own food—either as a hobby or as a way to combat concerns about the food supply chain. Once the country opened up, soaring food prices and rising inflation added to food security concerns and again, more people turned to home gardening. “We’ve really seen—as far as it relates to the food supply chain, and particularly more recently, the cost of food within the supermarket—people wanting to take more control over that,” said Bill Hageman, owner of Peaceful Valley, the largest independent U.S. retailer of organic food production and gardening supplies. “To be able to grow food within your own home and not have to go through retail chains and other distributors, that’s going to have a more pronounced impact going forward.” The demographic of who is growing food at home has also shifted dramatically in recent years, said Hageman.
FROM L: COURTESY OF LUCINDA BAILEY, COURTESY OF TEXAS READY
Bailey said an 8-year-old girl recently produced 4,325 pounds of food in her first year of trying the Mittleider system, which is known for high yields and the ability to thrive in any soil condition and wide climate variations. “It’s not a difficult system. She followed the checklist,” Bailey said. In the past, Bailey would tell gardening novices to grab some seedlings from Home Depot or Lowes and “just keep them alive for 90 days” in the first year. In the second year, start growing from seed, and in year three, learn how to save your own seeds, she said. Now, due to socio-political stressors, she’s encouraging people to get started right away and learn it all at once. “I just think people ought to begin growing their own food because I don’t think there are any good answers on the market,” she said. “It takes about three months to even get something
Vegetable garden beds using the Mittleider growing system.
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“For our segment within organic gardening, if you look back three or four years, the top demographic would more likely be someone who’s either retired or semi-retired,” he said, citing trends from the company’s online nursery GrowOrganic.com. “The No. 1 demographic within our website right now is the 22-to-35 [age group]. And it’s split half between male and female. It’s individuals that are craving knowledge that probably didn’t grow up in an environment where they were exposed to their own food production.”
Knowing which USDA hardiness zone you’re in can help you to avoid crop failures. Community gardens are springing up in more places, and gardeners are documenting their successes and failures on social media, as well as sharing information on how to solve common issues. “Where it would have been something that was individualized before, I think people are very proud of their accomplishments and it helps keep them motivated through the hard times when you lose some
crop, or you’ve got a pest that you were able to control,” Hageman said. He has seen a migration in shipping patterns over the past three years from traditional city centers and suburban areas on the West Coast near Los Angeles or San Francisco to areas such as Sacramento, Spokane, and outside of Boise. “It’s not just a West Coast phenomenon. We’ve seen a lot of people leaving Miami and New York City and moving to suburbs in Atlanta or Nashville,” he said. Growing enough food to cut out reliance on the supermarket can seem daunting, but experts encourage people to just get started. Hageman encourages people to “just get their hands dirty.” “Spend a little bit of time online educating yourself on what resources you would need to be successful,” he said. “It’s really easy to get discouraged. Growing from seed is not always the easiest thing, [and] there are certain varieties that will grow easier than others.” Knowing which USDA hardiness zone you’re in can help avoid failures, Hageman said. He suggests for first-time and casual gardeners I N S I G H T July 22–28, 2022 33
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34 I N S I G H T July 22–28, 2022
A team discusses how to harvest crops at the Asante Microfarm in Los Angeles on May 23 2021.
Heirloom Versus Hybrid Seeds Seeds can be categorized into two general formats— hybrid and open pollinated. Open-pollinated seeds are the most stable, and those that have been around for at least 25 generations can be labeled as “heirloom,” Bailey said. “The heirloom then is going to be the most stable of the stable. And that’s what you want in a down economy where you have to make sure that you’re feeding your family. There’s no room for messing up,” she said. To explain a hybrid seed, Bailey likened it to the designer dog labradoodle in the animal world—an intentional breed between a labrador and a poodle. “But let’s say next year, the dogs get out” and mate, she said. “You’re not getting labs, you’re not getting poodles, and you’re sure as heck not getting labradoodles. You’re getting mutts. Well, that’s exactly what happens in the garden.” Bailey said hybrids generally produce great food the first year, but beyond that, one of several poor outcomes are likely, including sterile seeds or “you plant a cucumber, but you get a gourd,” or “you plant a tomato, and it reverts up the genetic chain.” Neither heirloom nor organic seeds are genetically modified, but organic seeds can be hybrid, she said.
FROM L: VALERIE MACON/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES, JAKE WYMAN/GETTY IMAGES
to try starting seeds in a tray and then gardening in a raised bed or containers. “There’s a pretty low barrier to entry around that,” he said. If you’re growing into the ground, “you really need to understand what’s in your soil.” Additionally, more and more solutions are hitting the market for people living in urban areas and small spaces. “Because of the growth of gardening overall, there’s been a lot of new products that have come out over the last two years or so that’ll help homeowners in cities,” Hageman said. People can now “easily” grow tomatoes in containers on a patio or fire escape, he said. “Within the home, too, I’d say growing herbs, growing spices, growing things in your windowsill. That’s also an attractive way to start.” Matthew Elsey, merchant of fertilizers and seeds for The Home Depot, said the mega-chain has seen an increase in people growing food over the past few years. “One of the best ways to grow vegetable plants and herb plants in your own yard is in a raised garden bed. Elevated garden beds make it easier to control the soil and protect against pests,” he told Insight via email. Elsey said the stores’ top-selling seedlings are tomatoes and hot peppers.
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“Just because it’s organic, it just means it was grown in pretty dirt. It doesn’t mean that the genetics are what we want them to be,” she said. Texas Ready sells seed banks for different-sized families, from the 10,000-seed “Piggy Bank” for two adults, through to the 200,000-seed “The Treasury” for 30-plus adults. The kits include at least 70 different varieties of produce that, used together with the Mittleider system, are geared to provide the annual caloric and nutritional requirement for the group. All of her seeds will grow in the continental United States, she said. “Our seed banks are based on nutrition,” Bailey said. “So we have two or three things of every vitamin or supplement that is needed.” Hageman sells organic seeds—sourced locally where possible—as well as plants such as fruit and nut trees. “It’s a higher quality product. We focus on health benefit overall, we focus on nutrition,” he said. The website is packed with gardening products and tips, including how to deal with pests organically.
ting more scarce. Bailey suggests stocking up now on what’s needed to guarantee success with the Mittleider system—nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, as well as Epsom salts and trace elements. “I could store five years’ worth for a family of four under a single card table,” she said.
Storing and Saving Seeds USDA-certified seeds that are stored at around 40 degrees F will last about five years, with a germination rate of about 85 percent, Bailey said. “Seeds are living organisms, so you certainly don’t want to vacuum pack or suck all the oxygen out—there has to be a slight amount of oxygen transfer,” she said.
Community gardens are springing up in more places, and gardeners are documenting their successes and failures on social media.
Seed and Fertilizer Shortages Seed sales are a litmus test of wider economic and political changes. Kurt Nauck, co-founder of Texas Ready, said when Barack Obama was president, sales continued to climb. He called Obama “salesman of the year” for several years. The company was selling three or four seed banks a day. However, when President Donald Trump took office, seed sales dropped so low (to two banks per month) that Nauck and Bailey decided in February 2020 to put the company on ice. Then the pandemic hit, and government lockdowns followed. The governor of Michigan banned sales of seeds and gardening supplies from the big box stores that she had allowed to remain open in the state. “Since that time, we have remained extremely busy,” Nauck said. “Our customer, I would say, is 95 percent-plus individuals who are pretty new to gardening. That’s always been the case, [and] that really hasn’t changed.” However, Nauck said, the customer base is much broader than before, and even farmers are calling to find seeds to plant acres of food. “We didn’t used to have farmers calling us,” he said. Bailey said she has recently had difficulty sourcing some seeds due to more crop failures and other factors. “I had never seen that quantity of crop failure. One or two a year, breeds that don’t produce, that makes some sense to me. But 10 or 15 varieties, that makes no sense to me,” she said. Hageman said he doesn’t foresee a seed shortage to have a “massive impact” on the home gardener. “I’d say that as it relates to specialty or unique seeds, what we’ve observed is that the price is going up more than the availability is going down,” he said. Fertilizers are growing in price and potentially get-
An array of vegetable and herb seed packets on display. Heirloom seeds are the most stable and hardy, experts say.
Beyond the first year’s crop, gardeners should start learning how to save their best seeds for next season—a whole science in itself. “We believe the old ways were best. Everybody in America at one point knew how to save seeds because that was how they were going to feed their families,” Bailey said. “There are 17 major seed-saving families. By that I mean, watermelon, cucumbers, squash—those are all done exactly the same way. These aren’t difficult things, but they’re things that you would never guess to do.” She recommends the book “Seed to Seed” by Suzanne Ashworth as a how-to guide. “If just a few of us could get good at saving seeds, and we have in our hearts to benefit our neighbors and train them to do it, this thing can go exponential, and there is food for everybody. There is no need for food shortages, hunger—nothing like that,” she said.
I N S I G H T July 22–28, 2022 35
36 I N S I G H T July 22–28, 2022
T H G IL T O P S Foreign Affairs A SOLDIER OF THE FRENCH SPECIAL and Intervention Unit of the National Gendarmerie (USIGN) stands near a NH90 Caiman Helicopter at the Ouallam military base in Niger on July 15, during an official visit of the French ministers of foreign affairs and the armed forces to the country. PHOTO BY BERTRAND GUAY/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES
I N S I G H T July 22–28, 2022 37
Students walk to their classrooms at a public middle school in Los Angeles on Sept. 10, 2021. PHOTO BY ROBYN BECK/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES
38 I N S I G H T July 22–28, 2022
Nation Education
MARXIST INFILTRATION
Teaching Materials at Boston High School Sanction Violent Resistance A worksheet for newly arrived immigrants suggests political assassinations as a legitimate form of resisting ‘oppression’ By J.M. Phelps t Charlestown High School in Boston, certain teachers instructing students learning English who have recently arrived in the United States may be indoctrinating these children to incite violence as a form of resistance to their alleged oppressors, according to experts. The “classroom files” of three of the school’s teachers in the Sheltered English Immersion Program were previously available for download on the Boston Teachers Union (BTU) website. These teachers teach Humanities to ninth- and 10th-grade students who have recently arrived in the country from El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, and China, the website states. After the initial publication of this article, the page has been taken down. One part of the curriculum profiled on the website involves “notes and assignments around oppression, resistance, and narrative structure.” “It includes detailed note-taking sheets and powerpoints on institutional, interpersonal, and internalized oppression,” the BTU website reads. “Students are invited to critically examine when certain forms of resistance might be appropriate.” A worksheet dubbed “Forms of Resistance” is included as an example of what’s taught in the course. The first page of the worksheet identifies three types of oppression as “Insti-
tuional [sic],” “Interpresonal [sic],” and “Internalized,” and then lists examples of each. One example of oppression at the institutional level listed is, “Trump builds a wall on the border so it is harder for Latinos to enter the US.” At the interpersonal level, an example given is, “A husband tells his wife she must stay home to cook and clean.” An example of oppression at the internalized level used by the worksheet is, “An Asian girl hates her eyes, she thinks she is ugly so she gets surgery to change them.” Students were next asked to “list different forms of resistance for each level of oppression.” The following pages of the worksheet with the heading “Forms of Resistance Notes” contains 11 rows identifying 11 types of resistance that could be employed to end certain forms of oppression. The column on the far left contains pictures identifying each type of resistance and students are made to name the type of resistance in the next column. Next, students are meant to fill in the blanks in the column that provides the “explanation” for each form of resistance. In the last section, students are to choose which of the three levels of oppression—institutional, interpersonal, or internalized—that the type of resistance was “most effective at ending.” Alongside peaceful protest methods, such as boycotts, sit-ins, and petitions, the worksheet also contains three images I N S I G H T July 22–28, 2022 39
Nation Education
that appear to portray violent forms of revolt: riots, shown by masked protestors wearing all black throwing projectiles, including what appears to be a flare; fights, depicted by a cartoon image of two people brawling; and political assassinations, shown by an image of President Richard Nixon as a target of crosshairs.
‘Indoctrination’
40 I N S I G H T July 22–28, 2022
Justifying Violence The worksheet’s attempt to justify violence could be seen through the picture of three individuals dressed in black throwing various objects, including a flare. Both experts noted that the image alludes to groups such as Antifa, a farleft anarchist movement that seeks the overthrow of capitalism. The explanation listed alongside the picture on the worksheet reads, “Protesting or marching with [blank].” Friedrichs took issue with the characterization.
“Schools are meant for educating children, not indoctrinating them in radical ideology.” Rebecca Friedrichs, founder, For Kids & Country
“They’re clearly engaged in violence, throwing bottles and more,” she said. In a second example, depicting crosshairs on the chest of President Nixon, Friedrichs said this type of image is “extremely dangerous in the mind of a child.” “When children are being encouraged to view assassination as a legitimate form of resistance, we’ve entered into some very, very dangerous territory,” Newman said. “The blatant encouragement of assassination as a tactic of resistance to oppression is how this image needs to be understood.” Images such as this are “paving the way to more widespread violence in society,” he said, noting that “there are very, very powerful forces that want to see America break out into some very significant violence.” “In America, there’s a centuries-old tra-
dition of tolerance for peaceful protest, for peaceful assembly, [and] for peaceful seeking of redress of grievances that’s being lost,” Newman said. “A lot of these children are being indoctrinated to believe that the alleged oppression they are facing is so severe that violent rebellion is not only justified, but necessary.”
Teachers Taught to Radicalize Both Friedrichs and Newman said there have been great efforts to radicalize children against lawful and legitimate authority for quite a long time. “Part of the problem is that [U.S. education] has gone through a multi-generational process of indoctrination that has resulted in a situation where each generation is more indoctrinated,” Newman said. “As these teachers continue to accept even more extreme and more destructive ideas than the previous generation, they’re not realizing that they’re actually being subjected to the indoctrination programs.” After a K–12 education, Newman said that “they are further radicalized, [as] the indoctrination is often turbocharged at a four-year college, where they are brainwashed even more to believe that not only are these ideas legitimate, but that they are the correct pedagogy, and this is the way children should be educated.” “They are made to believe that their education is for justice, education is for social justice, [and] their education makes the world a better place,” he said. “Many of these teachers are so brainwashed that they have a feeling of self-righteousness about this—and it’s very sad to see.” Friedrichs also noted that “a small amount of activist union teachers have been planted in our schools who quietly push this type of nasty agenda.” “Teachers unions have made gains in the political arena, and they’ve gotten people into key places of power, which often allows them to get away with this nightmare,” she said. Friedrichs also pointed out the “glaring” misspellings on the worksheet. On the first page, it reads “INSTITUIONAL” and “INTERPRESONAL.” With three people using the document, she considers this “a dead giveaway that these are not truly professional teachers, but union activists masquerading as teachers.” She said the misspellings are “a huge
FROM L: COURTESY OF REBECCA FRIEDRICHS, RODIN ECKENROTH/GETTY IMAGES
Parental rights advocates expressed alarm at what was apparently being taught to English as a Second Language students at the Boston high school. Rebecca Friedrichs, founder of advocacy group For Kids & Country and author of “Standing up to Goliath: Battling State and National Teachers’ Unions for the Heart and Soul of our Kids and Country,” said that as a teacher for 28 years and a parent of two children, she was “disgusted” by the worksheet that she described as “damaging and dangerous.” “These English language learners [in these classrooms] are likely new immigrants to the country, coming to this country to experience freedom. [But in Boston], they’ve run smack dab into Marxist indoctrinators posing as educators,” Friedrichs said. “Schools are meant for educating children, not indoctrinating them in radical ideology.” The worksheet is “full of lies,” she said, noting that teachers are using these lies to indoctrinate children. Alex Newman, award-winning international journalist and executive director of the advocacy group Public School Exit, agrees. “The material was clearly designed to indoctrinate children into seeing themselves as victims of oppression,” he said. Newman was most alarmed by the worksheet’s examples of violent resistance that he said implied a need to “overthrow” anyone who’s allegedly responsible for the oppression. “They seem to be promoting revolt and resistance to legitimate forms of authority,” he said. Newman is also a contributor to The Epoch Times. The goal of such teachings is to prime children to accept illegitimate forms of authority and encourage them to engage in violence to achieve those ends, he said. “Legitimate authorities must be
brought down if they want to impose new authorities,” Newman said. And this “indoctrination program” is “an extension of that same lawless agenda.”
Nation Education
Some experts believe the document warrants a criminal investigation. embarrassment to professional teachers.” “People are masquerading as teachers and unions all across the country so they can push a very radical agenda,” Friedrichs said.
Potentially Criminal The advocates called for those responsible for the worksheet to be investigated. “Those involved in putting together this worksheet need to be removed immediately and disciplined over this,” Friedrichs said. Had she presented a worksheet like this to her students in the past, she said she would have been fired. “It was out of the realm of possibility that anyone would have ever done this until recently, when the teachers unions opened the floodgates of their evil agenda,” she said. Newman said, “Somebody who thinks this is appropriate to teach to children has absolutely no business teaching children; that much is clear; they should not be in a classroom.” Both Friedrichs and Newman believe that the document warrants a criminal investigation.
“There’s a fine line between free speech and advocacy for violence, and this document appears to cross over that line,” Newman said. The responsible person or party for this document needs to be questioned, he said. “If it is determined that this was actually intended to encourage children to use violence as a political tool, I think serious measures and accountability are going to be justified.” At the very least, Newman is calling for “a full investigation that results in a strong measure of discipline from education authorities.”
Free Speech Exception Attorney Daniel Schmid, senior litigation counsel for Liberty Counsel, agrees with Friedrichs and Newman. He told Insight that while the First Amendment allows for free speech, “there are certain well-delineated exceptions—one of which is incitement to violence.” In Brandenburg v. Ohio, the Supreme Court established in 1969 that the First Amendment doesn’t protect speech that incites people to violence or to
imminent lawless action. “Encouraging people to commit an act of violence against political leaders, that’s not protected speech,” Schmid said regarding the worksheet. “It probably falls under fighting words [according to the court case Chaplinsky v. New Hampshire] or incitement to violence. “Assassinating a political leader and committing acts of violence is not to be celebrated and encouraged. It’s a crime, and it ought to be punished as so.” While he said there’s always a question of intent, U.S. law, 18 U.S.C. Section 373, makes it a crime to solicit people to commit an act of violence. According to the law, “it’s a felony to encourage people to commit an act of violence.” These teachers should be held accountable, Schmid said. Insight contacted the Boston Teachers Union to determine if some of the “classroom files” were meant to incite violence. Neither BTU President Jessica Tang nor Professional Learning Director Paul Tritter have returned a comment. Representatives for Charlestown High School also didn’t respond to a request for comment by press time. I N S I G H T July 22–28, 2022 41
World Climate Policies
EUROPE
Dutch Scientist Questions Basis of Government Climate Mandates A nitrogen scientist criticizes the depiction of farmers as polluters, the ‘mirage of policymaking’
J
By Nathan Worcester
42 I N S I G H T July 22–28, 2022
Hanekamp said, “Nitrogen chemicals are nutrients—you need them for growing plants.” He believes that the government has focused on nitrogen almost to the exclusion of other factors that affect nature, such as the location of groundwater relative to the surface. Hanekamp also questioned whether the ecosystem shifts prompted by greater nitrogen deposition can be properly defined as “damage.” “Is a change in biodiversity bad in itself, or is it just change?” he asked. HE POINTED OUT that the Netherlands
is far from pristine wilderness. Much of the land is artificial, reclaimed from the sea over recent centuries because of the ingenuity of man. Hanekamp has scrutinized a term used in government ecological research: “nitrogen critical load.” Below its “critical load,” a substance isn’t thought to pose a significant environmental threat. In a recent paper, Hanekamp and co-author William Briggs described some problems with the evidence used to define nitrogen critical loads in the Netherlands. They don’t believe the definitions of nitrogen critical loads are sufficiently precise. They also think there haven’t been enough large-scale, long-term studies on nitrogen deposition. Hanekamp stressed that models can be useful—taking 100,000 measurements across the country wouldn’t
exactly be easy or cheap. Yet modeling uncertainty makes it challenging to translate activity on a particular farm to exact patterns of nitrogen flow. That didn’t stop the Dutch nitrogen minister from unveiling detailed, area-specific nitrogen reduction targets in June. The release was the impetus for the latest round of protests by farmers. One dairy farmer interviewed by Insight would have to slash his livestock numbers by 95 percent—so much that he expects he’ll need to shut down. “We have created the illusion of certainty with respect to emission and deposition. That’s definitely a mirage of policymaking,” Hanekamp said. “The problem is that the Dutch government decided that these critical loads are definitive with respect to the quality of the habitats we have. And that’s a very strange approach to this issue.” He worries that a comprehensive, societal risk-benefit analysis hasn’t occurred. He thinks the ultimate outcome of the government’s climate proposals remains deeply uncertain. “If we would implement these and we would kick out, say, one-third of the farmers, we still don’t know what the result would be related to these critical loads, which doesn’t make any sense,” Hanekamp said. “Yeah, we [would] know that one-third of the farmers [are] gone, and that basically, we’re reducing production and income as a country, but the return of investment in the focused nature? We have no idea.”
THIS PAGE: JEFFREY GROENEWEG/ANP/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES
aap hanekamp is skeptical of the received wisdom in science. He won’t stop asking a simple question: “But is this true?” When it comes to the Dutch government’s calculations of ammonia and nitrogen oxide deposition—the basis of climate mandates that would slash livestock numbers and put many farmers out of work—Hanekamp is especially critical of “the science.” He thinks it relies on vague definitions, excessive deference to expert judgment, and a narrow focus on costs rather than both costs and benefits. “We now treat farmers as polluters, end of story, which is a very strange perspective,” he said. Hanekamp, an associate professor of chemistry at University College Roosevelt in the Netherlands, made the comments in an interview with Roman Balmakov, host of EpochTV’s “Facts Matter.” A 2019 Dutch court decision that hindered the construction of livestock facilities triggered a round of protests by farmers. A Science article on the protests described some of the harms attributed to nitrogen emissions. “In 118 of 162 Dutch nature reserves, nitrogen deposits now exceed ecological risk thresholds by an average of 50 percent. “In dunes, bogs, and heathlands, home to species adapted to a lack of nitrogen, plant diversity has decreased as nitrogen-loving grasses, shrubs, and trees move in.”
Farmers demonstrate against the government’s proposed nitrogen policy in The Hague, Netherlands, on June 28.
P OL I T IC S • E C ONOM Y • OPI N ION T H AT M AT T E R S
Perspectives
No.29
National security adviser John Bolton speaks to the media outside the White House on May 1, 2019. PHOTO BY BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/ AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES
DEFENDING THE ‘DEMOCRATIC COUP’
CAN THE JOBS MARKET WITHSTAND ECONOMIC GLOOM?
EUROPEAN CENTRAL BANK MUST FOLLOW ITS MANDATE
John Bolton makes good points on Venezuela that could be scaled up. 45
A deeper dive into the jobs data reveals weaknesses in the labor market. 47
A weak euro means lower purchasing power and more poverty. 48
INSIDE I N S I G H T July 22–28, 2022 43
THOMAS MCARDLE was a White House speechwriter for President George W. Bush and writes for IssuesInsights.com.
Thomas McArdle
The Gathering Recession
This year’s economy resembles ‘The Perfect Storm’ film
e got hurricane Grace moving north off the Atlantic seaboard. Huge, getting massive. “Two, this low [front], south of Sable Island, ready to explode. “Three, a fresh cold front swooping down from Canada. But it’s caught a ride on the jet stream and is motoring hell-bent towards the Atlantic. What if Hurricane Grace runs smack into it? “Add to the scenario this baby off Sable Island, scrounging for energy. She’ll start feeding off both the Canadian cold front and Hurricane Grace. “You could be a meteorologist all your life and never see something like this. It would be a disaster of epic proportions. It would be the perfect storm.” This is how the apocalyptic weather system that took the lives of the crew of the commercial fishing vessel Andrea Gail in 1991 was described in the George Clooney film adaptation of the true events, “A Perfect Storm.” Much the same terrifying scenario is happening to the economy in 2022. Small-business owners, the country’s biggest job providers, have never been more down on the economic future. The National Federation of Independent Business’s (NFIB) Small Business Optimism Index fell to 89.5 in June, the sixth straight month below its 48-year average of 98. The percentage of small-business owners who expect improvement over the coming six months is lower than it has ever been in the 48-year history of the survey. First, we have the consumer price index hitting 9.1 percent for June, the highest in 40 years; 5.9 percent subtracting food and energy, with the White House in a coordinated denial, President Joe Biden and various and sundry aides peddling the notion that the latest inflation numbers are outdated on arrival. 44 I N S I G H T July 22–28, 2022
Second, added to the expense of inflation is the problem for small businesses of labor shortages. Whether employers accommodate for this by raising wages for prospective hires or make do with a smaller workforce, it costs in either cash or productivity.
Unlike meteorologists, the politicians who see the perfect storm of their making form are not powerless in its wake. Third are tax increases that are either already being imposed on small businesses or are being prepared in Washington, such as the $13 billion tax increase on 42 chemicals and other substances in Biden’s infrastructure bill, a timed provision that took effect at the beginning of this month and affects items ranging from soap to lightbulbs to electronics. In addition, Democrats are mulling measures under which more than a quarter of those earning between $75,000 and $100,000, and more than half of those earning between $100,000 and $200,000 would suffer tax increases, according to an analysis by the nonpartisan Joint Committee on Taxation (JCT). For next year, more than 80 percent of taxpayers earning $200,000 to $500,000 will find their taxes raised, and by 2029, nearly 20 percent of Americans earning between $50,000 and $75,000 would be subject to a tax increase while receiving no tax relief, the JCT found. Fourth, the Federal Reserve is on a path of tightening that, while not matching the inflation rate itself and therefore not being aggressive enough to conquer inflation, will definitely succeed in increasing costs to small businesses, not least when it comes to their borrowing expenses.
Fifth, Biden is continuing a massive regulatory expansion, with 2,673 rules being imposed this year, including new electricity standards for everything from ice makers to computer-room air conditioners to ceiling fan light kits to portable electric spas. Put them all together and what we have are increased expenses and difficulties for businesses in every direction they look—to an extent never before experienced by almost all of these employers. It all amounts to an unusual gathering of threatening storm clouds culminating in an economic downturn. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) this month added its voice to the growing chorus warning of recession. After its statutory consultation with U.S. officials, the IMF reported that “avoiding a recession in the United States is becoming increasingly challenging” even not considering the added negatives of “the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the lingering COVID-19 pandemic, and supply side constraints” affecting the economy. The NFIB Index included disturbing findings on small-business profits, with positive profit trends at a net negative-25 percent, down 1 percentage point from May. Of the owners reporting lower profits, 30 percent blamed them on rises in the cost of materials, 16 percent on weaker sales, 14 percent on labor costs, and 14 percent on lower prices, while 7 percent cited ordinary seasonal change, and 2 percent cited higher tax or regulatory costs. A net 3 percent reported their last loan was harder to secure than previous attempts. Unlike meteorologists, the politicians who see the perfect storm of their making form aren’t powerless in its wake. Spending, taxes, and regulation are all within their power to alleviate—before the cyclone of voter outrage washes them out of power this November.
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
Defending the ‘Democratic Coup’
John Bolton makes good points on Venezuela that could be scaled up
D
ictators in china, Russia, Burma (Myanmar), and Ethiopia are today conducting genocide. Others in North Korea, Iran, and Venezuela add to the millions of deaths, arbitrary detentions, torture victims, and refugees. They use force daily to stay in power and, thus, can only normally be removed by force. Sometimes with a helping hand from outside. But isolationists in the United States have forgotten their history. And they either don’t care much about democracy and human rights abroad, they don’t understand that letting dictators run rampant means the horror could eventually reach American soil, or they mistake wars of defense for wars of aggression. One of the least costly and most beneficial ways to overthrow the worst of dictators is through a bloodless democratic coup, in which the military gently removes a dictator from power, rapidly transitioning the country to democracy. These dictators can be offered millions of dollars to walk away peacefully into the south of France or to a Swiss chalet retirement. Americans (and dictators) should all support that kind of coup. The United States is one of the only countries capable of pulling it off, as it requires extensive planning, resources, logistics, and contacts in the autocracy needing help. Yet when former national security adviser John Bolton (2018–2019) said as much on July 12, mentioned off-handedly that he had planned such coups, and cited the example of Venezuela, the shock of his CNN interlocutor was palpable. The public reaction was swift, not only by the usual suspects in China and Russia, but by left-leaning mainstream media right here in the United States. A “reporter” for The Washington
Post, for example, quoted a cast of authoritarians, including from the three countries mentioned above, but found nobody to make the opposing argument. Even Fox News and The Wall Street Journal failed to defend Bolton. Democratic coups have occurred multiple times in history, as detailed by law professor Ozan O. Varol in the peer-reviewed Harvard International Law Journal in 2012 and Oxford University Press in 2017.
One of the least costly and most beneficial ways to overthrow the worst of dictators is through a bloodless democratic coup. In some contexts, argues Varol, a democratic coup is preferable to other forms of democratization. “Military intervention may be the only available option to shepherd a nation through the tumultuous transition process to democracy because other methods of democratization have been blocked by the authoritarian or totalitarian regime,” Varol writes in the journal. That sounds a lot like China and Russia today. But Varol went further back in history. “For example, in Portugal in 1974, the authoritarian government ensured that the popular opposition against the regime remained too disorganized, socially and politically, to take the primary role in deposing the government, which prompted the Portuguese military to stage a coup to topple the government and replace it with a democratic regime,” he writes. The coup in Portugal against a rightwing dictator by leftist military officers admittedly almost led to disaster: the consolidation of a second dictatorship by the country’s Communist Party.
Thankfully, that didn’t occur. According to Cullen Nutt, a professor at the U.S. Naval Academy, America saved the day. (I’m not being ironic.) Ambassador Frank Carlucci and the CIA encouraged moderate Portuguese officers, including with the promise of clandestine provision of arms, to force an election. The United States funded the Portuguese Socialist Party with, at minimum, hundreds of thousands of dollars in clandestine campaign donations, and it beat the Portuguese Communist Party. As a result, Portugal stayed in NATO as a democracy. It dodged the bullet of dictatorship. Other examples of democratic coups, analyzed by Varol, include those in 1960 in Turkey and 2011 in Egypt. Both resulted in elections and democracy in Turkey longer than in Egypt. Democratic coups aren’t failsafe, and the United States shouldn’t fund candidates in mature democracies. But one has to wonder how much human suffering might have been averted if coups were launched against Lenin in 1917, Hitler in 1938, or Mao in 1949. Lacking that, we yet again face nuclear-armed and aggressive dictators in Moscow and Beijing who have “no limits” to their global ambitions. Their power and reach today are a direct result of World War II and are highly destructive. While it was perhaps a mistake in optics for Bolton to “admit” to planning coups, and the more facile mainstream media too easily deride and dismiss him, they do so from an ahistorical and arguably amoral perspective. If some brave and resourceful officers, supported by the United States or European Union, were to manage a democratic coup in Moscow or Beijing now, we might all be the better for it. Therefore, the possibility and Bolton’s “neoconservative interventionism,” as The Washington Post put it, should be taken more seriously. I N S I G H T July 22–28, 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
More Bad News on Inflation
June’s CPI report makes clear that the problem is fundamental
E
ach bit of inflation news discredits Washington’s excuses. The United States recently received still more bad inflation news. The Labor Department reported that its benchmark consumer price index (CPI) rose 1.3 percent in June and stood 9.1 percent above year-ago levels. This news makes any administration excuses for these price pressures even less convincing than they were and makes still more ridiculous Washington’s claims last year that price pressures would be “transitory.” The picture now is clear and beyond cavil: The nation’s inflation problem is fundamental. The CPI figures are simply terrifying. Pressures are widespread. Food prices rose 1.0 percent in June and are 10.4 percent above yearago levels. Food at home costs 12.2 percent more than it did a year ago. Energy prices overall rose 7.5 percent in June and stand 41.6 percent above where they were in June 2021. Gasoline prices rose 11.2 percent in June alone and are a whopping 60 percent higher than a year ago. These sectors lead, but inflation is evident everywhere. Prices for goods and services other than food and energy rose 0.7 percent in June and are 5.9 percent above year-ago levels. This may look moderate compared to the picture in food and energy, but it’s nonetheless far above the Federal Reserve’s (Fed) 2.0 percent target for acceptable inflation. And within this broad area, prices are up at unacceptable rates in every category. Services— including shelter, medical care, and transportation—are 5.5 percent more costly than a year ago. The pain of these price pressures
46 I N S I G H T July 22–28, 2022
is evident in the wage data also recently reported by the Labor Department. Hourly and weekly earnings, though each rose in June by 0.3 percent, have failed even to have begun to keep pace with inflation. After accounting for price hikes, real hourly earnings fell 1.0 percent in June from May. The same was true for weekly earnings. Compared to year-ago figures, real hourly earnings are down 3.6 percent, and real weekly earnings are down fully 4.4 percent. This is a considerable setback in the average American’s standard of living.
Gasoline prices rose 11.2 percent in June alone and are a whopping 60 percent higher than a year ago. Clearly, matters make a mockery of Washington’s excuses. Last year’s claims from Fed Chairman Jerome Powell, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, and President Joe Biden that the price pressures wouldn’t persist sound like a bad joke. Nor does such building inflationary pressure yield to the president’s insistence that it’s all a matter of supply chain problems or, more recently, Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. Instead of such weak excuses, the inflation presently confronting the nation has its roots in a long period of policy mistakes over what is now more than a decade. In 2008, during the financial crisis, the Fed poured new money into financial markets by keeping interest rates near zero and buying bonds directly, mainly from the Treasury—what the Fed referred to
as quantitative easing. The federal government ran huge deficits to help relieve the Great Recession that followed that crisis. There was little else policymakers could do in the circumstance. But as the economy and its financial markets began to recover in 2009, the Fed and the government kept up these policies. They continued to do so, to a greater or lesser extent, for all the years that followed, through the end of President Barack Obama’s second term, through President Donald Trump’s single term, and into Biden’s. In just the past couple years, the Fed has used new money to purchase almost $5 trillion in new government debt, effectively the digital equivalent of financing the government through the printing press and a classic prescription for inflation. With this as background, it should be clear that removing inflationary pressures will take a good deal of time and effort. Powell seems to have realized this need. But Biden hasn’t done so. He continues to blame inflation on everything but government policy, including, of all people, the momand-pop operations that own most of the nation’s gas stations. In one sense, Biden’s reluctance to talk about fundamentals is a mystery. After all, he isn’t to blame for the mistakes of Obama and Trump. But then he must also know that he shares some of the blame. His administration did engage in two huge spending initiatives last year and is still pushing an even larger “Build Back Better” scheme. If Powell has given up excuses and is taking matters seriously, the White House owes it to the nation to do the same.
EMEL AKAN is a senior reporter for The Epoch Times in Washington. Previously, she worked in the financial sector as an investment banker at JPMorgan.
Emel Akan
Can the Job Market Weather Economic Gloom? A deeper dive into the jobs data reveals weaknesses in the labor market
JOE RAEDLE/GETTY IMAGES
T
he u.s. economy added a surprisingly strong 372,000 jobs in June. Many concluded that predictions of a recession were greatly exaggerated after seeing the red-hot jobs report. But despite the solid employment recovery, some observers are skeptical of the idea that the jobs market is as healthy as the government portrays. The main concern is that the Federal Reserve may be too quick to judge that the labor market has healed enough to warrant an aggressive tightening in monetary policy, which could lead to severe job losses. With many big and small businesses cutting their payrolls, the labor market is already showing signs of cooling. Job cuts announced by U.S.-based employers totaled 32,517 last month, up by 57 percent from May, according to a report from global outplacement consultancy Challenger, Gray & Christmas. The June jobs report shows that the private sector has recovered all the jobs that were lost during the COVID-19 pandemic recession, but the public sector is still down by 664,000 from February 2020 levels. And a deeper dive into the payroll data also reveals disparities and weaknesses in the recovery. Even as 2.7 million jobs were added in the first half of 2022 and the unemployment rate fell back to historically low levels, labor force participation has remained depressed. The labor force participation rate, which shows the share of the population that’s working or looking for work, was 62.2 percent in June—the same as it was in January—and remains 1.2 percentage points lower than the pre-pandemic level of 63.4 percent. This trend is concerning for the longterm health of the economy, according to E.J. Antoni, a research fellow at The Heritage Foundation.
Even as 2.7 million jobs were added in the first half of 2022 and the unemployment rate fell back to historically low levels, labor force participation has remained depressed. The decline in labor force participation has been driven by several factors, including early retirement among baby boomers. As a result, the current jobless rate gives “a very skewed perspective” of the true state of the labor market, Antoni said. If the U.S. economy had the same labor force participation trend it did before the pandemic, the unemployment rate would currently be roughly at 5 percent, he said. While 5 percent isn’t very high, he noted that it’s comparable to the levels seen in 2008. Hence, the U.S. jobs market may not be that much different from when it entered the Great Recession of 2008. “Our private sector has now recovered all the jobs lost during the pandemic and added jobs on top of that,” President Joe Biden said in a
July 8 speech, touting June’s employment report. However, private sector employees now work almost half an hour less each week than they did in January 2021, when Biden took office. A half-hour every week doesn’t seem like much, according to Antoni. However, considering the overall number of man-hours in a year and the number of people working in the private sector, it equates to a need to hire more people. According to his calculation based on 130 million private sector employees, this equates to almost 2 million jobs. “Even though you have more people working, the total amount of work being done is not actually any greater,” Antoni said. In addition, the June jobs report reveals a widening gap between surveys of households and establishments (businesses), which alarms some economists. The establishment survey shows 1.1 million jobs gained since March, but the household survey shows a loss of 347,000. Another interesting finding from the household survey is that the number of Americans working multiple jobs climbed by 239,000 in June. Since many Americans are unable to make ends meet, they must work several jobs, and this is only captured by the household survey. One implication of this is the possibility of double counting of employed people in the establishment survey, Antoni said. There have been growing fears of a recession in recent months, as economic indicators have begun to point to a slowdown. The July jobs report, which will be released on Aug. 5, will be a key indicator of whether those fears are founded. If job growth slows significantly, it might be another indication that the economy is already in recession. I N S I G H T July 22–28, 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
Why a Sinking Euro Is Concerning
A weak euro means lower purchasing power, more poverty
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48 I N S I G H T July 22–28, 2022
Those who repeat the fallacious mantra that a weak currency benefits exports should look at the rising cost of imports, the record trade deficit, and the slump in real wages. not all will rise unless the purchasing power of the currency is destroyed by printing without control. As Austrian School economist Frank Shostak reminds us, inflation is money supply growth, not prices denominated in money. A weak euro and rising inflation are extremely worrying factors, because in June 2021, the growth rate of broad money supply (M3) in the eurozone was 8.3 percent annualized, with M1 (currency in circulation and overnight deposits) growing by 11.7 percent. In other words, the increase in money supply (M3) was still 16 percent higher than during the socalled Draghi bazooka. As of May, it’s still growing above 5.6 percent, with GDP rebounding a mere 2.6 percent (consensus estimates). The global demand for U.S. dollars increases when the Fed raises
rates—it attracts more demand for the greenback. However, in the eurozone, weakening the euro makes imports much more expensive, and the eurozone finds itself with a record trade deficit—which is the equivalent of buying dollars and selling euros—of 16.4 billion euros. The weakness of the euro shouldn’t be taken lightly. Those who repeat the fallacious mantra that a weak currency benefits exports should look at the rising cost of imports, the record trade deficit, and the slump in real wages. A weak euro means lower purchasing power of real wages and deposits of eurozone citizens, i.e., more poverty. Nobody wants to work for a weak currency, and the euro shouldn’t be one. There’s no advantage in defending inflationism. It impoverishes citizens, punishes the efficient sectors, and destroys confidence in the currency. Criticizing the slowness of the European Central Bank’s actions isn’t anti-European. What’s anti-European is inflationism, impoverishing all. It’s extremely important that the European Central Bank fulfills its mandate, which is price stability. It’s key that the European Central Bank raises rates, because the problem isn’t a moderate increase, but the excess of debt and risk accumulated during years of negative rates—an unjustifiable monetary aberration. Interest rates are the price of risk, and artificially depressing them incentivized excessive risk and debt. Destroying the purchasing power of currency isn’t a social policy. It’s the most antisocial. It’s impoverishing everyone. The independence of the European Central Bank shouldn’t be in doubt; neither should its respect for its unequivocal mandate.
VAKS-STOCK AGENCY/SHUTTERSTOCK
he european central Bank should be hugely concerned about two pieces of news. The euro is on the verge of parity with the U.S. dollar and has accumulated a drop of 17 percent since 2021, more than 35 percent since 2008. On the other hand, inflation in the eurozone reached 8.6 percent in June, or 5 percent excluding the energy and food components. Inflation in more than six eurozone countries, including Spain, is already in double digits with the core Consumer Price Index (CPI) at multi-decade highs. Meanwhile, in Switzerland, June inflation was 3.4 percent with the core at 1.9 percent. Switzerland relies on imports for gas, commodities, and supply chains as much as its neighbors, but it hasn’t engaged in massive printing of its currency. The euro is the greatest monetary success of the past 150 years, and it can’t be jeopardized by risking the independence of the European Central Bank. It’s an elevated risk, and those of us who want it to remain a reserve currency and a success are concerned. The balance of the European Central Bank is 69.5 percent of the GDP of the eurozone, while that of the Federal Reserve is 37 percent of the GDP of the United States, and the Bank of England’s is 39 percent of the UK GDP. However, the euro isn’t the world’s reserve currency. The U.S. Federal Reserve is the only central bank that pays attention to the global demand for U.S. dollars, and despite that, has also made the enormous mistake of expanding money supply well above demand and, thereby, triggering inflation. Let’s not forget that prices don’t go up all at once for the same amount of currency issued. One or two prices may rise for exogenous reasons, but
Fan Yu
FAN YU is an expert in finance and economics and has contributed analyses on China’s economy since 2015.
China’s Economic Woes Revealed Private data paint a bleaker picture than official GDP figures
JOHANNES EISELE/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES
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hina’s gross domestic product (GDP) likely shrank in the second quarter, contrary to official reports, as the country is making attempts on several fronts to desperately boost its ravaged economy. Beijing announced a 0.4 percent expansion in China’s GDP during the second quarter. It was the second weakest quarterly growth ever officially recorded. But private data paint an even worse picture. The effects of COVID-related lockdowns in more than a dozen cities across China, sagging consumer spending, and lower demand for goods from foreign countries all suggest a contraction. It would be the first quarterly contraction since 2020, at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Bloomberg cited multiple alternative private data sources on economic activity to suggest that second-quarter growth is far less robust than what the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is reporting. Travel patterns show that China’s roads were generally less busy in the first half of 2022 than in the prior year. Domestic Chinese flight activity was also down by more than 60 percent. There was also less movement of goods between cities than in the prior year, in terms of trucking activity. The China Beige Book, which provides alternative economic indicators for China, stated that Chinese businesses it surveyed indicated weaker activity and demand from customers because of ongoing lockdowns in the second quarter. Consumer spending is also weaker than last year. Various foreign retail and consumer goods companies, including Nike, have reported weaker sales. Bloomberg calculated—using data from the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers—that automobile sales are down by more than 10 percent in the second quarter of 2022. Of course, Beijing never would have
To manage consumer morale, China announced it would begin offering consumers ‘consumption vouchers’ for dining out. reported a quarterly GDP contraction. It would have been very bad for optics and morale. This is a critical year for Beijing and the CCP. Chinese leader Xi Jinping is expected to be granted another term at the helm of the Party at the 20th National Congress this fall. The country’s “dynamic Zero COVID” policy, which Xi has been a champion of, requires tough restrictions wherever new virus cases emerge. Beijing has maintained that it will continue with this policy while managing the nation’s economic growth. What are some ways to manage growth despite lockdown challenges and deflating consumer spending? The tried-and-true playbook of selling more debt, of course. Chinese local governments issued a record 1.94 trillion yuan ($290 billion) in bonds in June, a year-over-year increase of more than 140 percent, according to data from Great Wall
Securities. China has been issuing debt above the planned pace. More than 93 percent of the 3.65 trillion local government special purpose bond quota for the entire year had been issued in just the first six months of the year, according to Great Wall Securities. The majority of such debts will go toward infrastructure, which would have the dual purpose of providing temporary employment and generating ongoing revenue for the government. It would go a long way to offset lost revenues from pandemic lockdowns, COVID-related tax rebates, and depressed real estate land sales. With the 2022 quota almost full, Beijing is considering allowing local governments to issue even more debt by tapping into next year’s planned quota. This suggests that China’s economy is in even worse shape than originally thought, and Beijing is desperate to fill the growth gap. But the same old playbook may no longer work. China could turn increasingly more desperate as social unrest— the Party’s kryptonite—disrupts the CCP’s control over the economy. By July, there were reports of homebuyers refusing to pay their mortgages on newly developed homes that the debt-laden property developers couldn’t afford to finish. This phenomenon has spread to about 100 cities across China. Frustrated consumers have been protesting in several cities. One video that went viral in July caught protestors being beaten up by government-paid goons. To manage consumer morale, China also announced that it would begin offering consumers “consumption vouchers” for dining out. Through municipal governments, the CCP will hand out a number of vouchers that can be spent at restaurants and other establishments. Desperate measures for a desperate economic situation. I N S I G H T July 22–28, 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
Accepting Reality Is Not Giving Up Establishing a positive attitude can propel us past many obstacles
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t is what it is” was a favorite expression of a woman I once knew. If it was pouring rain the day she’d planned on weeding her flower beds, that phrase would be the first on her lips. If a friend canceled dinner plans because of an unexpected obligation, “It is what it is” popped out of her mouth. That constant repetition mildly annoyed me. That she delivered this fatalistic pronouncement in a chirpy, cheerful tone was just as irritating. Well, she seemed to say, we can’t do anything about the rain or the canceled plans, so we might as well just accept it and move on. And of course, she was on target. “It is what it is” means recognizing the shackles of reality. When a loved one dies, we may sink into despair, feeling as if some invisible surgeon has just removed a part of our heart, but that death remains a hard, cold fact. If our company downsizes and we lose our job, we can bemoan our bad luck all we like, but the fact remains that we are unemployed. Right now, for instance, reality is hitting most of us in our billfolds. The cost of groceries is through the roof and beyond, and the price of a gallon of gas has never been higher. This inflation may infuriate us, and we can gripe about the government that has caused it, but there’s little else we can do. It is what it is. On the other hand, such fatalism can itself prove fatal. Some of our national policies prove this point. Faced with massive drug smuggling at our porous southern border, the federal government has apparently thrown up its hands and decided to accept that more than 100,000 Americans will die of overdoses again this year. The mayors of some large cities look 50 I N S I G H T July 22–28, 2022
If we are to forge ahead, we must come to grips with this new reality. at spiking urban crime, homelessness, and filthy, deteriorating neighborhoods, and shrug off this decay rather than fight it. This indifference bred by fate can ring true in our personal lives. Several parents I know, for example, are estranged from their adult children. They lament this separation, but with little or no pushback on their part. They don’t storm the gates of this uncoupling with letters, emails, or phone calls, but instead accept the failed relationship as a given. The dice have rolled, they seem to think, and the game is over. In these situations, public and private, two things must occur if we are to get unstuck and move past our troubles. First, we must accept, as did my friend, the reality of our situation, the “it is what it is” part of the formula. If our spouse dies, we must first endure the initial shock of that
tragedy when all the world seems a senseless blur. Eventually, however, if we’re to forge ahead, we must come to grips with this new reality and its conundrums: How can I raise my 9-year-old son and still make a living? How can I manage all the chores that are now my responsibility alone? How can one person possibly do everything that two once did? Following this clear-eyed look at our circumstances comes the second step: using our common sense and knowhow to shift directions and take a new path. We consult with family, friends, or counselors, weigh our options, and reenter the arena. Whatever our religious inclinations, the serenity prayer popularized by Alcoholics Anonymous offers an excellent nugget of advice for this second step of the journey: “God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.” Acceptance, courage, change, and wisdom: These are the markers separating “It is what it is” from “It is what I will make of it.”
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Nation Profile
THOUGHT LEADERS
The Birth of Totalitarianism Disconnected and lonely people can form an irrational collective, expert says
I
f we make rationality the basis of everything,” Mattias Desmet says, “we arrive in a completely irrational society.”
In a recent episode of “American Thought Leaders,” host Jan Jekielek interviews Mattias Desmet, a clinical psychology professor and author of “The Psychology of Totalitarianism.” Desmet is a leading expert on the phenomenon known as “mass formation,” a prelude to totalitarianism that can occur when large numbers of people feel isolated and free-floating anxiety is prevalent. JAN JEKIELEK: You wrote
MATTIAS DESMET: In 2017,
I started to gather ideas and thoughts about totalitarianism. I had noticed that a new kind of totalitarianism was emerging in our society—not a fascist or a 52 I N S I G H T July 22–28, 2022
communist totalitarianism, but a technocratic totalitarianism that relied more and more on technological control to tackle objects of anxiety in society, like terrorism and climate change. A major part of the population and many leaders seemed inclined to believe that only technological control, which also controlled private lives, could deal with all the emerging problems in our society, real or imagined. MR . JEKIELEK: Tell me
about your field of study
and how you started thinking about these things. MR . DESMET: I have a
master’s degree in clinical psychology. Later on in my career, I received a master’s degree in statistics after I became interested in the problems with academic research. In 2005, it became clear that most academic research was flawed. For instance, John Ioannidis, professor of medical statistics at Stanford University, wrote this wonderful paper, “Why Most Published Research Findings Are False.”
FROM L: JOHANNES EISELE/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES, HEADWIND.TV
“The Psychology of Totalitarianism” in the context of the coronavirus mania, as you describe it, but you were thinking about these things well before COVID was around.
People stay in white circles to comply with social distancing guidelines in Brooklyn’s Domino Park, in New York on May 17, 2020.
I was immediately fascinated by the problem of flawed research and started to study it. I also became interested in the kinds of flawed information that circulate in society. Many people, in a very strange way, believe in narratives and information that are utterly absurd. They are incapable of seeing that a narrative or disinformation can’t be true. That stimulated my interest in this phenomenon of mass formation, which I’ve been studying now for about 10 years. Mass formation explains why some people can believe so fanatically in a narrative that they become radically intolerant of dissonant voices, and why they may stigmatize and try to destroy the people who don’t go along with the narrative, as if it’s their ethical duty to do so. I was also aware that this kind of mass formation leads to the emergence of totalitarian states. When the coronavirus crisis started, I knew this was exactly what was going on. Many people seemed in the grip of statistical information that was, by my observation, radically wrong. I also noticed how a major part of the population stigmatized everyone who didn’t buy into the narrative and was willing to exclude others from the public space if they didn’t conform to the dominant ideology. Everything I had studied in recent years was now happening. I spoke out, published some opinion papers, and eventually wrote “The
Nation Profile
“A segment of the population, usually 20, 25, 30 percent, becomes fanatically convinced of a certain narrative and ideology.”
population—together with a few leaders—takes control of the state. This new state system, which began in the 20th century, not only controls the public space, as a classical dictatorship does, but also controls the private space. The people that so fanatically believe the narrative that led to the mass formation are willing to report anyone, even family members, to the state.
a so-called free-floating anxiety, frustration, or aggression. They feel this way without really knowing why. Meanwhile, under these conditions, a narrative is distributed through the mass media indicating an object for their anxiety and pro-
viding a strategy to deal with it. This object can be Jews, witches, Muslims, or the aristocracy—it doesn’t matter. Someone indicates an object of anxiety and provides a strategy to deal with it,
Mattias Desmet, clinical psychology professor and author.
MR . JEKIELEK: In your
Psychology of Totalitarianism,” which examines how this phenomenon of mass formation works. MR . JEKIELEK: You talk
about how this mechanistic view of the world leads to totalitarianism. Can you reprise that for us? MR . DESMET: People often
confuse a totalitarian state with a classical dictatorship, which is completely different. A classical dictatorship is based on a simple and primitive psychological mechanism in which the population fears the aggressive potential of a small group: the so-called dictatorial regime. A totalitarian state is different. It’s always based on the so-called phenomenon of mass formation. A segment of the population, usually 20, 25, or 30 percent, becomes fanatically convinced of a certain narrative and ideology, like the racist ideology of Nazi Germany or the materialist ideology of Soviet Marxism. In the end, this part of the
book, you discuss mass formation and the atomization of the individual. MR . DESMET: Mass
formation emerges when specific conditions are met in a society. The most crucial condition, and the root cause of mass formation, is that many people must feel lonely and disconnected from their natural and social environment. Throughout history, the number of people who felt disconnected was never as high as just before the corona crisis. Worldwide, 30 percent of the population claimed to have no meaningful relationships except through the internet. And once people are in this disconnected state, they will typically start to experience purposelessness or the lack of meaning in life. So first you have this disconnection and loneliness, and then you have the lack of meaning. As a result, people develop I N S I G H T July 22–28, 2022 53
Nation Profile
“The most crucial condition, and the root cause of mass formation, is that many people must feel lonely and disconnected from their natural and social environment.”
54 I N S I G H T July 22–28, 2022
they think is disloyal to the collective. That’s the mind-boggling mechanism of mass formation, which is extremely strong. It’s exactly the same as hypnosis, which is very simple, actually. It just means taking someone’s attention away from a larger reality and focusing all that psychological energy on one small aspect of reality. It’s as if the rest of reality doesn’t exist anymore. During the pandemic,
MR . JEKIELEK: The peo-
ple imposing these COVID decisions on populations just keep doubling down, irrespective of the flaws in the evidence. MR . DESMET: That’s the
problem, of course. If we believe we’re completely rational, we become blind to all other subjective factors. That’s why I believe that rationality or rational understanding can never be the basis of human living. The only thing that can really organize society in a humane way are ethical principles, the eternal principles of humanity. We have to think rationally, of course, but we should understand that rationality in itself can never grasp the full essence of our human existence or the essence of everything around us. We can never completely reduce the things around us—plants, trees, animals, human beings, and all nature—into the categories of our own logical understanding. If we make rationality the basis of everything, in the end we arrive in a completely irrational society. That’s what the corona crisis shows us now. People think that they behaved rationally, but upon closer consideration, it’s clear that their behavior in most respects was radically irrational and self-destructive. This interview has been edited for clarity and brevity. People dine in plastic tents to keep social distancing at a restaurant in New York on Oct. 15, 2020.
THIS PAGE: ANGELA WEISS/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES
and you see this radical willingness in the population to go along. From then on, people have a sense of control. They have an object on which they can focus their aggression and frustration. They also start to feel connected again. A new kind of social bond emerges. But this new social bond isn’t formed because individuals connect to other individuals. It’s formed because individuals connect to a collective. All the energy is sucked away from the bonds between individuals and invested in the bond between the individual and the collective. That explains why during the corona crisis, if their neighbor had an accident, people no longer helped him unless they had surgical gloves or a mask. If their parents were dying, they accepted that they weren’t allowed to visit them. It was all in the name of solidarity. That’s also why, in a totalitarian state, everybody is willing to report someone
the attention of an entire population was focused on one small aspect of reality, namely the coronavirus and the corona measures. Many seemed incapable of taking into account other aspects of reality, such as the [number of] children who would starve in the developing countries as a consequence of the disrupted economy. I tried several times to show people: “Look, we have the victims claimed by the coronavirus, but we have all these other victims. Don’t you see them as well?” All these counter-arguments had no impact on their decision making. That was one of the clearest signs that a largescale mass formation was happening. Suddenly there were two camps. One group bought into the mainstream narrative, and the other group felt it was absurd. The dividing line between these two groups ran through all other group formations. That typically happens during a mass formation.
T R AV E L • F O O D • L U X U R Y L I V I N G
For those considering alternative assets for their portfolios, we present a brief overview of investment-grade postage stamps as a possible long-term hold with good potential for appreciation.
Unwind
No.29
PHOTO BY DELPIXEL/SHUTTERSTOCK
Postage Stamps as an Alternative Investment MORE THAN 150 MILES NORTH of the Arctic Circle, Disko Bay is home to one the world’s fastest-growing glaciers and many whales. 58
INNOVATIVE SHIRTS crafted from high-tech fibers provide sun protection while offering style and comfort. 63
60
CHEF GREG BAXTROM BRINGS the taste of Midwestern comfort food to New York at his restaurant in homage to his mom, Patti Ann. 66
INSIDE I N S I G H T July 22–28, 2022 55
An Inviting
GOLD COAST CONDO
This spacious condominium unit is an ideal haven for families living and working in the Windy City By Phil Butler 56 I N S I G H T July 22–28, 2022
This Near North Side property sits inside a circa-1910 brick-and-marble masterpiece low-rise just steps from some of the Windy City’s best attractions.
Lifestyle Real Estate
I
COURTESY OF AMERICORP LTD-LARICY
f traditional elegance and livability in the heart of Chicago are your desires, consider this amazing Gold Coast condo offered at just under $2.2 million. The 4,000-square-foot luxury condo in one of the city’s most elegant low-rise buildings is a perfect refinement of iconic 1920s style. Apartment 3W of the vintage 1910 building is a 4-bedroom, 3 1/2-bath classic that has been upgraded throughout. Inside, owners and guests enter a spacious foyer, which connects to a massive living room featuring 11-foot ceilings, a wood-burning fireplace, impressive French doors, and Juliet balconies. In this part of the apartment, there’s also a study and a wonderful round dining room with marble windowsills. In the rear, an expansive wood-paneled main bedroom features a walk-in closet, an en suite bath with double sinks, a shower, and a Jacuzzi. There are two additional en suite bedrooms that offer guests exclusive privacy but afford the family the comfort of being an integral part of the home. The well-equipped kitchen has a bar for casual dining and adjoins the
main living spaces. On this side, an additional room off the back living space can be utilized as a second office, TV room, gym, or designated living space. There’s also a laundry with walk-in storage. Outside, a marvelous terrace overlooks the cloistered courtyard below. This space has a built-in DCS grill, planters, custom fabricated stainless screening, water, and gas, plus heaters for all-season living and entertaining. The property also has a garage space for off-street parking. Just a short stroll to either Abercrombie & Fitch or Oak Street Beach, the property is at the center of everything amazing in Chicago’s Near North Side. Just steps from the building’s front entrance are a plethora of shopping, fine dining, entertainment venues, and outdoor experiences to be had. This part of the Windy City is famous for its affluence and for the Gold Coast, Magnificent Mile, Navy Pier, and its iconic skyscrapers. 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.
33 E BELLEVUE PLACE - 3W CHICAGO $2,199,950 • 4 BEDROOMS • 4,000 SQUARE FEET • 3.5 BATHS KEY FEATURES • LUXURY CONDO • PRIME URBAN LOCATION • PRIVATE TERRACE • VINTAGE FEATURES AGENT LARICY PROPERTIES, AMERICORP LTD. MATT LARCY, MANAGING BROKER 708-250-2696
(Above) Each of the sumptuous rooms features period millwork and other fine-crafted accents. The 306-square-foot round dining room looks out over a classic Chicago cityscape. (Top Right) The apartment has three classic gasstarter and wood-burning fireplaces, in the living room, master bedroom, and family room. (Right) The wood-paneled, 420-square-foot master bedroom has ensuite features including a massive walk-in closet, its own fireplace, and a marvelous master bath with a Jacuzzi. I N S I G H T July 22–28, 2022 57
The Ilulissat harbor in Greenland.
Travel North Atlantic
Land of Icebergs
Greenland’s Arctic beauty, from hypnotizing rivers of ice to ethereal northern lights
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C tic Ar c
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GREENLAND
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58 I N S I G H T July 22–28, 2022
Arctic C
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hen i visited greenland a few years back, this autonomous territory of the Kingdom of Denmark—it’s not a country—had just begun an advertising campaign branding it as a travel destination beyond polar bears and igloos. Air Greenland had just launched its first direct flights from and to a hoped-for lucrative U.S. market, a five-hour flight from Baltimore to its airport in Kangerlussuaq, Greenland. My flight was about three-quarters empty— not an auspicious indicator for Greenland tourism. Pretty much the only interesting thing to do in the tiny village of Kangerlussuaq (with a population of 500), I quickly discovered, is to board a flight to somewhere else. Now, Ilulissat is interesting. Located on Greenland’s western coast roughly 220 miles north of the Arctic Circle, with a population of about 5,000, making it Greenland’s third-larg-
est city, it has more sled dogs than people. Its name means “icebergs” in Greenlandic. Icebergs indeed. The “city” is built on humps of glaciated rock. It looks out on a harbor that, depending upon the time of day, may be nearly empty or packed with small boats and trawlers. There’s a good-sized plant for processing shrimp and halibut. Homes sit close to one another on sloping land without discernible boundary lines and, as is the practice throughout Greenland, they’re painted colorfully—yellow, red, and shades of blue. People, even small children, are out and about late in the evening, even near midnight. This is, after all, one of the areas of the world known for its midnight sun. About those dogs that outnumber the people there: They all look alike. That’s because the Greenland Dog, a breed similar to the Alaskan Malamute, the Canadian Eskimo Dog, and the Siberian Husky, is the only breed Greenland allows north of the Arctic
c le
By Fred J. Eckert
Ilulissat
Ilulissat, pop. 5,000, is located 220 miles north of the Arctic Circle.
Travel North Atlantic
FROM TOP L: REBECCA GUSTAFSSON/VISIT GREENLAND, THE EPOCH TIMES, COPYRIGHT FRED J. ECKERT, PAUL ZIZKA/VISIT GREENLAND, ANINGAAQ R CARLSEN/VISIT GREENLAND
Circle in order to preserve the breed’s purity. What makes Ilulissat so interesting is its location. Not so much that it lies a good bit north of the Arctic Circle, but that it neighbors the Ilulissat Icefjord, a UNESCO World Heritage Site that runs west about 25 miles from the Greenland ice sheet. It’s the world’s second-largest ice sheet, after the Antarctic ice sheet, and it extends to a spot just south of Ilulissat called Disko Bay, the largest open bay in western Greenland. At its eastern end is the most productive glacier in the Northern Hemisphere. Flowing at a rate of anywhere between 66 to 115 feet per day, each day it calves off enough ice that, if it were melted, would equal all the water that the population of New York consumes in a year. Put another way, about 20 billion tons of icebergs calve off and pass out of the fjord each year! Often, icebergs breaking from the glacier are too tall—more than 3,000 feet in height—to float down the fjord. Sometimes, they lie stuck for years on the bottom of the shallower areas until eventually they’re broken up by the force of the glacier and icebergs further up the fjord. It was so soothing, pleasant, peaceful, impressive, striking—you name it—to just stand or sit looking out over Disko Bay and take in the vista of icebergs of all sizes gleaming in the warm glow of the midnight sun. Equally as stunning as the view looking out across the bay at icebergs of all sizes and shapes was the view from above. Lifting off from Ilulissat in a helicopter carrying a few tourists, we flew out over the world-famous Ilulissat
Icefjord. What a spectacular sight to behold. It really is true that Iceland is much greener than Greenland, three-quarters of which is covered by a permanent ice sheet that’s exceeded in size only by the one in Antarctica. And it’s also true that Viking colonizer Floki Vilgeroarson christened Iceland with such a glum name deliberately to discourage settlement, while another Viking, Eric the Red, bestowed a deliberately misleading name on Greenland to encourage colonization. That said, so what? Greenland has more than just ice to make it worth visiting. A friend of mine traveled there to track herds of muskoxen, which are native to Greenland and the Canadian Arctic. This large, thick-coated mammal of the Bovidae family has a name that means “the bearded one” in the language of the Inuit people. Observing Inuit culture—including the customs and dress of ethnically similar indigenous peoples of the Arctic region—is something many visitors enjoy. Some 89 percent of Greenland’s approximately 58,000 residents are Greenlandic Inuit. Popular activities for tourists are dog sledding, whale-watching, visiting Viking ruins, and seeing the northern lights (aurora borealis), sometimes called the polar lights. Me? If I were to revisit Greenland, I would be perfectly content to simply head right back to Ilulissat and once again savor the beauty of Disko Bay and the Ilulissat Icefjord. Fred J. Eckert is a retired U.S. ambassador and former member of Congress.
1/2
of Greenland lies within the Arctic Circle.
If You Go When to Visit: Most would recommend visiting Greenland in the summer months, but for skiing or viewing the northern lights, winter is the time to visit. Getting Around: It’s possible to travel around Greenland independently but not generally recommended. Better to travel with an organized tour to avoid inconveniences. Add-ons: Unless you’re arriving aboard a cruise ship, you will have to fly to Greenland from Iceland via Air Iceland Connect or via Air Greenland, or from Copenhagen, Denmark, via Air Greenland.
(Above) This fishing boat in Disko Bay will deliver its catch to a good-sized plant for processing shrimp and halibut in Ilulissat. (Right) Northern lights billow over Ilulissat. (Far Right) On top of the world—almost. I N S I G H T July 22–28, 2022 59
INVEST IN STAMPS
AN ALTERNATIVE ASSET for the
PORTFOLIO
Some stamps qualify as miniature pieces of art and are considered viable investments By Bill Lindsey
Investment-grade postage stamps uniquely combine appreciation potential with history.
60 I N S I G H T July 22–28, 2022
Lifestyle How to Invest in Stamps
LEFT PAGE: PHOTO BY JIEVANI/SHUTTERSTOCK; RIGHT PAGE FROM TOP: COURTESY OF NATIONAL POSTAL MUSEUM, AS PHOTOSTUDIO/SHUTTERSTOCK, COURTESY SHREVE'S PHILATELLIC GALLERIES, LUCIANO DEMARCHI/SHUTTERSTOCK
W
hat we now call stamps were invented by Henry Bishop, London’s postmaster general, in 1661. Originally, a handstamp was used to indicate the postage had been paid to send a parcel or letter, coining the term “stamp.” In 1840, Sir Rowland Hill invented the first adhesive stamp, the forerunner of today’s postage stamps. We use them to send postcards and pay utility bills, but for the most part, as more goods and services are paid for via online methods, postage stamps seem to be from a bygone era. With their diminished use, collecting stamps as a hobby has fallen out of favor, but under some circumstances, stamps can be part of a diversified investment portfolio. Stamp collecting isn’t to be confused with investment-grade stamps; in a personal collection, there may be emotional connections, such as countries visited, while as an investment, the only compelling factor is the potential for appreciation. Not unlike old coins, the vast majority of stamps don’t qualify as investment grade. While this means that old cigar box in the closet or attic full of dusty stamps probably doesn’t hold one with the same value as a private island in the Florida Keys, it can happen. In 1873, a 12-year-old Scottish boy spotted an odd stamp among his uncle’s papers; he sold the worn and unusual stamp to a collector. The stamp, a one-cent 1865 British Guiana, was later acquired in 1878 by Count Philippe de la Renotière, who owned
Some dealers and investors will spend many hours searching through stamp collections in hopes of finding that “needle in a haystack” stamp.
While every investment has risks, a carefully chosen stamp can increase in value. what has been described as the most complete worldwide stamp collection ever to exist. After the count’s death, the stamp and the rest of his collection were donated to Berlin’s postal museum and then made their way around the globe. In 1980, the Guiana stamp was acquired by John E. du Pont for $935,000. After du Pont’s death, which occurred while he was in prison for murder, the stamp was sold at auction in 2014 for $9.5 million, making this rather odd-looking stamp the most valuable in the world, and du Pont’s investment a rather good one. The world’s overall supply of investment-grade stamps is limited. However, this supply can be diminished by fire, theft, water damage, insect damage, and other unforeseeable scenarios. As a result, while every investment has risks, a carefully chosen stamp can increase in value, with such increases usually taking place over the course of many years, making stamps a longhold proposition. Unless you happen across an inverted Jenny stamp (a run of 100 stamps in which a World War I Curtiss JN-4 biplane is depicted flying upside-down) in a stack of old mail found in the attic, the two most common sources of investment-grade stamps are dealers and auction houses. Before you buy, you need to know what to look for. Rarity is always a huge factor in determining current value and potential appreciation, but another factor to consider is the stamp’s condition; this ranges from mint, never used, and perfectly printed with zero defects, to good, with defects, creases, tears, faded ink, and other obvious signs of use. These factors will impact the purchase price regardless of how or from whom you acquire the stamp.
Known as the Inverted Jenny, only one pane of 100 of these “error stamps” printed in 1918 have been found to date, making it quite valuable and a great investment candidate.
When placing stamps in an album for viewing, take care to store it upright in a cool dry place to avoid damaging the contents.
Stamp auction catalogs with winning bids information added can serve as a good indication of current and future values of investmentgrade stamps.
I N S I G H T July 22–28, 2022 61
Lifestyle How to Invest in Stamps
LIFESTYLE
YOU CAN’T LICK THIS INVESTMENT
To savvy investors, rare and unusual postage stamps offer long-hold gain potential and are fun to admire.
1 What to Look For Experienced stamp investors as well as those new to the game often utilize auctions as a source of potential acquisitions.
62 I N S I G H T July 22–28, 2022
taking delivery. If the quality or grade is found to differ from the auction’s description, the transaction can be canceled or perhaps revised. In any scenario, having a stamp certified can help to avoid conflicts between buyers and sellers. Protect your investment-grade stamps by storing them in a cool, dry place inside sleeves and/or upright albums. Consider insuring them against theft or damage.
2 Where to Buy and Sell Them Dealers and auction houses specializing in rare stamps, if they offer certification prior to transferring funds. Also check grandmother’s attic, and estate sales.
3 How to Store Them As is the case with any expensive asset being considered for purchase, it’s wise to have an expert confirm the authenticity and condition of the stamp prior to transferring funds.
A dry, cool, secure place such as a safety deposit box or a safe with a dehumidifier system. Insure them against theft or damage.
THIS PAGE FROM TOP: COURTESY OF DUTCH COUNTRY AUCTIONS, BJOERN WYLEZICH/SHUTTERSTOCK
An auction held by a reputable, experienced house such as Sotheby’s, David Feldman, Corinphila Auctions, Stanley Gibbons, Daniel Kelleher Auctions, or others can be a sound way for a knowledgeable investor to acquire asset-grade stamps. Potential buyers can attend these auctions in person or online. Dealers represent another source, and a bargain may be possible if a stamp dealer needs to liquidate inventory to make another acquisition. As is the case in buying anything as an investment, there’s no such thing as having too much knowledge of the time under consideration. Sotheby’s postage stamp auction catalogs are highly sought-after sources of information and value. Be aware that buyers at an auction will have to pay a buyer’s premium in addition to the winning bid. Premiums are typically 10 percent of the winning bid; always confirm the premium amount prior to bidding. Investors should consider dealing only with auction houses that will agree to have the stamp certified for quality and grading prior to the buyer
Stamps produced in very low quantities, or ones that are so old that few survive, as well as “error” stamps printed by accident.
Luxury Living Sun-Smart Shirts
HOW TO PROTECT YOUR SKIN WHEN YOU’RE OUTSIDE Sunblock can only provide so much protection, which is why we’ve collected high-tech shirts that comfortably provide serious UV protection By Bill Lindsey
Patriotic Protection
Keep It Simple
HOOK & TACKLE MEN’S AMERICAN SAILFISH LONG SLEEVE T-SHIRT
WHITEWATER LONG SLEEVE TECH SHIRT $29.99
This shirt manages to improve on the time-honored long-sleeve T-shirt. Boasting UPF 30 protection, the silky 100 percent polyester fabric dries quickly and is treated to help repel odor-causing bacteria. The classic, clean design keeps you looking cool even on the hottest days.
$45
Based in Miami and run by active offshore anglers, Hook & Tackle knows a lot about sun protection. Made from their proprietary Solar System fabric, this stars and stripesthemed shirt provides an ultraviolet protection factor (UPF) of 50-plus and has the breathability of soft cotton, coupled with moisture-wicking, odor-resistant properties.
FROM TOP L: COURTESY OF HOOK & TACKLE, WHITEWATER, OCEAN R, PNUMA, COOLIBAR
The Yachties’ Choice
OCEAN R COLLECTION AGIOFILI BEACH MEN’S LONG SLEEVE SHIRT $63
A Pleasant Surprise
PNUMA SHOOTING SHIRT $60
Most sun-protective clothing pieces look like T-shirts, but you can wear this collared shirt on date night without the wife glaring at you. Crafted of anti-microbial, wicking, UPF 30-plus, 100 percent polyester, it features snaps for a button-down look, a back yoke to vent heat, rollup sleeve tabs, and chest pockets.
Superyacht crew, sometimes referred to as “yachties,” are expected to look good while working, making this shirt with a Hawaiian-style inset design their top choice. Crafted from 85 percent recycled polyester and 15 percent elastane, it also provides UPF 50 protection. The quickdrying fabric makes it a great choice to wear while swimming, as well as on dry land.
Keep It Covered
COOLIBAR MEN’S ANDROS FISHING HOODIE $79
This is a shirt your dermatologist will love; the UPF 50-plus design features finger loops to protect your hands while keeping the sleeves down, plus a hood that can be pulled up and over to protect your face and neck; add sunglasses for virtually complete UV protection. I N S I G H T July 22–28, 2022 63
Epoch Booklist RECOMMENDED READING FICTION
‘The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry’
By Gabrielle Zevin
A Story of 2nd Chances A.J. Fikry is a curmudgeon. Life hasn’t panned out how he’d planned. He’s alone and the owner of an underperforming bookstore. Things worsen when a prized book is stolen. But when a surprise package arrives at his store, it offers him the chance to remake his life. ALGONQUIN BOOKS, 2014 288 PAGES
‘The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter’
By Carson McCullers
The Search for Love and Understanding Published when McCullers was 23, this 1930s Georgia-based story focuses on deaf John Singer, who loses his best friend, a deaf-mute, to mental illness and an asylum. Lonely Singer offers friendship and solace to several lost
This week we feature a harrowing history of a Filipina war widow’s courage, and an astute commentary on the effects of America’s fixation on youth.
souls in town: a black physician; a strange, frustrated girl; the owner of the café where Singer takes his meals; and a drunk given to spells of rage. This top-selling novel about alienation, despair, and grace affects today’s readers as powerfully as when it appeared 82 years ago. MARINER BOOKS REPRINT 2004, 368 PAGES
SOCIAL SCIENCE
‘The Death of the Grown-Up’
By Diana West
Why Adults Matter West documents Americans’ pursuit of perpetual adolescence and its impact on domestic society and the world. The author itemizes the many ways in which people today delay or avoid becoming adults. Popular art, dress, and culture put a premium on youth, not maturity. The result? Indecisive parents refuse to assume parental responsibility, and children are sexualized at ever-younger ages. If you can read this book without becoming worried, perhaps there’s something to worry about. ST. MARTIN’S PRESS 2007, 272 PAGES
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Are there books you’d recommend? We’d love to hear from you. Let us know at features@epochtimes.com
HISTORY
‘Logistics’
By Jeremy Black
What Military Professionals Talk About In a 1979 interview, Marine Corps Gen. Robert Barrow stated: “Amateurs talk about strategy and tactics. Professionals talk about logistics.” This book looks at the role logistics has played in warfare throughout history. Prior books on logistics have focused on its tactical aspects—how to get supplies where they were needed. Black examines the strategic role of logistics. For those interested in strategy, it’s a valuable book. NAVAL INSTITUTE PRESS 2021, 240 PAGES
‘The Indomitable Florence Finch’
By Robert J. Mrazek
Honoring a Hidden Heroine It would be decades before family and friends learned of the unsurpassed intelli-
gence, sacrifice, and fortitude of Florence Finch, who wanted to help in the ways that she could. The unassuming but resilient Filipina native proved a savior to imprisoned POWs during the Japanese occupation of the Philippines during World War II.
FOR KIDS
HACHETTE BOOKS, 2020 368 PAGES
‘The Eagle of the Ninth’
By Rosemary Sutcliff
CLASSICS
‘Great Books’
By David Denby
Self-Reflection and the Classics This book chronicles Denby’s return at age 48 to take two “great books” courses at Columbia University. He analyzes the classics while pondering the culture wars of that day— 1997—and the place of Western literature in academia. Are these books really intellectually stultifying? A film reviewer for many years, here he brings his critical skills to literature to ultimately celebrate these books and authors. A fascinating blend of Western civilization’s basic works, with observations on his fellow students and autobiographical details. SIMON & SCHUSTER REPRINT, 1997, 512 PAGES
Bringing History to Life Young Marcus Flavius Aquila travels north from Roman Britain into present-day Scotland, learns the fate of his father’s legion, and retrieves the Roman eagle, the standard lost in the battle. Realism and high adventure, for grades 5 to 9. SQUARE FISH, 2010 210 PAGES
‘Riki’s Birdhouse’
By Monica Wellington
Backyard Birds Riki cares for the birds in his backyard throughout the year: building a birdhouse, making food for critters that stay the winter, providing materials for nests, and recording what he observes. Sure to inspire some backyard action. DUTTON BOOKS FOR YOUNG READERS, 2009, 32 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 look at a quirky comedy about inept crooks, as well as a sobering documentary about the horrors of the Nazi death camps.
NEW RELEASE
FAMILY PICK
‘Bottle Rocket’ (1996)
‘From Where They Stood’ (2022) Nazi prisoners in different death camps risked their lives to snap pictures of their horrible existence, which the world was largely unaware of at the time. Director Christophe Cognet attempts to uncover the stories of the men and women who took those images. This film contains incredible archival footage—both eye-opening and haunting. Cognet’s uniquely forensic approach creates an almost clinical exposé of the film’s subject matter and serves as a tribute to those who managed to smuggle film canisters out of the camps.
DOCUMENTARY | DR AMA | HISTORY
Release Date: July 15, 2022 Director: Christophe Cognet Running Time: 1 hour, 55 minutes Not Rated Where to Watch: Theaters
masterpiece of filmmaking that boasts memorable, surprisingly well-developed characters over its taut running time. DRAMA | WESTERN
A pair of drifters passing through a small town hear news of a local farmer who was murdered recently. The townsfolk form a posse to catch those
responsible and possibly lynch the suspects on the spot. This is a powerful indictment of the dangers of groupthink and mob violence. It’s also a
James Caan appears in the second half of the movie and is an outstanding crime mentor. COMEDY | CRIME | DR AMA
Release Date: Feb. 21, 1996 Director: Wes Anderson Starring: Luke Wilson, Owen Wilson, Robert Musgrave Running Time: 1 hour, 31 minutes MPAA Rating: R Where to Watch: Redbox, DirecTV, HBO Max
A SLOW-BURN JAPANESE EPIC
‘Ran’ (1985)
A WESTERN ABOUT MOB RULE AND GROUPTHINK
‘The Ox-Bow Incident’ (1943)
In Wes Anderson’s directorial debut, three friends, Anthony (Luke Wilson), Dignan (Owen Wilson), and Bob (Robert Musgrave), decide to go on a grand crime spree. However, the bumbling burglars soon realize they know zilch about crime. This mature-themed film isn’t suitable for young kids. However, for adults, there’s plenty of humor and oddball characters (with acting debuts from the Wilson brothers) who are charming in their own ways. The late
Release Date: May 21, 1943 Director: William A. Wellman Starring: Henry Fonda, Dana Andrews, Mary Beth Hughes Running Time: 1 hour, 15 minutes Not Rated Where to Watch: DirecTV, Starz, Vudu
Elder warlord Hidetora Ichimonji (Tatsuya Nakadai) wants to retire and abdicate his domain to his three sons. His youngest son, Saburo (Daisuke Ryu), has a falling out with the others and is banished by Hidetora, but as the other two sons begin scheming against the aging lord, Saburo may be the only one who can save him. This visually stunning drama is one of the finest examples of Japanese cinema out there. Coupled
with a haunting score and brilliant acting performances, this is a must-see film. ACTION | DR AMA | WAR
Release Date: June 1, 1985 Director: Akira Kurosawa Starring: Tatsuya Nakadai, Akira Terao, Jinpachi Nezu Running Time: 2 hours, 42 minutes MPAA Rating: R Where to Watch: Redbox, DirecTV, Vudu
I N S I G H T July 22–28, 2022 65
Food Restaurants
BACK TO BASICS: AT PATTI ANN’S, DINERS GET SCHOOLED IN GREG BAXTROM’S VERSION OF MIDWEST NOSTALGIA Named after his mother, a retired elementary school teacher, the acclaimed New York chef’s latest venture is a classroom-themed, comfort food-dealing tribute to his family and upbringing By Crystal Shi
I
66 I N S I G H T July 22–28, 2022
Greg Baxtrom with his mom, Patti Ann.
The warm, cheery interior leans heavily into the schoolhouse theme.
Instead of hot dogs, the pigs in a blanket are stuffed with Nueske’s bacon.
like “Field Trip” and “Ditch Day,” to server-graded report cards that come with the check (along with Andes mints). His carpenBorn: Frankfort, Ill. ter dad built the chef’s counter, bar, and shelving (and, Baxtrom Lives: Brooklyn, says, passed down his “workaholNew York ic” drive). Last Meal: Roast The food has been a fun challenge chicken and for Baxtrom, a balance of staying mashed potatoes true to his upbringing while apFavorite Way plying thoughtful, elevated twists. to Unwind: In a spin on what was a onceCatching up on TV a-week meal growing up, there’s shows, or playing in the park with duck meatloaf glazed with cherry my dog, Spud “ketchup,” best paired with fluffy mashed potatoes made with Life Motto: good ol’ Idaho spuds (most chefs My dad always said, “Measure call for waxy Yukon Golds for sutwice, cut once,” per-creamy results—“but your so probably mom uses Idaho potatoes”). something in Appetizers include pig in a blanthat universe. ket, which tucks Wisconsin-based Nueske’s bacon into a braided
GREG BAXTROM
Staples of the Midwest family restaurant, from the bread basket to the mashed potatoes, are reimagined at Patti Ann’s. potato roll, and “chips and goop,” the chips being the iconic Chicago brand Jays, and the goop a French onion dip based on his mom’s “special-occasion” recipe. There’s mostaccioli (what Chicagoans call baked ziti, Baxtrom said), a catered staple of “every church or Boy Scout event,” and cherry cobbler, a dessert from Scout camping trips, which he credits for first sparking his interest in cooking. Families have indeed filled the restaurant, but after they clear out—usually around 6:30—other diners come to enjoy it, too. Baxtrom has seen Battleship games over dinner, and a slightly intoxicated group of friends animatedly discussing the classroom map. The appeal, after all, has no age limit. “I think everybody wants meatloaf and mashed potatoes,” he said.
TOP LEFT: COURTESY OF GREG BAXTROM; NOAH FECKS
f the sign outside proudly advertising “stroller parking” doesn’t give it away, the cheerful, primary-colored decor and board game-stocked cubbies probably will. If not, then certainly the menu will—a roster of downhome comfort food printed on a paper placemat that comes with an activity book and crayons. Patti Ann’s is a family restaurant through and through. Specifically, it’s one inspired by the Midwestern family restaurants of chef-owner Greg Baxtrom’s childhood in a small suburb of Chicago, where “there’s something for everyone on the menu,” he said. “It’s certainly not ‘chef-y,’ but it checks every box of what you’re in the mood for.” Baxtrom is perhaps better known for “chef-y”: He trained in the kitchens of fine-dining stalwarts like Alinea and Per Se, reflected in his acclaimed farm-to-table spot Olmsted and the French Japanese izakaya Maison Yaki. Both are in Brooklyn’s Prospect Heights neighborhood, where he lives. For Patti Ann’s, he wanted to bring something new to his community. He envisioned “families with strollers, feeling comfortable rolling up to a restaurant at 6 o’clock without a reservation, not feeling awkward about asking if there’s a table.” Mulling over this “family-friendly” concept led him to an obvious source of inspiration: his own. The restaurant is named after his mother, an empathetic soul best described as “if Strawberry Shortcake grew up and became an elementary school teacher,” Baxtrom said. The theme honors her career, from a classroom-style U.S. map, to cocktails with names
How to Teach Children
Financial Etiquette Be a money mentor to your kids so they can manage their finances wisely
How to value money isn’t something that can be learned in school. You can help prepare your children to be responsible adults by using real-world examples and letting them earn their own cash.
1
Instill Responsibility
By Bill Lindsey
4
Children who are given an allowance in exchange for doing chores, such as taking out the trash, or who have small jobs to earn spending money tend to grow into responsible adults. Simply handing over cash to them can create a sense of entitlement, while having them earn can instill a sense of pride and underscore how effort is rewarded. Open a savings account for them so they can watch over their money; a piggy bank accomplishes much the same effect for youngsters.
CSA IMAGES/GETTY IMAGES
2 Explain Appreciation Explain how you earn the money you use to pay for your home, car, vacations, and more. They need to learn to not take money for granted, and to understand that someone had to work hard to earn it. If the child receives a gift of cash, teach them to promptly send a hand-written note of thanks to the giver. An awareness of the effort required to earn the money makes the gift more appreciated.
Help Them Spend Wisely
It’s normal for money to burn a hole in a child’s pocket, so teach them the Economics 101 concept of opportunity cost. As an example, if they had spent their saved money on movie tickets, and now they can’t buy the jeans they had been wanting, explain to them that they could have enjoyed the jeans for much longer than the enjoyment derived from seeing the movie. Teach them to save for something they really want without being distracted by transient desires.
3 Advise Discretion It’s not uncommon for some children to brag to their friends about how much money they (or their family) have, which is why it’s critical that you teach them the value of discretion. Innocent comments can be taken badly by others who may not be as fortunate, and, in any case, these comments are rude. In addition, if the child has a credit or debit card for emergencies, he or she needs to know that any misuse could result in it being taken back.
5
Be Their Financial Role Model
Kids pay more attention to us than we realize, so include them as you go about your daily financial activities. When you buy or lease a car, explain how the payments are structured. Teach them the value of sharing with others—whether family, strangers, charities, or your place of worship. Explain how investments work and how to reconcile credit card and checking accounts, so they know to make sure more money comes in than goes out.
I N S I G H T July 22–28, 2022 67
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