VOL. 7 FEB 19 - 25, 2021
VISION TIMES
NY EDITION
Lead House impeachment manager Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD) speaks at a press conference alongside the House impeachment managers at the U.S. Capitol on February 13, 2021 in Washington, D.C. (Image: Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images)
Senate
Acquits
Donald Trump in Impeachment Evidence Questioned
By Neil Campbell Vision Times
C
losing arguments in Donald Trump’s second impeachment trial completed Saturday, Feb. 13. Fifty-seven senators voted to convict the former U.S. president, 10 short of the two-thirds majority that would have been needed to see the process through. The voting followed party lines; 50 Democrats voted to convict Trump of inciting the Jan. 6 breach of the U.S. Capitol building. All 43 senators who chose to acquit Trump were Republicans. Attorneys for both the House and the former president were to be given two hours each to complete their presentations. However, the day opened with controversy, as the Senate convened ahead of schedule to hear a motion by Lead House Manager Jamie Raskin (D-MD) seeking to subpoena Rep. Jamie Herrera Beutler (R-WA). Raskin aimed to depose the congresswoman via Zoom about her knowledge of an alleged conversation between House Minority Leader Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) and President Donald Trump during the Jan. 6 riots.
Witness controversy
Trump’s attorney Michael van der Veen, who was the star of the defense’s opening arguments, was irate because, according to him, the defense and the House had agreed to a stipulation to not call any witnesses. Van der Veen said Democrats made the move as a final effort to save their case, “But after what happened here ny@visiontimes.com
in this chamber yesterday the House Managers realized they did not investigate this case before bringing the Impeachment. They did not give the proper consideration and work, they didn’t put the work in that was necessary to impeach the former President,” he said. He continued, “But, if they want to have witnesses, I’m going to need at least over 100 depositions. Not just one. The real issue is incitement. They put into their case over a hundred witnesses; people who have been charged with crimes by the federal government, and each one of those they said that Mr. Trump was a co-conspirator with.” The Senate voted 55-45 to allow witnesses to be subpoenaed before the chamber recessed. In the morning of Jan. 6 Trump had claimed that he rightfully won the Nov. 3 election, but called upon supporters to protest peacefully. Around half a million people were gathered in Washington, D.C. to hear the thenpresident deliver his speech and protest for him. Following the breach of the Capitol, Trump instructed protesters to return home, and condemned the violence.
Further false evidence presented
When the Senate reconvened, lead Defense attorney Bruce Castor announced that President Trump would agree to allow Herrera Beutler’s statement to be read into evidence so long as it was consistent with what she said the day before, on Feb. 12, in an interview with CNN. The event in question alleges that Donald Trump
Michael van der Veen (C), former President Donald Trump’s defense lawyer, reacts with a colleague following the conclusion of the second impeachment trial of former President Donald Trump at the U.S. Capitol on February 13, 2021 in Washington, DC. (Image: Joshua Roberts/Getty Images)
Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) joins House impeachment managers at a press conference after the conclusion of former President Donald Trump's second impeachment trial February 13, 2021 in Washington, DC. The Senate voted 57-43 to acquit Trump.
called Rep. McCarthy during the assault on the Capitol, claiming the anarchocommunist revolutionary group Antifa was behind the attacks. It is alleged that McCarthy retorted and blamed Trump for the attacks, in which Trump responded, “Well, Kevin, I guess these people are more upset about the election than you are.” The CNN article, which has been criticized as repeating hearsay from Herrera Beutler because it is not firsthand information from Rep. McCarthy himself, reads: “‘You have to look at what he did during the insurrection to confirm where his mind was at,’ Herrera Beutler, one of 10 House Republicans who voted last month to impeach Trump, told CNN. ‘That line right there demonstrates to me that either he didn’t care, which is impeachable, because you cannot allow an attack on your soil, or he wanted it to happen and was OK with it, which makes me so angry.’”
VISION TIMES
During closing arguments, Michael van der Veen, who completed the entire portion for his team, said “The proponents of that conversation, the real ones, have denied its content, its veracity.” “What we did today was stipulate to an article that was published in a magazine…apparently they’ve had for weeks, according to the documents they produced today, but for some reason this morning popped up with it.” “We did not stipulate to its contents to truthfulness, and they tried to portray that it was truthful in their closing as the stipulation. The stipulation was read into the record.”
Raskin: defense was ‘propaganda’
During closing arguments, neither side went beyond the previous hours of their opening arguments. Manager Raskin held tight to the narrative his side presented: Trump had incited violence and was at fault for not
immediately taking action to stop it. Raskin’s team, however, had earlier been accused during the defense’s opening arguments of doctoring evidence, including changing the date of a tweet to make it appear connected to the events at the Capitol. Of Trump’s alleged interaction with Kevin McCarthy as reported by Rep. Hererra Beutler, Raskin said, “This uncontradicted statement that has just been stipulated as part of the evidentiary record…that conduct is obviously part and parcel of the Constitutional offense that Trump was impeached for, namely incitement of insurrection, that is continuing incitement to the insurrection.” Raskin asserted that van der Veen’s presentation showing Trump’s unredacted and unaltered words at the Jan. 6 rallies were “propaganda reels.” Van der Veen said that even amid more than 14 hours of video reels played by the Democrats, “at no point in their presentation did you hear the House Managers play a single example of Mr. Trump urging anyone to engage in violence of any kind. At no point did you hear anything that could ever possibly be construed as Mr. Trump encouraging or sanctioning an insurrection.” “The false and defamatory claim that Mr. Trump gave a speech to his supporters to go attack the Capitol has been repeated so often, uncritically, without any examination of the underlying facts, that the Americans listening at home were probably surprised to learn it’s not true,” he said. 212-730-6963
NATION
A2 | FEB 19 - 25 , 2021
www.VisionTimes.com
Proposed $1.9 Trillion Pandemic Relief to Include $3,600 in Child Assistance Payments By Arvind Datta
P
resident Joe Biden’s proposed $1.9 trillion pandemic relief package will give up to $3,600 in direct payments to American families with children. At present, the Child Tax Credit offers $2,000 annually for every child under 17 years old. The new proposal will disburse $3,600 for children under the age of 6 years old and $3,000 for children under 18 years old. The relief package will be distributed through the IRS every month starting in July. Individuals making more than $75,000 per year or couples earning over $150,000 will receive reduced payments. Democrat Richard Neal, the chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, supports the proposal. He stated that the coronavirus pandemic is pushing families into devastating levels of poverty.
“We are making the Child Tax Credit more generous, more accessible, and by paying it out monthly… This money will be the difference between a roof over someone’s head or food on their table. This is how the tax code is supposed to work for those who need it most, and so long as I am Chairman of the Ways and Means Committee, it’s what you can expect to see from us,” he said in a statement. Combined with $1,400 in stimulus checks promised to Americans plus the expansion of a tax credit program for people bringing in little income, the three proposed benefits will give up to $3,630 for those making $65,000 to $111,300 per year. People who earn between $39,800 and $65,000 annually will get $3,370 per year. Those making $21,300 to $39,800 will get $3,340 in benefits. People earning $111,300 to $247,400 annually will collect $3,250. These are estimates calculated by the Institute of Tax-
Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky pictured in 2014. McDonnel blocked previous $2,000 stimulus checks, reducing them to $600. (Image: Gage Skidmore via Wikimedia Commons CC0 1.0)
Biden's relief package might offer up to $3,600 in child care assistance. (Image: pixabay / CC0 1.0)
ation and Economic Policy (ITEP). The revamped Child Tax Credit program will boost the bottom 20 percent of the earning population by 9.7 percent on average. Meanwhile, the other tax credit program will offer $13 billion in additional benefits to people who qualify for it. While Democrats are push-
ing the relief package to be passed, Republicans are opposed. They are concerned that the $1.9 trillion package is too big of a financial burden on the American government. Ten Republican senators proposed a reduced $618 billion package, but the Democrats declined the proposal.
Republicans also opposed the minimum wage increase and the $350 billion in aid to local and state governments. The Biden administration stated that the package is popular with American citizens The onus is on the Republican Party to pass it through. “If they make a decision, Sen.
Supreme Court to Look Into Election Lawsuits This Month By James Battaglini
T Mike Kelly appealed SCOTUS to reconsider the lawsuit against Pennsylvania. Kelly has filed a lawsuit about election fraud with the Supreme (Image: United States Congress)
he United States Supreme Court will be looking into election fraud lawsuits during its Feb. 19 conference. These lawsuits include two cases filed by the Trump campaign and one case, each filed by Sidney Powell, Lin Wood, and Republican Representative Mike Kelly. All these cases allege that the 2020 presidential race was plagued with election irregularities and fraud. The Supreme Court had previously declined to fast-track these cases in early January.
In their pleas seeking their lawsuits to be expedited, the lawyers had told the court that their chances of success would decline if the suits weren’t heard before Jan. 20, the day Biden was inaugurated as president. However, the Supreme Court ignored these requests. Several lawyers believe that these proceedings explore issues that have long-term implications for fairness in elections. Even if Trump is out of office, these election challenges still need to be addressed, such as the controversy of expanded mailin voting.
“Our legal issue remains important and in need of the court’s review,” Trump lawyer John Eastman told the Washington Examiner. The Trump camp’s two lawsuits in Pennsylvania and Wisconsin had sought expedited hearings and blocked the certification of Electoral College votes for Joe Biden. The Michigan lawsuit filed by Powell wanted the court to declare certified election results as unconstitutional and de-certify them. Wood’s petition in Georgia also sought to decertify the results in the state. Kelly’s Pennsylvania petition asked the court for an injunction
blocking the “ExecutiveRespondents from taking official action to tabulate, compute, canvass, certify, or otherwise finalize the results of the Election.” The suit noted that the expansion of ‘no-excuse’ mail-in voting enacted in Oct. 2019 violated the Pennsylvania constitution’s rules of who is eligible to cast absentee votes. Kelly’s lawyer stated that they do not have any intention of dropping the legal action. The Supreme Court has promised to look into these lawsuits But it doesn’t mean that they will take them on. If
McConnell [and] the Republicans in Congress, to vote against the will of their constituents, I would suggest you ask them why that’s smart politically,” White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said at a news briefing. In case Democrats do not get the necessary support from the GOP to pass the relief package through the Senate, they might use a legislative maneuver called reconciliation. It will lower the votes needed for approving the package from 60 to 51. Since the Democrats hold 50 seats in the Senate, passing the package will be easier.
the challenges are accepted, the petitions will likely not be heard until October. As the courts ponder over the proceedings, many Republicans are pushing forward for a campaign to curb mailin voting by passing new laws. The Trump team wants to build upon the fight for free and fair elections. In a recently released video, son Donald Trump Jr. says to his father’s supporters that they are not done yet. Donald Trump Jr. said in the video: “The reality is this movement isn’t over. All of the blood, sweat, and tears that you guys have all put into this thing is very much still alive and well. You see that… This is really a movement of the people, a movement against the establishment, a movement against the elite.”
Facebook Aims to Track Your Body Through a Smartwatch By Prakash Gogoi
S
ocial media giant Facebook is planning to release its smartwatch in the near future. The smartwatch will collect biometric data from users, adding new data sets to the platform’s store of personal information. The planned smartwatch will likely operate on Android. The company is also developing its operating system that might soon be integrated into future smartwatch versions, replacing the Android OS. The smartwatch will allow users to connect to other people through Facebook’s messaging apps. Integrated into the smartwatch are Health and fitness apps from brands
212-730-6963
Facebook plans on launching a smartwatch (Image: pixabay / CC0 1.0)
like Peloton. The watch will not need to be paired with a smartphone to access the internet. Instead, internet access will be through a cellular connection. Facebook’s smartwatch will hit shelves by next year. The main challenge Facebook faces is getting regulatory approval. For instance,
Google’s recent acquisition of Fitbit is under investigation by the Department of Justice (DoJ) over concerns that it might stifle competition in the market. Google could limit Android OS’s functionalities on other wearables now that it has its product in the niche market. To ease authorities’ concerns, Google declared that it would continue licensing public APIs so that other wearables can continue running Android OS. There are also privacy concerns. Google has promised that it will not use health data collected from wearable tech for its advertising business. In addition to the DoJ, regulators from Australia are also looking into the deal. Once Facebook enters the wearable market, similar con-
cerns will inevitably arise, especially using health data for advertisement. Suppose regulators do not approve of Google’s acquisition of Fitbit or add special restrictions on how the search giant uses Fitbit data. In that case, Facebook’s planned smartwatch will be subject to the same limitations.
AR Smart glasses
In addition to smartwatches, Facebook is planning to launch many other hardware products as well. Its AR smart glasses, for example, are expected to be released later this year. Developed in partnership with Luxottica Group SpA and Ray-Ban, the glasses will not overlay digital objects into the real world view, a
VISION TIMES
staple of AR. “These are certainly connected glasses. They are certainly providing a lot of functionality, [but] we’re being quite coy about which functionality precisely we are providing… We’re excited about it, but we don’t want to over-hype it. We’re not even calling it augmented reality. We’re just calling it ‘smart glasses,’” hardware chief Andrew Bosworth told Bloomberg.
Smartwatch hacking vulnerability
Smartwatches seem to be particularly susceptible to hacking due to motion sensors in their hardware. Researchers from the University of Illinois at UrbanaChampaign have found that
hackers can access search queries, emails, and confidential information through “data leaks” from the device’s motion sensors. Romit Roy Choudhury, associate professor of electrical and computer engineering at Illinois, told the Economic Times: “Sensor data from wearable devices will clearly be a double-edged sword… While the device’s contact with the human body will offer invaluable insights into human health and context, it will also make way for deeper violation of human privacy… The core challenge is in characterizing what can or cannot be inferred from sensor data and the MoLe project is one example along this direction.” ny@visiontimes.com
NATION
www.VisionTimes.com
VOL .7 FEB 19 - 25 , 2021 |
A3
New York State
to Protect Governor Cuomo By Arvind Datta
M
elissa DeRosa, Secretary of New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, has admitted that her team withheld actual coronavirus death numbers in the state’s nursing homes in a bid to protect the government from political scrutiny and a potential federal investigation. DeRosa apologized to Democrat state legislators for the political damage her team’s actions have caused. During the Trump administration, the president had highlighted New York’s nursing home COVID-19 deaths. Fearful that such scrutiny might eventually be the end of their governance, Cuomo’s team decided to hide the
actual data regarding nursing home deaths. The issue came to attention in January when state Attorney General Letitia James released a report claiming that the actual coronavirus death numbers would be around 50 percent higher if hospitals’ deaths were included. The number of nursing home resident deaths acknowledged initially by the state’s Department of Health was 8,711. This figure only includes deaths that occurred within nursing homes. When Health Commissioner Howard Zucker included the deaths of nursing home residents who died in hospitals, the combined total came to 12,743 as of Jan. 19, nearly 50 percent higher as estimated by Leti-
tia. What’s more, when the number of deaths from adult care/assisted living facilities are added, the death toll further climbed to 15,049.
Justice for COVID19 victims
Fol low i ng DeRosa’s admission of covering up COVID-19 deaths, a group of Democrat state senators is demanding that Cuomo be immediately stripped of his authority to deal with the pandemic. Lawmakers said in a statement. “While COVID-19 has tested the limits of our people and state — and, early during the pandemic, required the government to restructure decision making to render rapid, necessary public
health judgments. It’s clear that the expanded emergency powers granted to the Governor are no longer appropriate. While the executive’s authority to issue directives is due to expire on April 30, we urge the Senate to advance and adopt a repeal as expeditiously as possible.” The revelations come on the back of reports that Cuomo had ordered over 9,000 recovering coronavirus patients into long-term care facilities and nursing homes last year, which is thousands more than what the administration has reported. Republican Tom Reed from New York has asked the Department of Justice to investigate Cuomo’s nursing homes handling. Republican Lee Zeldin from New York
wants DOJ to immediately open an Obstruction of Justice investigation into Cuomo and his administrative decisions. For much of last year, Cuomo was projected as a leader in America’s fight against the coronavirus pandemic. He wrote a book called ‘American Crisis: Leadership Lessons from the COVID-19 Pandemic,’ the description of which states that Cuomo “undertook the impossible” and was “relentless in his pursuit of scientific facts and data.” Meanwhile, DeRosa has been appointed as Biden’s adviser for COVID-19, which Republican Nicole Malliotakis finds shocking given her involvement in covering up the nursing home
(Images:Ron Jenkins/Getty Images)
Texas Under Unprecedented Winter Storm, Biden Approves Emergency By Prakash Gogoi
P
resident Joe Biden has approved an emergency declaration in the state of Texas given the extreme winter weather battering the region. All 254 counties are currently under emergency. Responding to requests for federal assistance put forward by state Governor Greg Abbott, Biden has ordered the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to provide assistance to the relief efforts undertaken by local and state authorities. Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), the organization that runs the state’s power grid, is conducting rolling blackouts to conserve power.
Abbott has announced that he has deployed maximum state resources to local officials to aid in the relief efforts and restore power in all communities. The National Guard has been put in place to help authorities transition citizens who might be in need of one of the 135 warming centers established across the state. The National Guard is also conducting welfare checks. Necessary personnel and resources have been pooled to clear up roadways and aid essential care workers to carry out operations without hindrances. “Due to the severe weather and freezing temperatures across our state, many power companies have been unable to generate power, whether it’s from coal, natural gas, or wind power… ERCOT and
the PUC are working nonstop to restore power supply. The state has also deployed resources to assist Texans without power and to help essential workers continue to carry out their jobs. In the meantime, I encourage all Texans to continue to stay off the roads, and conserve energy as state agencies work with private providers to restore power as quickly as possible,” Governor Abbott said in a statement.
Unprecedented Winter Storm in Texas
Over 5 million people from Texas to North Dakota are
estimated to be in the dark as officials desperately try to avoid a complete grid collapse. The reason for the massive power outage in Texas lies in the fact that the region’s power grid has been designed for hot summers rather than cold winters. The current winter storm hit the electricity supply’s weak points. Power plants with a combined production capacity of 34 gigawatts have been forced offline. Around 50 percent of Texas’ wind power capacity is also now idle. Over a million barrels a day of oil production is currently shut down.
resident deaths. Malliotakis has written a letter to Biden, asking that he address the issue. Malliotakis said in an interview with Breitbart: “That’s the other letter I issued yesterday to the Biden administration saying that, look, you can’t have somebody who you know admitted to knowing of a coverup and possibly participated — most likely participated in that cover-up — advising your administration on COVID policy. You can’t have somebody who took part in that decision — to issue the executive order that led to 15,000 deaths in nursing homes — to advise your administration on COVID if you want to be taken seriously.”
Refineries have shut gasoline production. Meanwhile, medical centers are trying to get as many people injected with the COVID-19 vaccines before they go bad. The below freezing temperatures are expected to last until Friday, after which respite will come in the form of sunny skies according to KHOU-11’s weather prediction. ERCOT has advised people to minimize energy consumption as much as possible. It was recommended to close all shades and blinds in the living areas to limit loss of heat, keep thermostats to 68 degrees or less, and only
use large appliances like washing machines and ovens when absolutely necessary. The National Weather Service issued an alert for Southeast Texas, warning people to take immediate steps to protect themselves. “Preparations to protect life and property should be rushed to completion… Prepare for power outages and have nonperishable food and water on hand. Do not travel unless it is an emergency. If you must travel, keep an extra blanket, flashlight, food, and water in your vehicle, in case you become stranded,” it said in a statement.
White House Press Aide Resigns Following Romantic Scandal and Threat By Arvind Datta
W
hite House Deputy Press Secretary TJ Ducklo has resigned after he verbally threatened a journalist from Politico. Tara Palmeri was investigating a story involving Ducklo’s romantic relationship with Axios reporter Alexi McCammond. The dispute between Ducklo and the reporter Palmeri began on Jan. 20, Biden’s inauguration day. Palmeri contacted Axios reporter Alexi McCammond for comment about romantic ties with Ducklo. Ducklo called Palmeri and said, “I will destroy
ny@visiontimes.com
you.” He threatened her further saying that he would ruin her reputation if the story were published in the media. He also accused Palmeri of being jealous. Since the relationship involved a White House official and a journalist, it would raise ethical questions and could potentially trigger a media storm. Nonetheless, the story was leaked, including how Ducklo threatened Palmeri. When the story broke, Biden’s administration gave Ducklo a one-week suspension without pay as punishment. Many reporters were infuriated by the light punishment and called for his dismissal. They reminded
the White House of Biden’s promise that he would fire employees “on the spot” if they mistreated or spoke down to a colleague. Ducklo’s resignation seems to be the result of this media pressure. However, Ducklore regretted his actions and said in a statement: “No words can express my regret, my embarrassment, and my disgust for my behavior. I used language that no woman should ever have to hear from anyone, especially in a situation where she was just trying to do her job. It was a language that was abhorrent, disrespectful, and unacceptable… I am devastated to have embarrassed
and disappointed my White House colleagues and President Biden, and after discussion with White House communications leadership tonight, I resigned my position and will not be returning from administrative leave.” At a press briefing, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki tried to distance the controversy from the Biden administration. She said that the Ducklo’s issue was personal and not related to the White House or White House policy. The initial suspension of Ducklo was Psaki’s decision after consulting with White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain. But after pressure grew
VISION TIMES
from media groups, Psaki and Klain discussed it with Ducklo. He then decided to resign.
Biden staffers are prescreening journalists
The scandal comes on the back of reports that Biden staffers are pre-screening journalists ahead of Psaki’s press briefings to find out what the journalists will ask. However, reporters complain that these tactics are against press freedom. Former White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer is not happy with how the mainstream media has handled the issue. He stated that the media has largely been disin-
terested in covering the scandal due to what he believes is their bias for Democrats and left-wing ideologies. “In any normal circumstance, the media would be going crazy. Politico would be going nuts, filing complaints, doing all this stuff. They did nothing, and they did nothing because it’s the left, because [McCammond] is one of theirs [and] Biden is on the left and they support that… But I guarantee if this was Trump, and a staffer was somehow involved in a relationship with the Daily Caller or Breitbart or Newsmax, they would be going nuts and saying this is inappropriate,” he told Breitbart. 212-730-6963
CHINA
A4 | FEB 19 - 25 , 2021 VOL .7 By Steven Li
F
eb. 7 marked the first anniversary of the death of Li Wenliang, the doctor silenced by Chinese officials for his attempts to warn friends and family about the SARS-CoV-2 outbreak in late 2019. Working in Wuhan, Li succumbed to the virus in February 2020. A year after Li’s death, many Chinese have expressed mourning for the man they believe tried to get the truth out in spite of strict censorship by the communist authorities. On Dec. 30, 2019, Li warned his medical school classmates on WeChat to take precautions, stating that “Seven ‘SARS-like’ cases from the Huanan seafood market have been confirmed.” Later that day, the Wuhan Central Hospital relayed a message from the Wuhan Health Commission to health workers that they could face penalties if they spread information about the “unknown pneumonia.” Local police called Li in on Jan. 3 to criticize him for “rumor-mongering.” The police statement read, “The public security department hopes you can proactively cooperate with our work, listen to the urging of the police, and stop illegal activities from now on.” A hospital colleague, Zhao Chen, recalled a department director saying, “Don’t go against the authorities, don’t wear masks, don’t make careless remarks.” Li contracted the virus from a patient on Jan. 7 and died from the virus one month later, on Feb. 7.
Wuhan coverup
In China, thousands of people paid tribute to Dr. Li
www.VisionTimes.com
Chinese Remember ‘Wuhan Whistleblower’ and Early Mishandling of COVID-19 Pandemic
A memorial for whistleblower Dr Li Wenliang is pictured outside the UCLA campus in Westwood, California on February 15, 2020. (Images: MARK RALSTON/AFP via Getty Images)
before and on his death anniversary. Li Pan, an online store owner, was interviewed near the hospital and told Reuters, “He was the first to tell us about the virus. He must have considered the impact would be huge, but he still raised the alarm. That was really brave.” Dr. Li’s personal page on Weibo, which is similar to Twitter, was flooded with comments such as, “Dr. Li, history and the people will never forget you!” and “you live forever in the hearts of the Chinese
This photo taken on January 30, 2020 shows an official in a protective suit checking on an elderly man wearing a facemask who collapsed and died on a street near a hospital in Wuhan.(Image: HECTOR RETAMAL/AFP via Getty Images)
people.” Despite early evidence of human-to-human spread and multiple warnings from medical doctors, Chinese officials deliberately silenced whistleblowers and sabotaged efforts to test viral samples. Furthermore, the regime downplayed the severity of the disease. Domestic and foreign travel was allowed to occur for weeks before lockdowns were instituted, and foreign health experts were repeatedly barred from traveling to China. A South China Morning Post article reported that Chinese government records traced the first COVID-19 case back to Nov. 17, 2019. A 55-year-old from Hubei Province was infected with the virus. On Dec. 1, the first documented patient has recorded a bedridden male in his 70s who did not connect to the Wuhan seafood market. The human-to-human transmission was subsequently
observed between close contacts during mid-December, according to a New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) article published in Jan. 2020. By Dec. 27, 2019, a Chinese lab had already sequenced much of the virus using a sample from a 65-year-old patient. The findings were reported to Wuhan officials and the state-affiliated Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences. Dr. Ai Fen, an emergency department director at Wuhan Central Hospital, warned of a SARS-like virus in her department WeChat group chat on Dec. 30. Still, the hospital admonished her for “spreading rumors.” The same day, Dr. Li Wenliang shared his concerns about the disease with former medical school classmates on WeChat and received a warning that he could face penalties.
‘Preventable and controllable’
On Dec. 31, the Wuhan
Health Commission confirmed 27 cases of an unknown pneumonia disease but stated that it was “preventable and controllable.” The organization stated that no health workers were infected and that there was no evidence of human-tohuman spread. The World Health Organization (WHO) was notified about the outbreak. The next day, a Hubei Provincial Health Commission ordered a genomics company to halt testing of virus samples and destroy existing samples. Similarly, the National Health Commission released a notice telling researchers to either hand over or destroy their virus samples on Jan. 3. On Jan. 18, despite opposition from committee staff, the Wuhan Baibuting neighborhood hosted a sizeable annual potluck banquet for 40,000 families. Two days later, Zhong Nanshan, a prominent Chinese doctor who was part of China’s
response team, confirmed that human-to-human spread could occur. Chinese leader Xi Jinping made his first public remarks about the disease on Jan. 20, but lockdowns were not begun until Jan. 23. Reportedly, 5 million people had already left Wuhan without being screened for the virus by the time it was locked down. Thirteen cities in Hubei other than Wuhan were placed under lockdown on Jan. 24, but hundreds of millions of citizens had already been traveling around the country. On Jan. 27, Wuhan Mayor Zhou Xianwang admitted that outbreak information was not disseminated in a timely manner, but he blamed the central Chinese government for not permitting him earlier. By the end of January, 3,000 health workers were infected in Hubei Province, and 100,000 hospital beds were freed up for patients. Fur t hermore, China repeatedly refused to allow foreign health experts to travel to China to investigate the virus.
Chinese virologist Shi Zhengli (L) is seen inside the P4 laboratory in Wuhan, capital of China’s Hubei province on February 23, 2017. – The P4 epidemiological laboratory was built in co-operation with French bioindustrial firm Institut Merieux and the Chinese Academy of Sciences. (Image: JOHANNES EISELE/ AFP via Getty Images)
What Can PayPal Expect Following Its Launch in China? By Jack Roberts
P
ayPal is the first-ever foreign company to acquire a domestic payment license in China. How its journey will fare with the Chinese population and administration is still up in the air. PayPal is planning for success in this vast market. The markets of China and the United States are very different, and it will be fascinating to see how PayPal adjusts its business model to the Chinese market. Will it perform as brilliantly as it did in the States and worldwide? What can it expect? Will it be smooth sailing? What kind of challenges will they run into that need to be overcome? These are just some of the economic and cultural factors worked on by this payment titan. The U.S. confirmed the talks of PayPal entering China the day The People’s Bank of China approved Pay-
212-730-6963
Pal’s acquisition of an equity stake in GoPay. This made PayPal the first-ever foreign company to own a domestic payment license in China. With the current tensions and trade disputes between the U.S. and China, it still is to be determined if the Chinese will respond positively to PayPal. With the stark contrast in how markets in the U.S. and China work, many experts have presented their opinions on the challenges that PayPal might face in the new setup. Crucial, make or break, challenges ahead for PayPal
manage competition and not clash with the already established giants.
Intense competition
Credit card penetration in China is low
China considers its payment sector to be very sensitive. The regulators have always felt the need to protect it from foreign competition. Moreover, the two local players Alipay and WeChat Pay, have dominated China’s digital payment market over the past decade. Now it is up to PayPal as to how they
Finding a niche
PayPal has been a global leader in cross-border transactions. However, the Ant Group now plans to acquire a British-based cross-border payment service, WorldFirst. Ant Group’s bid to expand its global presence would allow Alipay to provide cross-border payment facility to its users. PayPal will have to develop a niche for itself that sets them apart and does not cause friction.
The most frequently used modes of payment in China are cash and checks. As a country, China is slowly progressing towards being a cashless economy. The reach and penetration of digital payment are pretty low as compared to many other
countries. The modes of digital payment have yet to see an uplift in the number of users. PayPal would face difficulties in such a case, as it is an online payment portal.
Slow growth and low-profit margin
Compared to many other sectors, the digital payment sector has seen a relatively low growth rate. Moreover, the most prominent players in the market, Alipay and WeChat Pay, even after having the backing of robust, well-established systems like Alibaba and WeChat, have not been able to see any dramatic growth. This is the case even with the financial and technical support as well as customers provided by Alibaba and WeChat. With low coverage, the profit rate remains low as well. The companies in their run to provide a better experience for their customers have to bear enormous costs for this, reflecting in
VISION TIMES
low profits.
Advanced payment tools
China has a reputation for coming up with new and innovative alternatives to different systems and setups. The latest advancement making headlines in news circles is the introduction of facial recognition in payment authentications. Apart from that, the reward systems that the competitors offer to customers is also a matter of grave concern. PayPal will have to establish itself as a better, faster, and safer option.
Need for small users
The signing up process, documentation, and the functioning of digital payments can be overwhelming for some. As a result, not many people, including retailers and businesses, use or offer digital payment options. To gain customers, PayPal must look to gain cus-
tomers in small companies. They must understand the needs and requirements of this sector; they must capitalize and make the most out of their acquisition of GoPay. This sector can make or break the game for PayPal.
Remarkable achievement
However, we must not forget that PayPal has become the first-ever foreign company to own a domestic payment license in China, which in itself is a remarkable achievement and has opened the floodgates for different opportunities for PayPal. Thus, we can say that PayPal will be very determined and go all out to make this move to China a huge success. They know that they face big competition and big challenges. However, PayPal knows a thing or two about big business and they are not afraid of the challenges. With the changing times, everything is possible. ny@visiontimes.com
WORLD
www.VisionTimes.com
VOL .7 FEB 19 - 25 , 2021 |
T
he Canadian government has partnered with Communist China’s top telecom equipment manufacturer, Huawei, to sponsor electrical and computer engineering research at Canadian universities, according to a report by Globe and Mail published Monday, Feb. 14. Canada’s National Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) is providing $4.8 million to what the Globe describes as “research partnerships that include Huawei.” While Huawei Canada declined to reveal their investment, they did say their stake was “greater than $4.8-million.” The Globe says the funding will be for advanced research in the fields of “chip-to-chip communications over heterogeneous fabrics, intelligence computing memory systems, brain-inspired photonic computing and privacypreserver graphic analytics.” The timing of the grant has its irony. Last month, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau issued a letter to Francois-Philippe Champagne, recently reshuff led from Minister of Foreign Affairs to Minister of Innovation, Science, and Technology, directing Champagne to “in close collaboration with Canadian industry and postsecondary institutions, to safeguard Canada’s world-leading research ecosystem, as well as our intellectual property (IP) intensive business.”
Trusting a wolf with the henhouse
The People’s Republic of China (PRC) leads the world in intellectual property theft. The issue became a core policy issue in the toughening U.S. stance on China that began in 2018 under the Trump administration. In a March 2020 research paper by Duanjie Chen, a Munk Senior Fellow at Canadian think tank MacDonald Laurier Institute entitled Huawei Risk is a China Risk: Why Canada Needs to Ban Huawei’s Involvement In 5G, Chen said “Huawei’s inseparable relationship with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), its inexplicably rapid growth, and its global track record of predatory behaviour, including repeated allegations of systematic intellectual property theft, tell a different story. Dealing with Huawei is dealing with the Chinese state behind it.” In the paper, Chen finds Huawei’s annual operating expense ratio is approximately 29 percent, about the same as rivals such as Ericsson and Nokia. However, for Huawei “that operating expense includes mainly R&D spending, non-R&D operations, expenses on marketing, rent, and equipment, and inventory cost,” and that “R&D spending includes not only payroll to R&D personnel but also the cost of using foreign intellectual properties” Chen continues, “At a first glance, Huawei’s self claim and global ranking as a big R&D spender might give it some credence when it comes to its success as a telecommunications company – that it is earned rather than unfairly acquired through deceptive, unethical practices and CCP support.” Notably, Huawei owns a “significant hoard of intellectual property patents, with ny@visiontimes.com
HECTOR RETAMAL/AFP / Getty Images
By Neil Campbell
Canadian Government Partners with
Huawei
for High Tech Research at Universities
Convocation Hall at the University of Toronto.(Image:Adobe Stock)
At a first glance, Huawei’s self claim and global ranking as a big R&D spender might give it some credence when it comes to its success as a telecommunications company – that it is earned rather than unfairly acquired through deceptive, unethical practices and CCP support. Duanjie Chen, Munk Senior Fellow, MacDonald Laurier Institute Huawei being ‘the number one contributor to 5G standards, and…[holding] the second-most standards-essential patents (SEPs) in that category’ (Malkin and Hinton 2019).” In a statement to the Globe, the University of Toronto effectively said dealing with Huawei was no concern so long as the federal government wasn’t intervening, ‘We look to the federal government for actionable direction and guidance. There has been no change in the actions of the government with respect to Huawei Canada and its operations in this country.’ However, Chen says in her paper that the red lights are flashing on Huawei’s position because Huawei’s R&D spending to gross-profit ratio
intellectual property through other means more typical of the CCP’s modus operandi. However, Champagne claims there is nothing to be concerned about for Canada on the intellectual property front with Huawei because “our government created a working group with universities and our national-security agencies to develop resources and tools to help Canadian researchers safeguard their work and identify potential risks.” In June, it was revealed that Champagne owed the Bank of China $1.2 million in mortgages for two properties he purchased in London before he took office and was working in the United Kingdom. Champagne could not obtain funding from anyone
Meng Wanzhou, while wearing her ankle monitoring device, walks into BC Supreme Court .(Image: Rich Lam/Getty Images)
has “been always the lowest compared to its major rivals – Ericsson and Nokia” while its absolute spending is also the lowest. “In 2009, Huawei only spent US$2 billion and had a ratio of 23 percent compared to Ericsson’s US$4.3 billion (with a 47 percent ratio) and Nokia’s US$8.2 billion (with a 45 percent ratio).” This calls into question whether Huawei was really able to outwit and outsmart industry leading innovation giants like Ericsson and Nokia, or if they obtained their cache of
else. Champagne disclosed his debts to the CCP’s bank to the Office of the Ethics Commissioner as required, but maintained the debt while he held office. Champagne repaid the loans to the Bank of China only after the matter became public. Champagne also gave an interview with Beijing’s state-run China Global Television Network where he praised the Party as “as [a] beacon of stability, predictability, a rule-based system, a very inclusive society” in 2017 when he was then-Min-
ister of International Trade, according to a 2017 article in the Globe.
Dependence on Huawei to fund research, projects
According to the Globe, one of the projects Canada is funding with Huawei is a $1.4 million grant for “photonic computing for efficient nextgeneration telecommunications networks” at University of Quebec’s National Institute of Scientific Research (INRS). Professor Roberto Morandotti is the researcher. Morandotti said “there is nobody else” besides Cisco and Huawei who are able to make the necessary research contributions in Canada, “Every grant we [get], we need to have industry support,” and that they have to either do business with Huawei or not do research, “Either you get a company that supports you … or you don’t do any projects, and then you don’t develop any intellectual property and you don’t pay any student and you don’t support the Canadian economy.” Morandotti commended Huawei for their contributions to his work, saying the CCP telecom giant “gave us a lot of information to solve the problems that we have in our research.” While Canadian citizens live under lockdown measures, Meng ‘spent Christmas Day at a restaurant that catered exclusively to her party of 14’ and often ‘goes on shopping sprees at highend Vancouver boutiques that set aside space so that she can browse in private.’ Professor Morandotti’s profile at the INRS shows a
VISION TIMES
number of papers published between himself and ethnic Chinese researchers working in Australia, such as Xingyuan Xu, who works at Swinburne University of Technology in Australia and was educated at University of Electronic Science and Technology of China in Chengdu in 2014 and Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications in 2017. In a statement to the Globe, the University of Toronto effectively said dealing with Huawei was no concern so long as the federal government wasn’t intervening, “We look to the federal government for actionable direction and guidance. There has been no change in the actions of the government with respect to Huawei Canada and its operations in this country.”
Meng Wanzhou and the Two Michaels
Huawei’s Chief Financial Officer Meng Wanzhou remains under house arrest in Vancouver. She was arrested by Canada’s federal law enforcement, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), on Dec. 1, 2018 when she landed in Vancouver, as a result of a U.S. extradition warrant ordered by the Trump Administration for alleged fraud and conspiracy to commit fraud to circumvent U.S. sanctions on Iran. Meng is under house arrest as Huawei lawyers attempt to challenge the extradition in Canadian court in what has become a lengthy battle. The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) retaliated against Canada for the extradition by arresting two Canadian citizens in China on Dec. 10, 2018, Michael
A5
The University says they have no problem doing business with Huawei unless the federal government does something to restrict the Chinese Communist Party’s darling telecom manufacturer.
Kovrig and Michael Spavor. This hostage diplomacy, popularly known in Canada as the “Two Michaels,” has drawn widespread, universal condemnation and calls from the Canadian public demanding Trudeau finally take a tough stance towards the CCP. According to a June 2020 article by the Globe, Kovrig and Spavor were interrogated for “six to eight hours a day” when they were originally detained. The pair have since been held in a Chinese prison where the lights are on 24/7 and denied access to the Canadian Consulate. Meng Wanzhou, by comparison, has been living a life of luxury while under house arrest in Vancouver, according to a January report by Bloomberg. While Canadian citizens live under lockdown measures, Meng “spent Christmas Day at a restaurant that catered exclusively to her party of 14” and often “goes on shopping sprees at highend Vancouver boutiques that set aside space so that she can browse in private.” Under the Province of British Columbia’s Provincial Health Order (PHO), “all gatherings and events are suspended to significantly reduce COVID19 transmission related to social interactions. The order came into effect November 19, 2020 at midnight and will be kept in place until further notice based on direction from the PHO.” While pubs and restaurants are allowed to remain open in BC, the PHO states, “In order to limit the spread of COVID-19, people should only be visiting restaurants with their household. For people who live alone, this should be with a maximum of two people they regularly interact with (core bubble).” Despite this, the Liberals have kept cozy ties with the CCP. In December, independent media outlet Rebel News was granted, under an Access for Information request, emails and documents from Global Affairs Canada showing the Department of National Defense was required to train People’s Liberation Army ranking officers on winter survival training as a result of the Liberal Party’s pressure. The emails also showed a friendly internal narrative among Canadian government officials when it came to China. When it came to Meng Wanzhou, they referred to her explicitly as “Ms. Meng,” while the Two Michaels were never referred to by name and only referred to as the “consular cases.” Canada is the only country in the Five Eyes intelligence alliance — the others being the UK U.S., Australia, and New Zealand — that has failed to either restrict or ban Huawei from its 5G rollout. 212-730-6963
VIEW
A6 |FEB 19 - 25 , 2021 VOL.7
Socialism, Communism, Atheism: Their Effects on the Path of Modern Art By Vision Times Staff
Socialism’s link to the modern art movement
It’s everywhere and all-pervasive — the nonsensical, usually obnoxious and obscene, rarely aesthetically pleasing modern art. It is celebrated by higher institutions and museums around the world, confusing and irreverent to most of us, yet still emulated in every aspect of our modern lives, wittingly or unwittingly. Modern art has defined our culture since its emergence during the 1850s in France. It has played a definitive role in how we think, act, view the world, and shape our most fundamental notions to the depths of our souls. How we view our place in the universe and the purpose of human life have been molded and crafted by the narratives modern art has constructed. The early modern artists who founded the Realist and Impressionist movements in the mid-18th century set to turn the centuriesold art establishment in France and French culture, with its JudeoChristian values, on its head. The early modern artists had an agenda directly tied to promoting Socialism, Atheism, Hedonism, and Materialism through their arts that has since become
‘Virgin and Child,’ Bartolomé Estebán Murillo, ca. 1670-72, Spanish, Oil on canvas, Rogers Fund, 1943. (Image: The Metropolitan Museum of Art)
so pervasive in our society today that we would scarcely be able to fathom what people and society may have been like before the modern movements in art swept through that so effectively dismantled Western culture and thought. Originally taught in churches and classical academies in art, painters and sculptors adhered to the principles of truth, goodness, and beauty, the Socratic roots of Western civilization that described the universal order and shaped its aesthetic language. The arts reflected and revealed the truth of creation, beauty transported us there, and goodness was the temperament and characteristic of the universe to which one would try to assimilate. This wisdom developed the Classical and Greco-Roman styles that sought to harmonize themselves with the universal order. They had been an integral part of Western culture passed down from pre-Hellenic Greece. 212-730-6963
The early modern artists who founded the Realist and Impressionist movements in the mid-18th century set to turn the centuries-old art establishment in France and French culture, with its Judeo-Christian values, on its head.
Fused with classical aesthetics, the renderings of stories from Greek antiquity and all the panoply of Christianity, with angels, cherubs, saints, and heavenly scenes, were the dominant source material for the old masters. They, in turn, created and shaped a culture that placed revering and respecting the Divine as the pinnacle of human endeavors that steered humanity and its visual inclinations toward goodness. Enter the Enlightenment — French society’s understanding of beauty began to shift dramatically. Several key figures emerged in the 1800s who would radically shift humanity away from its sacred roots and begin a methodical and carefully orchestrated campaign to plummet humanity toward atheism, hedonism, nihilism, materialism, utilitarianism, scientific rationalism, moral relativism, and Socialism. The degrading aesthetics used by the Communists were all by design, meant to culturally and spiritually alienate people from their roots. The radical Left’s most proud achievement in the West was severing this lifeline. The entirety of Western civilization afterward has been tainted by their radical, modern ideologies that arguably fueled two catastrophic world wars and wrecked mankind’s morality.
Almost forgotten vestiges
At the height of the Baroque era in the late 1600s, Bartolomé Esteban Murillo’s charming paintings of ethereal, sacred images of icons helped create the vehicle toward the divine. His Rubenesque paintings, crafted with unparalleled skill, were coveted by royalty throughout Europe. He was one of the premier artists in his day. The modest and charita-
ble Murillo, however, had spent a great deal of time invested in his hometown of Seville, which had been ravaged by the plague and starvation, trying to help those in need. His paintings of orphaned children tried to awaken sympathy for the less fortunate. Unfortunately for Esteban Murillo himself, after the emergence of the Modernist art movements that swept through Western Europe, his paintings and the subject matter he portrayed fell so far out of fashion that they were mocked and denigrated by art critics and the public. His legacy was buried and nearly forgotten, along with thousands of other artists and their exquisite works.
Christ in Limbo, from The Passion by German Painter Albrecht Duerer. (Image: The Metropolitan Museum of Art)
tuals, philosophers, and cultural elite. The new philosophies were seen as risqué and highbrow, a way to separate oneself from the uneducated. Several artists were among their ranks who would lead the charge in implanting the new “isms” into French society.
The movement aimed at chasing God out of the picture
The foundations of the modern movements in art began with the musings of Baron d’Holbach and his influential book, The System of Nature, published in 1770. In the book, Holbach touted atheism, materialism, and scientific rationalism as the means and method of understanding the world. Holbach goes on to describes the creation of man and the universe as only machinations of motion, the soul as a physical impulse, morality only as a material concept to secure safety in a decidedly material world, and the five senses as being the only reliable methods for understanding the world we live in. Belief in God to Holbach was a human construct meant to attach greater significance to mortal, material life. “When the human mind permits itself to be guided by authority without proof to be led forward by enthusiasm — when it renounces the evidence of its senses; what can it do more than sink into error? If man wishes to form to himself clear ideas of his soul, let him throw himself back on his experience; let him renounce his prejudices; let him avoid theological conjecture; let him tear the sacred bandage with which lie has been blindfolded only to confound his reason. Let the natural philosopher, let the anatomist, let the physician unite their experience and compare their observations, in order to show what ought to be thought of a substance so disguised under a heap of absurdities: Let their discoveries teach moralists the true motive-power that ought to influence the actions of man…,” from The System of Nature. With God out of the picture, Henri de Saint-Simon delved further into Holbach’s rabbit hole and introduced political and philosophical theories and movements that centered around dechristianizing France and freeing people from the yoke of moral restraints. Among them were the theories of Anarchy, Communism, Utopian Socialism, and Atheism. In the cafés and salons of France, these new radical ideas were a hot topic of discussion by the intellec-
The advent of Socialist organizations in France
The first Socialist organizations and communes in France and Western Europe began to spring up, experimenting with and living out Holbach’s and other philosophers’ theories that focused on Atheism, Materialism, and Communism. Within the communes, liberation from traditional values and morality began to take root. Anatole France, a French poet at the time, described the communes as “a committee of assassins, a band of hooligans, a government of crime and madness.” Édouard Manet and Gustave Courbet, the radical shock artists, as well as the early Impressionists, including Monet and Cézanne, antagonized human dignity and mocked the traditional academies with nearly every one of their paintings and found their inspirations within the communes surrounded by like-minded individuals.
Modern art goes mainstream
Gustav Courbet was one of the most outspoken members of the new modernist trends in art. A staunch atheist and anarchist, Courbet was a leading figure in the Paris Commune uprising in 1871. He adhered to the Communist Manifesto, published by Karl Marx in 1848, who laid out stratagems in using the workingclass to break and topple society’s social structure, “dictatorship of the proletariat,” and liberating citizens from the bourgeois,
‘An Angel,’ by Bartolomeo Passarotti (1529-1592). Pen and brown ink, over traces of black chalk, on beige paper. Rogers Fund, 1964. (Image: The Metropolitan Museum of Art)
Art was evolving into a mode of pure self-expression in theme and technique, and for Courbet, it meant sharing his political and social opinions.
which was in reality a way to take down and remove influential segments in society and have Socialist elements take total control. Along with Marx, PierreJoseph Proudhon, a writer and philosopher, found an adoring fan in Courbet, who took to his musings, particularly on the role art plays in society. Proudhon’s views on art were that it was a tool of reforming society and making political statements. It radically shifted art’s role as it was, acting as a vehicle to understand the transcendental and creating dignified, beautiful works. The foundations of modern art lay in this shift in the understanding of art and its purpose. Art would from then on be viewed based on a praxis-based approach to art. It means to study art through theory, which could mean studying it through a social, political, or philosophical lens. It was almost a prerequisite then for artists to attach deep philosophical and political statements in their artworks. Courbet created the “Realist” philosophy of art, to not dramatize life in any way, but to show how it is — (according to him) ugly, macabre, and nihilistic. Painting how life “is” and “Realism” were foils to spread his beliefs. He was depicting scenes with some amount of accuracy in terms of his subject matter, having studied in traditional art academies himself, but the themes were demeaning, immoral, and relied on shock and outrage to attract attention.
VISION
POINTS
VOL.7 FEB 19 - 25, 2021 |
A7
Feast of Rose Garlands by German Painter Albrecht Duerer. Dürer established his reputation and influence across Europe when he was still in his twenties due to his high-quality woodcut prints. He was in communication with the major Italian artists of his time, including Raphael, Giovanni Bellini, and Leonardo da Vinci. (Image: Public domain)
Many citizens in France were furious over Courbet’s insensitive and provocative paintings. The National Guard had to be called in when Manet’s prostitute painting Olympia made its hesitant debut at the Paris salon in 1865. The art academies and salons refused many of his and his Impressionist friends works on account of the indecent subject matter and the confusing and rough techniques used in producing their compositions. The modernist artists didn’t take the rejection lightly. They launched a propaganda campaign against the traditional academies, using arguments that they were oppressive, old-fashioned, and stuck in irrelevant themes, that they were outmoded by the invention of the camera. The “Realist” painter had many influential connections to help sway public opinion. Emperor Napoleon III was a friend of Courbet and fell for his raison d’être and took pity on him. The Monarch of France built the Salon des Refusés to exhibit Courbet and his friend’s works that were rejected by the traditional salons. Over time, the smear campaigns waged on the old-fashioned, out of touch, stifling, and sentimental academies took their toll. Many traditional academies, the heart and soul of France, founded by King Louis XIV, had shuttered their doors. The French populace had been coerced into accepting the new, in-vogue works by the new “tastemakers” and under the tide of the Modernists arguments and attacks against their historic institutions. Having paved the way and knocked out the competition, new, more modern and deviant styles in art had free reign, all completely influenced by Communist beliefs that ridiculed traditional morality. The many prostitute paintings from Courbet,
TIMES
the Absinthe Drinker of Manet, to the ear-mutilated self-portrait of Van Gogh upended traditional techniques and morality in favor of absolute self-indulgence in depravity. Their deleterious lifestyles and bizarre behaviors influenced by Communist ideologies gave rise to the modern concept we have of artists as being unhinged derelicts that visit brothels, do copious amounts of drugs, extol morose and nihilistic outlooks on life, and who dive into demonic states of mind. This behavior became the customary and expected way artists should live. Their lifestyles were soon viewed and risqué and fashionable. Society in Western Europe deteriorated rapidly with the mainstream acceptance of these arts, philosophies, and lifestyles as normal. Traditional morality plummeted to a frightening degree. Belief in God became a quaint superstition. People lived life without any duty to society or family, with the only goal of life being to live unhindered by responsibility toward others. Any hindrances toward pursuing hedonistic desires were now viewed as attacks on “freedom.” Modern art evolved into ever deeper depravity in the time to come as the French populace, and soon after, all of Europe and the international community unwittingly was steered to disparage traditional morality. With no moral foundation, anything went; anything became acceptable. Any protests to the new styles of art were handled easily with accused attacks on freedom of expression. After Realism and Impressionism came Abstractionism, Fauvism, Dada art, Cubism, Surrealism, along with Pop-Art, and so on. Modern ideologies affected architecture as equally as it did fine art. Now, people were encased quite literally in
Dysfunction in society is everywhere now. We’ve been penned in by modernist propaganda to view the past as old-fashioned, irrelevant, and full of naivety.
the modern aesthetic. The Bauhaus movement under Walter Gropius turned our cityscapes into lifeless, utilitarian hives for people to “live” in under their mantra “form follows function.” To clarify, they believed that architecture should resemble the absolute function it served. A house was only to live in, no extraneous fun or decor allowed! Cities and businesses were to only be places people “existed in” to fulfill tasks in an orderly manner. Cities, as depicted by our pervasive, modern architecture, have been designed under the ideology that sees humanity as nothing more than the sum of its parts. Look around and you’ll see their utilitarian utopia realized in full.
Museum artworks display the decay of the human spirit over time
In art museums, the disintegration of the human spirit can easily be seen. Usually divided into eras, museums display ancient and medieval artworks, nearly
MORE IMAGES Photo of Rue de Rivoli in ruins 1871
entirely consisting of Gods and sacred images, to the Renaissance and Baroque eras, to the Impressionists, and on to modern Abstract art. It is a journey from the sacred to the profane. The artworks give a clear snapshot in time to the values, ways of life, and beliefs of those who made them. The artworks displayed guide society. Society also creates the artworks. It can be an upward or downward spiral.
According to Karl Marx, the stepping stone to communism is Socialism. If social unrests are well orchestrated and the division of society into envying classes is a success, little but a violent uprising is needed to instill the system of communism. Unfortunately, in every nation so far where communism has succeeded in becoming an established power by force or otherwise, the price has been the destruction of countless historical artifacts, statues, and architectural structures. Thus, the only gain for any nation so far, which entertained the communist ruling system, was the loss of unmeasur-
Rekindling the past
Most art classes in our public school systems and universities put Van Gogh and Picasso, both lunatics, as the pinnacle of artistic expression and achievement. The old Masters, like the charitable Baroque artist Bartolomé Esteban Murillo, the serene early Renaissance painter Fra Angelico, the charismatic Guido Reni, along with thousands of others, have been nearly forgotten and erased from history. What remains of the old master’s works and legacies has been brought down to the level of a Hallmark postcard. A vast majority of the entirety of Western art’s most glorious artworks have been intentionally buried. All that is mentioned in society now of the old masters are cheap and tacky lessons on Da Vinci and Michelangelo. As our culture indulges in the behaviors and ethos flaunted by the Impressionists and their successors, we delve further into their narrow ways of thinking focused purely on the material world and our losses and gains within it. Throughout the West’s history, art played a critical role in disseminating transcendental wisdom and maintaining a moral and upright society. Art can still have that effect. If we can understand the effect art plays in our society, we can use it to create a healthy, respectful society that cherishes life and the Sacred.
[1]Colonne Vendôme, Franck, 1871, Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1953 (Image: The Metropolitan Museum of Art)
[2]The rue de Rivoli after the fights and the fires of the Paris Commune, Paris 4th arr. In the background, the Hôtel de Ville de Paris. (Image: Tangopaso Public domain)
able historical vestiges and milestones of human culture and the heritage of universal values and traditional culture. On May 16, 1871, a group of Communards led by the painter Gustave Courbet pulled down the Vendôme Column. In Franck’s photograph, its shattered remains litter the Place Vendôme.“Aftermath of the Paris Commune uprising in 1871. Along with the French Revolution and the first Communist uprising in 1792, many architectural splendors in Paris had been reduced to rubble by the Communards, who saw the elaborate structures as part of Bourgeoisie oppression.” 212-730-6963
SCIENCE
A8 | FEB 19 - 25 , 2021 VOL .7
www.VisionTimes.com
AdobeStock
Astronomers Uncover Mysterious Origins of
Super Earths By Troy Oakes
M
ini-Neptunes and superEarths up to four times the size of our own are the most common exoplanets orbiting stars beyond our solar system. Until now, superEarths were thought to be the rocky cores of mini-Neptunes whose gassy atmospheres
were blown away. In a new study published in The Astrophysical Journal, astronomers from McGill University show that some of these exoplanets never had gaseous atmospheres to begin with, shedding new light on their mysterious origins. From observations, we know about 30 to 50 percent of host stars have one or the other, and the two populations appear in about equal pro-
portion. But where did they come from? One theory is that most exoplanets are born as mini-Neptunes, but some are stripped of their gas shells by radiation from host stars, leaving behind only a dense, rocky core. This theory predicts that our Galaxy has very few Earthsized and smaller exoplanets known as Earths and mini-Earths. However, recent observations show this may not be the case. To find out more, the astronomers used a simulation to track the evolution of these mysterious exoplanets. The model used thermodynamic calculations based on how massive their rocky cores are, how far they are from their host stars, and how hot the surrounding gas is. Co-author Eve Lee, Assistant Professor in the Department of Physics at McGill University and the McGill Space Institute, said:
Contrary to previous theories, our study shows that some exoplanets can never build gaseous atmospheres to begin with.
The findings suggest that not all superEarths are remnants of mini-Neptunes. Rather, the exoplanets were formed by a single distribution of rocks, born in a spinning disk of gas and dust around host stars. Lee said: “Some of the rocks grew gas shells, while others emerged and remained rocky superEarths.”
How mini-Neptunes and super-Earths are born
Planets are thought to form in a spinning disk of gas and dust around stars. Rocks larger than the Moon have enough gravitational pull to attract surrounding gas to form a shell around its core. Over time, this shell of gas cools down and shrinks, creating space for more surrounding gas to be
pulled in, and causing the exoplanet to grow. Once the entire shell cools down to the same temperature as the surrounding nebular gas, the shell can no longer shrink and growth stops. For smaller cores, this shell is tiny, so they remain rocky exoplanets. The distinction between super-Earths and mini-Neptunes comes about from the ability of these rocks to grow and retain gas shells. Lee said: “Our findings help explain the origin of the two populations of exoplanets, and perhaps their prevalence. Using the theory proposed in the study, we could eventually decipher how common rocky exoplanets like Earths and mini-Earths may be.”
Studying Chaos With One of the World’s Fastest Cameras By Troy Oakes
T
here are things in life that can be predicted reasonably well. The tides rise and fall. The Moon waxes and wanes. A billiard ball bounces around a table according to orderly geometry. Studying chaos opens a window into understanding functions that are not predictable. Some of the things that defy easy prediction: The hurricane that changes direction without warning. The splashing of water in a fountain. The graceful disorder of branches growing from a tree. These phenomena and others like them can be described as chaotic systems, and are notable for exhibiting behavior that is predictable at first, but grows increasingly
212-730-6963
random with time. Because of the large role that chaotic systems play in the world around us, scientists and mathematicians have long sought to better understand them. Now, Caltech’s Lihong Wang, the Bren Professor in the Andrew and Peggy Cherng Department of Medical Engineering, has developed a new tool that might help in this quest. In the latest issue of Science Advances, Wang describes how he has used an ultrafast camera of his own design that recorded video at one billion frames per second to observe the movement of laser light in a chamber specially designed to induce chaotic reflections, Wang said: “Some cavities are nonchaotic, so the path the light takes is predictable.”
But in the current work, he and his colleagues have used that ultrafast camera as a tool to study a chaotic cavity “in which the light takes a different path every time we repeat the experiment.” The camera makes use of a technology called compressed ultrafast photography (CUP), which Wang has demonstrated in other research to be capable of speeds as fast as 70 trillion frames per second. The speed at which a CUP camera takes video makes it capable of seeing light — the fastest thing in the universe — as it travels. But CUP cameras have another feature that makes them uniquely suited for studying chaotic systems. Unlike a traditional camera that shoots one frame of video at a time, a CUP cam-
A so-called chaotic optical cavity is designed in such a way that a beam of light reflecting off its interior surfaces will never follow the same path twice. (Credit: Caltech)
VISION TIMES
era essentially shoots all of its frames at once. This allows the camera to capture the entirety of a laser beam’s chaotic path through the chamber all in one go. That matters because, in a chaotic system, the behavior is different every time. If the camera only captured part of the action, the behavior that was not recorded could never be studied, because it would never occur in exactly the same way again. It would be like trying to photograph a bird, but with a camera that can only capture one body part at a time; furthermore, every time the bird landed near you, it would be a different species. Although you could try to assemble all your photos into one composite bird image, that cobbled-together bird would have the beak of a crow, the
neck of a stork, the wings of a duck, the tail of a hawk, and the legs of a chicken. Not exactly useful. Wang says that the ability of his CUP camera to capture the chaotic movement of light may breathe new life into the study of optical chaos, which has applications in physics, communications, and cryptography, adding: “It was a really hot field some time ago, but it’s died down, maybe because we didn’t have the tools we needed. The experimentalists lost interest because they couldn’t do the experiments, and the theoreticians lost interest because they couldn’t validate their theories experimentally. This was a fun demonstration to show people in that field that they finally have an experimental tool.” ny@visiontimes.com
HEALTH
www.VisionTimes.com
VOL .7 FEB 19 - 25 , 2021 | Ado b
eS toc k/
F ik ep re
By Vision Times Staff
T
here’s nothing quite like topping your favorite food with some ketchup, mustard, or mayo, but most of us don’t spend too much time thinking about how it’s made. Whether or not you were curious about the makeup of your favorite food topping, we’ve taken an in-depth look at the chemistry that goes into making these tasty condiments.
:
e g c n n i e i c d t S
Ketchup makes the perfect topping for hot dogs, hamburgers, and French fries, but what makes this tomato-based topping really tick? Ketchup is a suspension — a type of mixture that suspends large particles in a liquid. In the case of ketchup, the large particles are blended tomatoes and other seasonings, suspended in water. This is why you need to shake your ketchup before you use it, too, unless you enjoy coating your food with a thin layer of tomato-flavored water. As ketchup sits, the heavier particles separate from the liquid component of the condiment. The exact components of your favorite ketchup may vary by brand, but it’s usually made of: • Tomatoes • Sugar or sweetener • Water • Vinegar • Seasonings like salt, onion, and garlic While things like seasonings and sugar will mix well with water, the heaver tomato components will only remain mixed for a short while before they’ll start to settle to the bottom of the container. Shake up your ketchup well!
n n d a t e o s Fo er im try s d d i n n m U
o C he C
S
ome people say that their brains don’t function well enough — why is that? Is it because the brain doesn’t have enough energy so it doesn’t work as fast? There are many “secret recipes” for dishes that are said to replenish the brain, but are they actually useful? What is it that your brain wants you to eat? What are the best foods for the brain?
Fish: Delay brain aging and prevent bowel cancer
Fish, especially deep-sea fish, are rich in Omega-3 unsaturated fatty acids, including EPA and DHA. DHA can help improve the brain’s memory and thinking ability, prevent brain cell degeneration, and delay brain aging. Furthermore, eating fish frequently can prevent bowel cancer. The French International Agency for Research on ny@visiontimes.com
Sandwiches aren’t complete without some mayo on the bread, but what is mayonnaise? Instead of a typical suspension, mayo mixes oil with water or vinegar. Now, if you were paying attention in the last section, you know oil and water don’t mix. In fact, they repel each other, so how does mayonnaise keep its creamy consistency? Two words — egg yolks. Egg yolks contain a protein called lecithin. When emulsified, or well mixed, with the oil before the vinegar is added, it allows the molecules to bind together to create a creamy condiment. This result occurs because the interior of a lecithin molecule is hydrophobic — it hates water, which makes it bond well with the oil molecules — but the exterior is hydrophilic, so it bonds well with the water molecules in the vinegar.
Things to try at home
Mustard: seed to snack
By Raven Montmorency
Olive oil is also a healthy alternative to vegetable oil. It’s full of monounsaturated fatty acids, which help your body produce more good cholesterol. Plus, it tastes amazing, so it’s a win-win.
What is mayo, anyway?
Catch up with ketchup
Mustard might be an acquired taste, but that hasn’t stopped it from becoming one of the most popular condiments of all time. Mustard is another suspension, similar to ketchup, that uses spices mixed with a liquid component to make a tasty topping. In this case, instead of tomatoes, the primary component is ground mustard seeds — and it takes roughly 1,000 mustard seeds to make eight ounces of your favorite mustard. Most mustard doesn’t require a whole lot of ingredients — usually,
A9
you’ll only see: • Mustard seeds • Vinegar • Water • White wine • Spices, such as garlic, turmeric, paprika, and salt Some specialty mustards might include additional flavors, like lemon, horseradish, or honey, to make honey mustard. One of the biggest differences between mustard and ketchup is the way the recipe approaches the
main ingredient. Ketchup relies on fresh tomatoes, while mustard seeds need to be dried and hulled before they can be ground for use in mustard. Coarsetexture mustard keeps the hulls and seeds together to add more flavor and a grainier texture.
Live for olive oil
Olive oil, as its name suggests, is made from pressed olives — the fresh olives are ground up, pits and all, then pressed or spun to separate the oil from the pulp of the olives. A one-liter bottle of olive oil contains the combined oils from nearly 1,000
individual olives. Oils can also be extracted using artificial chemicals, like hexane, but that tends to produce high quantities of low-quality oil. The best oils are made with traditional mechanical processing techniques. Olive oil has a variety of applications, from cooking to salad dressings and even in mayonnaise. There’s one thing olive oil doesn’t do, though — mix with water. That’s why you have to shake your favorite balsamic vinaigrette salad dressing well before you can use it — the water molecules in the vinegar and the oil molecules separate as the bottle rests.
While making your own condiments might be a bit tricky, here are a couple of experiments you can try at home: The Viscosity Race: Which flows fastest — ketchup, mustard, mayo, or olive oil? Set up a “race course” — a board placed at an angle — and set your condiments loose. Make sure you take notes to see who wins! • They Really Don’t Mix — Try combining different amounts of oil, different types of oil and water, and see if you can get them to mix. • If you’re feeling really adventurous, you can even try making homemade ketchup, mustard, or mayo! Our favorite sandwiches and snacks wouldn’t be the same without condiments. Let us know what your favorite condiment or combination is!
5 Favorite Foods for the Brain
Cancer conducted an international joint study. After tracking the diet of 476,000 people in Europe for 15 years, researchers found that people who eat fish all year round have a 12 percent less risk of bowel cancer than those who eat fish less often or don’t eat fish at all. Compared with walnuts, fish has a significantly lower fat content and is rich in protein and calcium. You should eat fish rich in Omega-3, mainly the deep-sea oily fish, including salmon, herring, sardines, trout, mackerel, and saury.
Eggs: Enhance your memory
The lecithin in an egg yolk releases choline after being absorbed, which has certain benefits in delaying mental decline and improving memory. Compared with wal-
nuts, eggs are also more nutritious. Not only are they richer in protein, but they also have more vitamins, calcium, phosphorus, and iron, which can help the brain’s metabolism. It is recommended that adults eat 1 to 2 eggs a day to supplement the body’s protein needs, delay brain aging, and enhance memory.
Peanuts: Prevent cerebral thrombosis
Peanuts have earned the nickname “longevity fruit” in Chinese. Every 100 grams of peanuts contains about 20 to 25 grams of protein, which is 1.5 to 2 times the protein content of
eggs. Peanuts are also rich in lecithin and cephalin, which are crucial for the nervous system. They can slow the decline of brain function, inhibit platelet aggregation, and prevent the formation of cerebral thrombosis. To prevent cerebral thrombosis, you should eat a handful of peanuts regularly.
Walnuts: Prevent Alzheimer’s
The lecithin in walnuts can promote the development of brain nerves, delays the decline of brain cells, and may help prevent Alzheimer’s. The
Freepik
VISION TIMES
Omega-3 unsaturated fatty acids contained in walnuts can be converted into EPA and DHA in the human body. They help promote brain development and delay brain aging. Although walnuts can “replenish the brain,” they cannot improve intelligence. Eating 3 to 5 walnuts a day is enough. Walnuts have an oil content of 65 to 70 percent, so it is not recommended to eat too many. A small handful (3 to 5) a day is sufficient.
Soy products: Suitable for cognitive tasks
Soy products are rich in high-quality protein and a variety of amino acids that humans need. These elements help to enhance the function of the cerebral blood vessels. In addition, soy products also contain lecithin, vitamins, and minerals,
which is why they are especially useful for cognitive tasks. Soybean fat is composed of 85.5 percent unsaturated fatty acids, including linolenic acid and linoleic acid. These can lower cholesterol and are particularly effective at preventing and controlling cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases for the middle-aged and elderly.
Eat less of some types of food
Pay attention to a category of foods that are not conducive to brain health: in particular, foods that contain “trans-fatty acids.” Researchers have found that the more transfatty acids in the diet, the more likely you will have memory loss. In one study, healthy male subjects who consumed large amounts of trans-fatty acids performed worse on memory tests. Translated by Patty Zhang and edited by Helen 212-730-6963
WISDOM
A10 | FEB 19 - 25 , 2021 VOL .7
www.VisionTimes.com
Freepik
Virtue Is the Best
The
Graces of Life
Feng Shui
Adobe Stock
By Lucy Crawford
F
The master replied: 'There is no need to examine the site. Your good heart is the best feng shui.'
eng shui, literally “wind and water,” is an ancient Chinese philosophical system, sometimes translated as geomancy. It focuses on orienting buildings, furniture, plants, and other objects in an auspicious and harmonious manner to ensure the best fortune for the practitioner or his clients. However, there is no feng shui that is complete without virtue and morality. As one story goes, in ancient China there was a kindhearted man who wanted to build a house, and consulted a feng shui master to examine the site. On the way, the man saw birds flying above the selected parcel of land. He said to the feng shui master: “Let’s come back later. It looks like there are children picking peaches from the trees. We might startle them and it would be bad if they fell off the tree.” The master replied: “There is no need to examine the site. Your good heart is the best feng shui. No matter where you build your house, all will be smooth and prosperous in the future.” A good heart is connected to the good fortune of feng shui. People who do good deeds and accumulate virtue will be favored by the divine. “Good deeds bring a hundred blessings, evil action causes a hundred calamities,” as the saying goes.
By Vision Times Staff
While feng shui helps put the material world in harmonious order, the only way for a person to live a long, prosperous, peaceful, and good life is to do good deeds and accumulate virtue.
Donating a valuable feng shui site to construct a school
Fan Zhongyan, a famous official and writer in the Northern Song Dynasty, wrote the famous lines “Do not get excited by things; do not feel sorry for oneself” and “Worry about the world before others, and only be content when everyone is happy.” From a young age, he aspired to be a man to benefit the people, whether as a conscientious government official or as a good doctor. As an honorable official and a devout Buddhist, Fan valued education and loved the people like his own family. Once, Fan Zhongyan bought a house and was told by a feng shui practitioner that the site had
8
excellent feng shui. If he lived here, his children and grandchildren would have a great future and enjoy boundless wealth and prosperity. After hearing this, Fan donated the house and turned it into a school, where children could come to study. He said: “Wouldn’t it be better for the people’s children and grandchildren to have a prosperous future than for me to enjoy happiness alone?” Later, Fan had four talented sons who were all successful officials. Fan’s descendants enjoyed prosperity for 800 years
H
aving a grateful heart, we have to be aware of the eight tremendous graces in life and return the blessings when the time comes.
because of his virtue and blessings, and because his descendants practiced Fan’s family values of “worrying about the world first and enjoying the world second.”
1
The grace from nature
Nature bears us. We live, we take, and we grow in it. That is why ancient people respected nature. They spoke of nature and man being one. They paid their respects to God and spirits and believed in karma. Many modern people now, however, are atheists. They fight to contend with nature and disbelieve karma exists. They will eat their own bitter fruit in the end.
Returning a jade belt and changing one’s fate
The ancients valued righteousness over personal gains and offered help to others in times of trouble. When treating everything with kindness, good fortune will follow and misfortune will go with it. That is to say, what’s inside manifests outside, and the circumstances change with the mind. Pei Du was a famous statesman of the Tang Dynasty. When he was young, he met a monk who, after reading his face, said he was destined to become a beggar starving in the street. A month later, Pei Du met this monk again. The monk looked at him with clear eyes and said he would be a prime minister in the future. Pei Du was very confused: “A month ago, you said I would starve to death in the street. Now you say I will be a prime minister. Why?” The senior monk replied: “After I concluded that you would starve to death, you did a good deed, which not only removed the bad luck, but your fate also took a turn.” It turned out that one day Pei Du found a valuable jade belt. He waited for the owner in the same place for a day and a night. Others all said: “You have waited so long, and are indeed doing a good thing. But you are poor. Why don’t you keep this jade belt for yourself!” However, Pei Du insisted on waiting for the owner in the same place. Later, the owner finally came. The owner wanted to thank him with money, but he politely refused. It was this incident that brought Pei Du virtue. Later, he did become the prime minister. To embrace virtue is the root of all blessings and good fortune. While feng shui helps put the material world in harmonious order, the only way for a person to live a long, prosperous, peaceful, and good life is to do good deeds and accumulate virtue.
2
The grace from parents
From physically bearing a child for nine months to showering time, energy, and love to raise one after birth, parents give their all. Although hard to repay, we have to respect and treat them well in return.
3
The grace from teachers
From kindergarten to college, our teachers’ impact on us can be crucial and deep. No matter what we aim for our future, the benefits from the guidance of a good teacher are for life. How can we not repay that?
4
The grace from people who recognize your talents
Talents are often seen but talent scouts are not. Being recognized by one or two is something that not many can have the luck or chance in a lifetime. If you are lucky enough to be among one of those being scouted, treasure the chance and the people who make it happen and remember them even after your success.
5
The grace from wise men
Pei Du’s fate changed when he returned the jade article.
Life is full of crossroads. The right choice at the right time that changes life may be very few. Words from a wise man at such a moment can be enlightening and life-saving and enable us to walk on to a brighter future. If you meet those wise men again some days, do convey your gratitude toward them.
6
The grace from people at times of need
Luck and wealth can disappear in the blink of an eye. Anyone can encounter misfortune or helpless situations at any time. You should be grateful to people who are willing to give you a helping hand, may it be physical assistance, money, or just some advice, in your times of need.
7
The grace from husband/wife
A couple is like a pair of birds nesting in the wood. They should support one another and not fly on their own when things happen. Every successful man has a great woman behind him and every happy woman has a good man who sees to her every need. A sweet home takes two to run and the couple should be grateful for each other’s support and company.
8
The grace from siblings
Siblings are like limbs. They are from the same parents, grow up in the same family, and share the same roots. Conflicts among brothers and sisters are unavoidable from time to time, but the bond that connects the family should melt discrepancies away when, in times of need, they need one another. Adobe Stock
212-730-6963
Adobe Stock
VISION TIMES
ny@visiontimes.com
LIFESTYLE
www.VisionTimes.com
VOL .7 FEB 19 - 25 , 2021 |
A11
How to Balance
Your Work and Home-Schooling Schedule Amidst the Lockdown By Armin Auctor
your own mental health.
A
Do not procrastinate
s most workers — such as nannies, support networks, cooks, cleaners, creches, and many other household and home help services — have been absent during the lockdowns, children’s education, home-schooling, and daily activities have been managed mostly by parents. Stress haunted many parents and students alike as they were ill-prepared for the new lockdown environment or conditions. On top of it all, parents were at a loss and overwhelmed as to how to handle all the new homeschooling responsibilities. Just imagine the pressure and the task facing parents of finding the time to adjust to the lockdown and cope with the requirements and responsibilities! You know how working mothers in particular are the ones who get burdened with hundreds of tasks. There is a lot to deal with. The pressure has grown to meet deadlines at the office, attend and participate in all meetings, manage domestic household duties, and now attend online schooling. These are immense changes. The struggle to juggle between the different duties and responsibilities is real! There is too little or no support while doing all this juggling. It is paramount to manage work during the lockdown and balance children’s lives and support. So it is necessary to keep your frustration levels at bay and ensure to maintain harmony as much as possible.
How many times have you dodged work and decided to take it easy for a while? You say to yourself: “I will do it later.” Well… this happens a lot of times! Working from home has a very different energy and ambiance. It is more relaxed and familiar, but it can also make you lazy and think that you have all the time in the world to get things done. As the saying goes: “Time flies when you are having fun.” It is best to stop lazing around and allowing pending work to pile up. Try not to procrastinate.
The Department of Education has motivated parents and schools to ensure that children are accessing online learning and benefit from it. However, it is equally challenging for parents to make sure their children get the facilities. Moreover, the pandemic has made everyone overwhelmed with their increased responsibilities. Thus, we are here with some tips and tricks to help reduce and manage your stress and lighten your mood.
Finding a balance between work, family life, and homeschooling during lockdown
Be easy on your children
The following are some of the ways and tips for people to balance their work a nd homeschooling during this lockdown.
Who said learning isn’t fun? You just need to have the right approach to it. The best way to learn is through fun activities. Do not try to be an overly strict teacher in front of your children, as they might end up rebelling against learning. Being too casual and indifferent with them is also not a favorable approach. Provide them with structure and the freedom to grasp and communicate back and forth; they have a different way to relate.
Finding the happy balance between work, home and home-schooling.
Finish pending work as soon as possible
If you are not prepared, as a serious deadline approaches, this usually comes with an anxious and racing heart. At that time, it is usually better to speed up preparations so that the task can be met head-on and finished. Then you can relax and take it easy for at least a little time. Maintaining a proper schedule keeps your anxiety at bay and helps you focus on your children and
Keep school material and work organized
Brownie points to you if you are monitoring and keeping timetables, lessons, and homework assignments organized and up-to-date. Things are easy when everything is accessible and within your reach. An Internet connection and a laptop aren’t enough either for
Work-From-Home or Online Learning. You need to have schoolroom accessories like a notepad, pencil, sharpener, maps, folders, and highlighters.
Utilize your bedtime
Work ing 24×7 without rest? A big NO! Managing all the activities mentioned above can be very tiresome. You can shift certain aspects of learning like bedtime stories for the children or recognizing certain specific items. It will also make the learning more interesting and exciting.
Visit educational channels
How about you stop the subscription to Netflix for a while and switch to educational channels? While your young ones cannot go out, you can subscribe to educational channels for your children. It will educate them while providing entertainment. It will keep the children busy and learning with fun; meanwhile, you can work without disturbance.
Adobe Stock
Who said learning isn’t fun? You just need to have the right approach to it. The best way to learn is through fun activities.
anything your child likes. It will also encourage your children to do their basic work.
Teaching physical activities and chores
Do you want your child to be a nerd and not street smart? What if I tell you that he/she can be both? Online classes for home are an opportunity for you to teach your children things apart from academics. They can do many chores like washing dishes, helping you clean the house, and more. It will build up a sense of responsibility in them.
Interchanging roles
The secret to handling work and home-schooling successfully is to divide work responsibilities with your nearest and dearest. If one is working, the other is with the children. This way, both of you will save time and be more efficient. Follow these recommendations to help bring out the best in your children, as well as for your own and your family’s well-being.
Use online resources
The Internet is the greatest medium we have today. Use it for educational and work purposes. It will eventually make things easier. You can find tools to take tests for the children and animated videos of subjects to include visual learning. Meanwhile, you can finish up the chores, and get other work done.
Implement a reward system for the children
Everyone loves it when he/ she is appreciated for their result. The appreciation can also be in the form of rewards for genuine efforts in homeschooling. It can be
VISION TIMES
EASY to SUBSCRIBE: BY PHONE 212-730-6963 / 212-730-6962 BY MAIL Vision Times 4 West 43rd Street, Suite 311, New York, NY 10036 www.visiontimes.com
BY EMAIL ny@visiontimes.com
Ensure receipt of every issue at home Support an independent voice All profits go to increasing circulation
PLEASE PRINT LEGIBLY (INCLUDE APT., STE., OR UNIT NO.)
Yes, I'd like to subscribe for : ☐ 6 Months for $58
☐ 12 Months for $106
NAME ____________________________ PHONE ____________________________ VOL.6 FEB 12 - 18, 2021
FEB 5-11,
2021
JAN 29 -
2021
FEB 4,
VISION
ES VISION TIM TIMES
VISION TIMES NY EDITION
NY EDITION AdobeSto
JaNuarY 15-21, 2021
VISION
ADDRESS ________________________________________ APT.#_______________
NY EDITION
Wall Street Behemoths Ate Reddit’s Gamestop Lunch
TIMES
CITY ____________________ STATE
NY Edition GETTY
IMAGES
By Neil Campbell
A
ck
ccording to Wall Street behemoth JPMorgan, the fairytale spun by pundits about Reddit’s WallStreetBets organizing to “squeeze” badly positioned hedge fund short sellers of video game retailer Gamestop (NYSE: GME) in what has been affectionately dubbed the “Gamestop Rebellion” is simply false. Peng Cheng, the JPMorgan quantitative and derivatives strategy analyst, wrote to clients in a note: “Although retail buying was portrayed as the main driver of the extreme price rally experienced by some stocks, the actual picture may be much more nuanced,” according to CNBC.
JANUARY 22-2
2021
American UN
8,
T
VISION
TIMES
rum Am China’s Craft’s T bassador p and Administration a Sharp Eyes iw a n Visit Pla Project nned, Serves as WarningTh toen Can E cellmephdasize Found Free World ing Value in Fina
Why the CCP nts k Biden’s Pic n Wa DTNA e ll e Y t e n Ja Y forour ry ominated
About Pandemic Surveillance
Call Ou for Genot China cide,
Travel pla ns Biden adm scrapped to acc om modat inistratio BlackRock Chair and CEO e n Lautra rence D. Fink attends a session nsitio n proced at the World Economic Forum ures (WEF) annual meeting in Davos
l Hours
s
on January 23, 2020. BlackRock By Leo Timm is Gamestop’s largest owner at “According to the report, ago, a loudspeaker blared out rity police], or placed under more than 9.2 million shares. the project successfully rec- his name and address and surveillance, at any time… (Image: by FABRICE COFFRINI / AFP via Getty Images) ognized 1,158 photos of ordered him to extinguish Overall, it feelselly as if we’re not Craft , U.S. various local ‘key targets.’ the blaze immediately. He free at all.” dor to he Chinese Commu(STEPHAN the Unite amba ssaIE KEITH / GETTY d Natio According to data pronist Party (CCP) conThe system identified more jumped with fright, quickly The articlewill also not describes IMAGES) ns, wan, the trave l vided tinues to roll out its than 60 targets for its local put out the flames and scur- the troubling implications to Tai- to CNBC by JPMortratio n. anno uncedDepa rtme nt In three ges of gan’s quants team based on “Sharp Eyes Project” facial of previ a perpetually ‘Domestic Security’ and ried away.” Gettyima ton has years Jan. moni12 follow State autho rized , Wash inggy.10The ous credit” anno uncem recognition technology in an more than people accused “Everyone knew who the tored “social system: higher-level data and propriing a technolo lion in and over $15 she ence defen se would has ent sayin even bilthan one attempt to cement its increasetaryg analysis methodologies of crimes. China’s Domestic culprit was, so he would “Under pilotspend socialthree credit unde r sales to regime iting athe on how more Trum p, communist Taiwa n to withoffices make never dare to do that again,” scheme, people self-r $1 that of vis-available to the public, ingly tenuous griprates on powerUyghurs, Chinese Security whouled are con-daysnot manifesBureau Communist Obam a’s billio n more island a published in million iMade term. that China claim over the world’s largest andwho are predom up a secret police force tasked boasted Communist Party sidered be ‘troublemakers’ while the top 10 most purentir e of its to 8-yea r territ ory. a catchy name… wants to citizens Cui Liru, jailed in chased stocks by retail-level oldest country. with neutralizing individu- Secretary Yin Xiuqin smugly. by the authorities, includings is part China Secre statement Muslim, are tary of China 2025.” nately the Taihe a senio r resea ology State worexpla A March 2020 In mid-January, Dajials that the Communist Party According to the article: those who have tried fareinvestors included names like from Mike Pomp rcher at e the biotechn ined that n township ties with Instit ute, believ camps and banned in their dominat deems in eo the developwas due smoked yuan, the Chinese-lanon cance public Apple, Tesla, Coca-Cola, and from Guanwe Taiwa n By Steven Li as a leader to be political threats,” “Fear of public shaming is dodging, or speaking to work llatio n southwestern will soften es that the incom shipping on sector be done caused that neede and preciguage edition of The Epoch said Dajiyuan. the essence of Sharp Eyes.” transport, trouble on AMC, Gamestop “was numofficials in the Collecti ing under by e. to vaccines Biden of turn over languag tion. Howe d native Province, found ng offIne. a report by Bitter Winber 15 on the firm’s retail Times, received leaked docuA 2018 article by Radio Free the commercial or autho ‘spread to incom ingflights biomet- ment ver, Joe admi nistra Poland bringi pub- Sichuan unabl e Biden admi rity to Biden will DNA and other minor- sion medicin an Strategic ofChina China , the U.S., to imme the largments from mainland ter onwith the Sharp Eyes Project, Asia (RFA) is particularly tion. falseCong information’ online will list for January.” ast year, China nistrabuying be these ress confi diatel y to the Australi , states that the shore jobs back to the country from plans pre-T The cratic Biden data to Shaanxi prescient in warning North now be rmedbuy“The rump appro retur n to candi issued by the “workric leadera local in Xian City, prevented from JMP Securities analyst likely lly to Institute licly declared is most sideli ned already Yellen responded,will engage DNA icy Presid ent-el date Joe Biden Demo ach, which is “used specifica other est dataset of ities Taiwa n’s fossil fuels Province: described train tickets, the governship group for public secudatabase has n of global as U.S.Devin Ryan told CNBC the expandrsits ect in the tus in favor diplom atic explains “Think how liv- Americans of things to come of ing people, target to state DNA used to ramp up sur- administratioof-government the supplie Jan. 7.announced ng faster win, You ing U.S. Secret earlythis identify treas- total- if they allow their democracy ment staearlier rity video monitoring conunder technocratic Institutions e of tax to ondatabase . Accordi hours obvious: ment ” with of warm er been ary of Statewere s and refine Taiwa n, as the ultimate in a whole- China that uses “enga geemis- at Craft attend with an increas Xinhua, sed her desire family Mike Pomp until efforts. organ month.”officially struction and networking” in member software.” DNA itarianism “The CCP to degenerate into technoc- Repub naturally trading doubledaon “The Trum Beijin g. r ch to theGamestop has expres to ensure kind of feels: inflati propagan ion United Nation in eo (R) and Sum- veillance map,isaalready than Project is a approa The revin a manne lic of Chinawhoknow congress p admin n as facial Leaders’ Liuhe District, Nanjing city,recognit monitoring fail to paythe whileNew the York mirage U.S. Amba ng the us in racy under the excuse ofU.N. “Employers [Taiw an City. and hype are met. s (UN) Gener for this work with ent has ure The Sharp Eyes program our available tools achieve our 15th G20 e Cho to containi (ROC), the goals ssador to Presid ent] istrat ion and uted2020, seat to the sion e will occur By Debbi al Assem helixed chart lost its around Reddit, a social mared to er 21, will spare Jiangsu Province. The The docu-U.S. governm our homes, whatfrom privacy do combatting the SARS-CoV-2landsocial insurance or people be distrib the U.N. surveilla nce y, communist no increas Tsai Ing-w bly on Septem on Novemb ranging actions by to that is design remo val mit would Kelly in enue al securit the local increas for traits of es Vision Times en main- keting US-Ta iwan no effort s to ges neighbors ber 24, 2019, ments show how the Nanjing have left?suscepIt’s like we’ve novel coronavirus pandemic.switcwho1971, haveand failed to pay fines platform rather than a of proto criticized these Jinping ic, nation group. Xioffset suppor ts U.S. oldst to ent as code we prom ote that encoura US-R OC to our By Neil hed diplo the United States col gover Presiden househ n, Yellen relati ons suspi- econom color costs. Party policy goals. hand s Chinese governm y. Camp our eye all In additio got ropes around will also bematic on the restricted social government installed the facial “The internet and our media diplo platform, served ning . If our to Beijin each other for um wage Communist over powe until Trum diseases matic of and plans and foreign recog higher energy its techno inChinese humanit repor ted bell certain l minim to report p later pose is former chair especial ly in efforts to maintain r. Their tibility to list,”gsays the article. nition asing a screen.to“Isend think that relati it’s ons recognition in 2017 to monnecks andDNA are being a federa “We need a crime against by hour. The sam-led on smartphones have beenCraft to raise tion edge, anet Yellen, , who was in the decad purthat Wash Kelly Craft e Board Chinese com(CCP) said, onsize policies cious activity, The U.S.- Reute rs on Jan. 10,000 prese to $15 per innova US-Ta ally, tions the have Reserv e. Office l , and Taiwa sayincreas you itor citizens. leashes. We’re all living under under government surveilThe article boasted that the reasonable to say that instirelati Addition to a iwan relaslated to ingto n 12. ing with ence ROC Budget logical areas where ve 'dualharmon n betwe the Federa China to share goes back was s could possibly further has essiona l visit admi nistraheight that the Obama, has fire.” had experi en could s the to World relati onsh ip estab- rural police and security including in sensiti 15, woul Jan. 13 enterprise in Xinjia Dajiyuan said the doca microscope, and it’s Chinese state-run tutional investors were also“play focus in terri- lance for a long time already,” muni panies are obligated and are ples, scientist ds and Bidenng” Yellen under Barackto become the Congr s this, “move s central and Amer ican Trum d have st Chine On Jan. 11, Com-standar p admi ence of Warn-II, Altho ugh tion canno t “the CCP and logies, must low. where he the genetic markerssay, high- rank istration’s million facilibelieve ated se stocks last g with China’to revernatur when auments used a Party-jaran anonymous Chinese interthat createdbeen Sharp Eyes,Jan. the spoke very active in those force isolate fying.” use' techno critica l supply data with the is relatively called se… e again st ds of 3.7 s aided final spers on foreig n minis been nomin Secretary servd with, ing U.S. the third s workin ‘fast tracks’ US-Ta iwanBiden will not same privacy the 2015 devalu hours Chin lish during of the the renounce after aptly-named cost upwar woun ry Agent, FBI in Yellen’ Zhaoare insti- try of per- camerasactivists worry that on reshoring week because there 2018 articleyou by Los NewalVision that offici hand the DNAAassociate a relati ons Comm not given the bank the haveAnge- net user told RFA. “A friend U.S. downese Amer ory Specialgon heavy rhetorical basis job,” but their belief Secre tary Bell U.S. autd Japan le Party Chinese unist global mar-d new Treasu administration. orderly if has, his edflow — ica would Lijian said 19, the Rights But Hum anCo., tate that surpris the world Jan. ion. workers a increase will fuel as in the United You, Supervis had horit ieson invas cancer. of Healt admi nistra like ist-Le ” a ”Marx Trum about initiating “the three Times illustrated a real- of mine in Anhui is under was happy to report tutional investors that will give Chi- chains.” Edwardpolicy breastles e yuan beparticent TrumPresid Servi has propose protections ninist confronts s before te respo “met p ing the Biden a fiscal dove and h andthe resolu wished unde r new able to your stan this China p admin ces Alex in China China ating tion genetic science the Chines onU.S. Unde admin nses.” sonnel. tice?” the be this injuswon’t be regime that exertstake signi tionpower defenses” and sought to surworldsamples, anecdote ofthe living surveillance, and he tried to r Secre Partytary could linkAzar up its ipate -back in names that have ele-with asked her opinio steps to istratiistrat y by stimul kets whenmechan 10 million ismthe the ies unrestricted Tough ion have t he States. The situation Known to on luck to rever rk of the Trump andsur- State ficant actioover against finding Krach the long-s economist, ed medi nese authorit collectof State with the econom the workers bencompan ies global Amerboost and taken awas se In was devalued chances under theof Party’s omniscibuy a plane ticket to go over- —veillance vated volume. I think veil “nearfrom provinceand citycameras any Time icans relati secrets and been a hallma which advoof health s publi to a most tistical by ons with a Keynesian to suppor t low ionation soon after the curre nt Chinesens would be like was restor Glob a l its pei. people throu uffering dent his farewell addre foreign entities devalu shed an in the last set foot on the Keith e. She dramatirecognit succeIn spending is situat ion access to genetic The data administration, Taiiontotopray of Amazon, and for mutual ed ss,addit ing human ss, Presiarticl joiningchthe the move Trump the increas ence:improve “When a resident of seas, but he couldn’t leave level highways; district-level the “smart” home, inglikely that was also expressed dollar. The based gh brainnucleic six montdevice in the a form island sendi ons. yed approa preference and low unemabout there are he takes officewashing e accus keyranki ng while lifted from and millions were ng such China miniing or preserv s in China such as Google, required to markers officisome as tesbe to beon to in hs. Previ a clear-e efiting from be hesitant memb , becau seand brute force.” . The family connecti ing Biden wished the incom is why als toof the highpoverty in as Nigeria ers of his thought to aging itchactivregime which by theof thelast-d “raising the mil- certifica roads; and core governmenvillage in the Sichuan country… We can be ited placedsenioespecially with in some r offici als those ously,cam- ness” k being interest rates issue s to more urgent Pompeo Unite nistsuch already been cated cally,Anxi -Harris “mad - thethe in the form short years. trials, Trumoptions just a few of d Statesstaff the of it.” genetic resource human Faceboo manipulation stated that dome stic recalled the Chine d a s, while encour tion. It had not the island cy results administra-be resolv test the commu much tion luck p admi collected has put island , arms se Comm pursue tion to the CIA com- toclinical berg curren get so of It after the has countrie will lift tens pov- acid ring s tal zones, transportation province China set a under restriction or perseeras, resulting in 24/7 monity last week as well,” he said. to argue the ployment regulation to aid visNurem ology sales nistra Trials incre accepted wage ed,” informa in Trump wants African South transfer export 40 years But what was a miracle.” give On Jan. to theunist - to “pray and asked Amer mum ology - (CCP) other Cui told at the end and gover nmen d that the mulby a biotechn boostionallyvalue pullandunder Party ased China Morn War ed the ans out of U.S. internat order of s abroad.squares, the top whether. you’re at government . Officials in icans hubs, hospitals, to 9,itoring match to abiotechn small pile of gar- cuted by them, or asked According fromse tiongreatonerblast global U.S.-Taiwan more used for its succes for its ROC, have privately t needsto dataChine Taiwa and expand The also annou emphasizedthe 45th President access Bioengineering, trade ing II that brougof World U.S. diplo lions of Americ d for persecpushe oppo se Weinhope officials economy. genetic resource 60 Minutes on demand other cy. g indusdollar rose suspitoretail CCPwar inof Uyghur nese America s pany, Anke u- ipatio resolu milita ry ler’s Post. U.S.codes.” expanding curren tion is also QR the Securities, mat ethis in a stable spent a good part a boomin to various bageisin the gutter two years ‘drink tea,’ [with state and communities… Pedessecu- nced homethe or remov outside. Citadel tradto the vacht Hitof Skynet” mech“selfsafe and in keeping U.S. tely Falunthe U.N, perpetrator Muslimspartic “prov ocati states were thus s due sector ately was the most passio Chines access coope ntation highl erty while episode “DNA push countless tiple the join that a impo An had rights the n worth a for up ic prosperous.” will d demo confro s ighted Gong Secre big sourc again raal of all the incom stated andTaiwa nthe values “Left ing “Four years Yellen to build on” and for the unity cratic intention practi restri Update trians should be videotaped reported of Outgo titled, se was that aregul ate sedBiometric e of worry st huma s of crimes as an academ restricted from ing net sellers founding News PRC. such as human system America’s to opport sses nationw ide.” countrie tioner istrat ers were actually Pompeo tary of State Mike try with an estimateper year, s video surveil- fields, ago we cious of BGI’s the CCP’ how Amer ction s” that on CBS a great ins.contr n’s China’s respon cines may be ing Secret fathers left Rear Adm In Nove mber (R) shake Race, admin to cancelastBiden of her career lecturer at instithat integrate cide to justice nity and geno, anism.” busine Gamestop finding every 10,Biodata 20, and 30 minutes, its close ties with the CCP, that the People’s LiberationAparion intera ct s was in prepar ast to national launched State Depar ity more s hands s devell theweek, ary The to poster tech. cipants.Yellen had ation and of up to $4 trillion the val. Mich ael 2020, ritari with Taiwa ican offici als of State big data to create and to new policy - Mike Pomp autho based promote The small combat climate change the Behind, , t with and rebuil devalu Xi leadin d, head than effort from nonparti anism Janprofessor tment than market elimin lance on accept on a While eo had 2020, d China made 200 years Stude man, Monday to Thursaccording the document. Army (PLA)-connected Hikto of U.S. g to to more our tax aired n. These did greate . words To , and to at Large and as Harvar Ambassado system. Taiwa nthat fromCraft been ation of States, Sale,” to not mince “Above InInearly ’s cance Indoago. and refused to Trumpby - which is ts a carbon for Intern rules tion to move the United mand ’s trip, DNA For the Nazi the its spirit country, to renew gious r guara up largel awarded of technologies tutions such of Economics, r and Apple all, we and draw ing setvision a powerfu l policing ed that Pomp eo of g, descri reported In another leaked docuday, amateur investorslled sold the with Beijin with COVID ic Comopposition ntee intell igenc Pacif fascism his plans , and to Biden suppor fossil fuels such opment y. have serted the y to avoid a $33 islandbing to cut genetic data Freedom ational Relidiplo matic was voiced uation of Amazon that China called 31, 2021 and Senate surveillanc the on as a means from the Party allegiance econom offers to help visite d are concern restore to visit more ’s secur uaryment, London School y. She transie direc n moves n comers of has gathered other reacti million In global unificati stage. sacred idea reasoff ation Sam Activists back se to the SARSoil. In --Yellen contract to install 719,932 shares than Chinese police issued to Europ the Europ world Taiw Given istratio tirade e ity. produc torate as d. and state He investig nies a Brown in Berkele (L) far jiang respon of an on America, ’s ment e after noted admin ean offici during a l gas, In of an s and in Xincombine , ons from the questhis gover closed a proand thepost, Jan. 19 testing. 7 Twitt and U.C. will go so that the s clear, Picture of Hikvision cameras results above ittee’s tech compa ts,te Comm an “pros acquiringe America at the State press the gover that trip. als This was top to its to collikelymitted a report efforts celebrating their camerasthe in Chine Shanghe. to meetpurchased. her role as gov- as coal, natura the Brookings of risinge Comm atroci undis possibility of nPomp trials answers for- officials off Chinessuch ties comas Comple made its intention to be in an electronic mall inTBei- unist Party produc rus panjing, which This infur iated ecuted eo descr er Financ with him,declin ed Departmentevent Although the China’s tioned from evidence at crime t with we emba citizens. In short, againthe coronavi to the peopl nment ting with into“achievements” 29, 2018, (CCP). wasseadded to Flickr crime again perpetrators he C CP Hikvision panies, to U.S. Instifle n from has The novel ibed stren gthen st Uygh in implethe result of popular tradinging compe serving within nt a podcas Dollars and Sense, CoV-2 as ing plant DNA on guiding May Shares for make rked on a missio in ns’ DNA. kind. Stude vowed to respo sBeiframe and from access U.S. must continuegenetic jing on May 24, 2019.the e. Our DNA collectio address would Sepshort of U.S.- ROC urs in it2013. ing of the st huma fessor to nothnotinclud Preside prote s Americathe te, light, our ed tion countr (Alex Wong Washington, ies, that same crime n, Bill the he does State Depa Genomi the ng.cs Amer t lect menting nity, the comn to te dblacklist by the so-called Sharp direct a Pentagon apps like Robinhood restrictscenes to unfairly ts. first as the Bank of Institu demic, in s being our unwav north claimi humanity” for “crimesallian Yellen describ such trips man count erednd / Getty Image D.C. eign againsce and the swabs is uncertai ernment, biotechnology vigilant to protect . While in two top Chinese surveilrtme all Amer ica great again 2020, a bankrup ering convic star, perpetrated largest in andthe l Reserve tion. in Feb. 2019, a $40 tax per ton privacy concerns tember Trum p t unde r ign that Eyes Project (雪亮 “Xue nasal , the director of the Trumpnt’s Administration for ing buying of select “meme“This for s) group, lance firms plunged on May prosecute dissiden that addi- innova icans.” “geno been that neces sary are norm al, Xinjia campa ng.” to Chination has of its citizens cide.” admi nisof the Federa and eventually world, BGI The presid enting sold 2020 the data g a widespread in reports is “This we and k Evanina was of the ce a to pany implem co are very On tions analyzin GNC 22 following reports Washbeing owned and/or con- stocks” like Gamestop after Liang,” translating literally Newswee week of Since here reportent again ceuaare and Taiwa ensur e that the noble serious ramifica tragic set has sharpdemned San Francis becoming the Counterintelligen BidenPharma in China and a new admin we inaugurate and certain benefits the U.S.similar note, of the CCP may trail, everyday to serve con, Harbin . Indeed, a New lm- ington is considering banning of to the riots basedTeam China to “Bright as Snow”), a sur- National trolled by the PLA. A series being hit with a $3 billion aggre ssion n are ready toAmbassador tional goals U.S. America. $770 is based citizens taking place actions that are DNA database Center (NSC), to multiple ic onfor leading up Federa l Reserve in the Capito data are overwhe the at Large extend our istration and count rhetorCo te the biotech ened of Our allegia sent letters by main nation Group them from buying U.S. comarticle revealed conthe there in edly for Interwe Sessio l during the Jan. U.S. to the veillance program designed and Security BGI was likely genetic of Executive Orders by the deposit requirement from tical its it will , such as be to “domina land ChinaalerReligi ern part best wishe nce is not Chair of York Times the Westto “provide Chinesethat 23 specia that we 6 Joint ny@visiontim ous Freed ining ingly positive offeringrural n of Cong of just as the blacklistamassing genetic to 2017. At least of ponents, Sam in has been workmainta to persecute outgoing President blocked the Deposit Trust & Clearing million. rations, or l interests, corpo om, luck,also want them s. And that the regioBrow industry” by position forced labor, China… This provide warned ng to establish partfrom 2014 what the Trump es.com that the CCP e,” civilians. ies are states l development “biologi“all Amer ress, saying l expertis much global entitie leaving the Yellen n. nback, challenged map of its to have the CCP edofcompan Yellen a very this is forced is es potentia cures and treat- ing of telecoms giant Huawei technica - attempti The Party justifiessequenc U.S. based companies from Corporation to cover clearassociat After her icans were our childr ilization, data and to develop to target tinue n started.genetic for rified s. It’s to ing on a genetic ng put the pro- nerships with U.S. compani reserve, sterTrump said. important word, fanned their escalating tech isperform en, forced horpersecution its 21-year-long 700 million d toBiden designed administratio . life-savi Admincit“high gramthrough under theaddition pretext al of doing business with or hold- inghouse volatility. ng truth ” Capito by the assault to our nation our citizens, and at the federal uished Fellow kind of things abortions. The approximately collecting cal weapons groups.” Chi- accredite of the spirit States war. (Image: FRED DUFOUR / AFP via the underlyi later be exploited on our Trump’s Disting l.” practice to make stated, “The and “make on United that we haven fighting crime more effec- that could ing securities in PLA-conbecame a Agent ments, private genetic data isGetty Images) testing ual on Brookings seen in approval “We restor itself,” he said. Falun to ers,” be willing certain ethnic males by forcibly “Political to help with an nce at the sory Special claim that ’t leaving seek access as the forced Gong, as well tration will rating is that ed the princ of tools to beginning in and in Reside continue on A3 tively. ns” nected companies. violence speaking donatio that a in this worldawfully long time ies to profit 2019 Supervi You, a FBI investifull array working nese state media the largest izens, attack on blood samples iple organ Our cent accord office was 51 perand earned use of the data by table. ing of its irus Disease way for compan the case has everything is an citizennation exists to Street ting in the creInstitute accoun ing to an interv ,” said Pompeo genetic In BGI Edward a background in a adherents. harvest- Repo ish as Amer ies Coronav China already major Wall we chers. Our agend serve its 2014, culmina in hold China iew with back wrote gy compan of consumers. with in the world -19) testing. database rts, althou Rasmussen has focused off Brow fees from icans. gator ent, date genealo about database (COVID national Amer a to “The Fox na with was It be tolera governm can never genetic gh all other News right ica Repor ch — not ation of polls show approach23andM profiles. e. Furtheristry, stated, number : “What does the ted. involved in collectbanks. 212-730-6963 of the ChineseVISION ny@visiontimes.com ts. ral approa as about Repubor left, it wasn’ Authorities have 6,600 mean over 80 million Pompeo ever we must Now more than has has been data from ethnic biochemarian government of tion of artificialTIMES ing betwe his approval ratin late 2017. on a unilate t genetic such said that could have approximat in par- with lican or ? It’s the CCP agenda unify aroun en 29 perce authorit crat, but a result, ment had his depar ing genetic policies SenJin- the combina surveillance, Demo men and boys asthe share forXi more, e gather this many $1.5 numb to To tary 47 and, leader targeted about d Going d tpercent. e. efforts our nation received values and nt and tioners that 212-73er0-696 Mone of practi ed by has employed the good intelligence, they “commit China and its past week’s exhaustive conducted “an Uyghurs and more effectiv the partis 3 rise above have paved to meet , and of a been reinforc profiles, the CCP methods. been in the 19-miTrump expressed boldly open hearticular because During the Chinese govthe CCP Falun Gong report of Chinese an genetic data of should strive whole nation that means the ping have been and determreview of the facts” by billion from the statistics show,” arrest e Committee Yellen dented our comm rancor and forge beat and prevent ward, wetransferchallenge In gratitude nute address a wide variety more crimes, ate Financ many times ed in 2020. How for unprece ambitions to on destin tantcountries.U.S. his Phase III trito his famil article. Those has indee ined that the CCP nomination, foreign impor “We fough . ernment in 2010. son, direc- about their reap the bene- the way y.” will the this to Trum President front ofState By conducting rus vaccine data of dissidents. ings for her d said the Times’ regarding ass and t for the CCP harg a united Mike Pence y, Vice “only p called himse the CCP’s ng ple that persecution ted the crimenot only comm questions arrest Falun the west and blood collec2019, Sophie Richard buildin includi wife and every citize princilf the als of its coronaviother coun- May was asked Cuts and Reforms in DNA sciorderpractitione that refuse program for partners, s they have itd aninstitu family, Chief, and his win true outsider tled to of advances accused publishe and as a so-called allies and rs for refusi Gong Mark tor of the China ever been equal digni n is entiteral genetic the Presid the 2017 Tax to expire in 2026. of, elabo- fits in Morocco of Staff to Council tion are listed Mead h multila ng to abu- Human Rights Watch, ency” becau to treatment, these peoplbut seek to “deny ty, s ld” and can has been able he “had regulate its human 212-730-6963 House Staff.ows, and all White that are due nt China’s tothroug tries, China and equal equal not se becau class citizen “black househo e, not participants. Uyghur including barring tions, tos,confro as a politic spent [his] career rights se we of benefits such Many middle the tax cut ion resource Muslims, just the ors.” gather DNA from ian, but be stripped from that may by God. are all made equal to thes discuss faiths as sive behavi but other as a builde looking istratravel and visit countrie orf. benefited , listens Everyone well, coerce at System To r to be as the right to former admin (minghui.org e r, Doug Elmend ity to contin the simple capacl Reserve -6963 S imagining open skylines and treated with is entitled under the an increas 212-730 ) TIME of the Federa Budget Office directo face ue ors hospital. N infini a to will have exist. respec had te possib “I’ve referr VISIO ties.” tion but Board of Govern Congressional ili- have their voice heard t, to expire. Biden ed to this Chair of the time as right is former , and when they tax increases to their gover While Trum over the Janet Yellen, To Yellen's no nment listen.to than audience. p will join tury. It is stain of the cenDonald pledged small club om from the ” Trump truly making less a the ny@visiontimes.c recognized households year and Yellen The Secre that.” external only serveof presidents who TIMES per tary of d one try const threats the counVISION released $400,000 lauded term, he State antly faces, a his the most Press Statemstrongly worde but said principles “America First” d that benefi America dangerous factor titled “Dete ent on Tuesd diverse tted a faces tod ay range rmin imes.com
By Neil Campbell
N ry Secreta US TreasuL J
ny@visiontimes.com
The Biden n Administratio to ng will be willi the make use of tools full array of a to hold Chin ble. accounta to Our approach sed date has focu on a unilateral and, approach — d as a result, coul e have been mor effective.
nt of an governme ng The authoritari leader Xi Jinpi China and its t their y open abou and have been boldl beat the west in ambitions to nces fits of adva reap the bene technology. The and DNA science has a regime even communist catchy festo with a published mani in China 2025. name... Made
When a resident of Anxi village in the Sichuan province of China set a match to a small pile of garbage in the gutter two years ago, a loudspeaker blared out his name and address and ordered him to extinguish the blaze immediately. He jumped with fright, quickly put out the flames and scurried away.
A
Four year s ago we launche d great nati a ona effort to rebu l our country ild , to renew its spir and to rest it, ore allegiance the of governmen this t citizens. In to its sho we embarke rt, on a mission d make Am to erica great aga in for Americans all .
____________________
ZIP ___________
_________________________________________________________________
☐PAY BY CHECK
(PAYABLE TO Kanzhongguo Association Inc.)
☐USE MY CREDIT CARD
NY EDITION (Getty Image s)
CARD# EXPIRATION ZIP SIGNATURE
VISION TIMES
M
M
Y
Y
CARD CVV#
NAME ON CARD _______________________________ ____________________________________________________________
212-730-6963
A12 | FEB 19 - 25 , 2021 VOL .7
MYSTERIES
www.VisionTimes.com
Psychic Research
AdobeStock
People with supernormal capabilities can make objects float in the air, and they can even levitate.
day before he disappeared. The woman, Elaine Garrett, who would assist in this case, had remote vision. She was a test subject for Dr. Leroy Hill's research on supernatural powers. Dr. LeShan found her and handed her the cloth, and said, "A man has disappeared, and his wife is worried. Can you help find him?" Ms. Garrett closed her eyes, touched the cloth, and said, "He ran away to La Jolla city because his father had traumatized him when he was 14 years old. When Dr. Leroy called the wife that night, he asked her, "Did anything happen to your husband when he was 13 or 15 years old?" The wife replied, "When he was fourteen, his father ran away and left his family. There's still no news of his disappearance after twenty-five years." Three weeks later, the doctor who found the missing man confirmed that the man was indeed in La Jolla on the day Dr. LeShan went to see Ms. Garrett. In England, Israeli Yuri Geller performed live on a television program devoted to supernatural powers. On the live performance, Yuri Geller bent metal with his mind. Professor Ted Bastin, a quantum physicist on the show, said afterward, "I have conducted extensive experiments on him, and I believe his psychic powers are real." Russian Professor Alexander Dubrov, who has been studying psychic powers for more than 50 years, has had his work widely translated into Greek, English, Japanese, German, and Polish. He displays many amazing photos of paranormals. An Indian woman carved a detailed Hindu goddess statue from a distance behind a cloth curtain. A qigong master with his hands and feet tied could lift a heavy object from afar. A 15-year-old Western boy could bend a spoon in the air, and a little girl could twist the shape of a spoon at will. Professor Alexander further demonstrated that a supernaturalist could attach a keychain, paper clip, or even a typewriter to his body, pull in a mirror with one hand, and pull in several wine bottles as well. Also, some supernaturalists can make any object float in the air. A Brazilian supernaturalist made a little girl levitate off the ground in full view of the public. Professor Alexander said that most of these supernaturals are born with these powers. He could not explain it, but he believed that cognitive thought was the cause.
By Vision Times Staff
H
ow much power does the human mind have? Is supernormal ability a superstition or a higher discipline that modern science cannot explain? For years, the Chinese Communist Party has tried to suppress research in this area, but medical experts have been studying and exploring this mysterious phenomenon. Research on psychic phenomena began in the United States as early as 1911. In 1978, the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency launched the STARGATE program, which included the study of wall penetration, clairvoyance (remote viewing), telepathy, and other psychic abilities. The program's research did not end until 1997. Dr. Gertrude Schmeidler of the City University of New York conducted such research. She experimented in her laboratory with an artist, Mr. Ingo Swann, who could change an object's surface temperature from a distance. In this experiment, several hot water bottles were kept out of Swann's reach, each with a graphite piece (a temperature-sensitive material) attached to a wire connected to a waveform-curved instrument to record temperature changes. Dr. Schmeidler then asked Swann to raise or lower the graphite's temperature inside the designated hot water bottle. The result was seven out of ten times the temperature of the graphite changed significantly. Professor Gerald Feinberg, a renowned American scientist and physicist at Columbia University, observed another supernormal ability. While at lunch with Mr. Geller, a psychic, he watched Mr. Geller take off a gold ring from one of the women in attendance. The psychic then placed the ring on the table where everyone witnessed it had twisted itself into an "S" shape. Dr. Laurence LeShan is a famous American psychologist who has been studying human psychic abilities for many years and has published many articles and books on the subject. He documented a real-life example of a missing man. In the 1960s, a doctor went out of state on a business trip and disappeared for several weeks. The doctor's wife was very anxious and wrote to Dr. LeShan for help, as he knew a woman who had telepresence. The letter included a two-inch square piece of cloth cut from her husband's shirt, worn on the
212-730-6963
VISION TIMES
ny@visiontimes.com