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Cubans Protest Against Communist Regime
A woman takes part in a demonstration against the government of Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel in Havana, on July 11, 2021. (Images: YAMIL LAGE/Getty Images)
Over Rising Prices and Shortages By Arvind Datta Visiontimes
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housands of Cubans took to the streets of 16 cities, including the national capital of Havana, to voice their displeasure at long lines and rising prices, which have been associated with shortages of food and medicine amidst a worsening COVID-19 pandemic. Many of the protesters chanted “Down with Communism,” “They (the regime) must leave,” “Freedom,” and so on. Some people displayed American flags. The demonstrations are the largest anti-government protests in the history of Cuba since the 1994 Maleconazo uprising against government policies. The ruling communist regime has been in power for 62 years, and until 2016 led by founding revolutionary Fidel Castro, who died that year. “We are going through
Down with the dictatorship
We want liberty --Protesters in Cuba
People take part in a demonstration against the government of Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel in Havana. (Images: YAMIL LAGE/Getty Images)
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really difficult times… We need a change of system,” Miranda Lazara, a 53-yearold dance teacher who participated in the protests in Havana, said to Reuters. “They are protesting blackouts, that there is no medicine… They are protesting the crisis, that there is no food or medicine, that you have to buy everything at the foreign currency stores, and on and on the list goes,” a resident said.
A demonstrator holds up the Cuban flag while protesting in front of the White House in Washington, DC, on July 12, 2021. (Images: JIM WATSON/Getty Images)
Pandemic and economic crisis put pressure on Cuban regime
COVID-19 pandemic has wrecked the country and shown no signs of slowing down as the number of daily cases has been drastically rising. On January 1, the number of daily new confirmed COVID-19 cases was 193. On July 11, this figure was at 6,923, an increase of 3487 percent. The daily number of deaths during this period has gone up from almost zero to 47. However, many opposition groups claim that the real death toll is likely higher. Public health centers are said
Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel is seen during a demonstration held by citizens to demand improvements in the country. (Images: YAMIL LAGE/Getty Images)
to be at the brink of collapse. Videos of overwhelmed hospitals have gone viral. In recent days, Cuban netizens have been using the hashtag #SOSCuba, calling out for international humanitarian intervention. Meanwhile, the Cuban economy has been under tremendous pressure, largely due to the fact that the tourism industry, one of the biggest cash cows of the economy, has essentially been in limbo from the coronavirus pandemic. There is a widespread shortage of medicine, food, and other basic materials, with prices spiraling out of control. Pavel Vidal, an economist (Images: YAMIL LAGE/Getty Images)
A man is arrested during a demonstration against the government of Cuban President Miguel
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People take part in a demonstration against the government of Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel in Havana. (Images: YAMIL LAGE/Getty Images)
from the Pontificia Javeriana University of Cali in Colombia, estimates prices to rise up to 900 percent in the coming months. The ruling communist regime increased wages at the beginning of the year, which has also contributed to the spike in prices. In June, the government temporarily stopped banks from accepting U.S. dollar cash deposits. Authorities have restricted internet access and blocked
social media websites in an attempt to stem the spread of the protests. The proliferation of social media platforms means that a large number of Cubans are now able to plan and organize protests, something which the regime does not want. The government has accused “enemies of the revolution” of using social networks to create “destabilization strategies” that follow CIA manuals. Continued on A7
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Biden Targets Big Banks and Mergers With New Executive Order
By Arvind Datta Visiontimes
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n July 9th, President Joe Biden passed an executive order (EO) said to be aimed at “promoting competition” in the American economy by attacking “the trend of corporate consolidation.” The executive order calls on the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and Department of Justice (DoJ) to enforce antitrust laws “vigorously” and for agencies to “challenge prior bad mergers.” “For decades, corporate consolidation has been accelerating. In over 75% of U.S. industries, a smaller number of large companies now control more of the business than they did twenty years ago. This is true across healthcare, financial services, agriculture and more. That lack of competition drives up prices for consumers,” according to the order. “Barriers to competition are also driving down wages for workers…
Inadequate competition holds back economic growth and innovation,” the fact sheet reads. Among the sectors included in the executive order is the banking and consumer finance industry. The EO stated that the United States has lost 70 percent of its banks in the past four decades, with around 10,000 bank closures. Mergers and acquisitions were responsible for many of the closures, and federal agencies have not formally denied a bank merger application in over 15 years. Biden’s order argues, “Excessive consolidation raises costs for consumers, restricts credit for small businesses, and harms low-income communities.” The document states that bank closures can
lead to a 10 percent decline in the number of small businesses lending and leads to higher interest rates. Customers “cannot easily take their financial transaction history data” to a new bank, which makes it difficult for them to switch banks. The president outlined two orders related to the banking and consumer financing industry. The first order encourages the DoJ and other agencies responsible for banking, such as the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC), the Federal Reserve, and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, to “update guidelines on banking mergers to provide more robust scrutiny of mergers.” The second order asks the Consumer
Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) to issue rules allowing customers to download banking data and take it with them to open a different account.
Dodd-Frank and executive order
The CFPB is an agency created as a result of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act enacted in 2010 by the Obama administration in the aftermath of the 20072009 Great Recession. The agency was tasked with protecting consumers against abuses related to mortgages, credit cards, and other financial products. The Volcker Rule, a set of provisions within the act, restricted banks from making certain kinds of speculative investments. Agencies such as the Office of Financial Research and the Financial Stability Oversight Council were created to identify
threats to America’s financial stability. Several critics have argued that the law has negatively impacted small banks and economic growth. Republicans have called for repealing the law either partially or wholly. In an interview with Washington Examiner, Republican Representative Patrick McHenry, member of the Financial Services Committee, criticized Biden’s July 9 executive order. He called the order’s plan for banks “an attempt by Democrats to clean up a mess they created with Dodd-Frank. He said the law’s regulations and mandates led to increased consolidation in the banking sector.”
Industry reactions
On July 9, Greg Baer, President, and CEO of the non-partisan Bank Policy Institute (BPI), an entity that advocates for the financial services
industry, released a statement refuting the EO’s assertion that the sector needs more competition. He stated that banking is among the “most competitive, least concentrated industries” in the United States. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce released a statement criticizing the executive order as a “government knows best” approach, and said that it fails to advocate for market-based competition. In the statement, Vice President and Chief Policy Officer Neil Bradley pointed out that the American economy needs both large and small businesses to thrive. He accused the order of being “built on the flawed belief” that the American economy is over-concentrated, and fails to generate the private investment necessary for innovation. In addition to banking, the executive order also targets other sectors such as technology, internet services, agriculture, transportation, and healthcare.
Biden's new executive order is reportedly aimed at promoting competition in the banking industry. (Image: PIRO4D via Pixabay)
WHO Buys 110 Million Chinese Vaccine Doses Through COVAX Diplomacy Arm By Neil Campbell Visiontimes
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n international vaccine diplomacy effort coordinated by the World Health Organization and the Coalition for Economic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) announced it would purchase an immediate 110 million doses of COVID19 vaccines from Chinese companies Sinovac and Sinopharm, with an option to purchase several hundred million more between Q4 and the midpoint of 2022. According to a June 12
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press release by Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, purchaser for the WHO’s COVAX program, the consortium would purchase 60 million doses from Sinopharm and 50 million doses from Sinovac available immediately and through September and October. The contracts also provide COVAX with the option to purchase an additional 110 million vials from Sinopharm through Q4 2021 and the first half of 2022, and an additional 330 million vials from Sinovac in the same time period. Both Sinopharm and Sinovac’s vaccine variants are classical inactivated virus
vaccines compared to the new and experimental messenger RNA and DNA-based adenovirus vector vaccines created by Moderna, PfizerBioNTech, AstraZeneca, and Johnson & Johnson. COVAX describes itself as the vaccine pillar of the “three pillars” of the Access to COVID-19 Tools Accelerator (ACT), which was launched in April of 2020. ACT is spearheaded by Gavi, the WHO, the CEPI, and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. ACT describes its intended purposes as to “Implement, alongside evidencebased public health meas-
ures, innovative diagnostics, therapeutics and vaccines at record speed and at record scale in a bid to defeat COVID-19,” on the basis that “as long as COVID-19 threatens any country, the entire world is at risk.” COVAX works as a sort of nation-level crowdfunding scheme for vaccine development and distribution with a goal to distribute 2 billion doses worldwide by the end of the year. In addition to the Chinese offerings, COVAX also distributes nine other flavors: AstraZeneca/Oxford, Clover, Johnson & Johnson, Moderna, Novavax, Pfizer-BioN-
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A Health Ministry official checks documents on a container carrying the first shipment of the AstraZeneca/Oxford Covid-19 vaccine doses, as part of the WHO’s COVAX program, as it arrives at the Noi Bai International Airport Cargo terminal in Hanoi on April 1, 2021. (Image: NHAC NGUYEN/AFP via Getty Images)
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JUL 16 - JUL 22, 2021 |
Supermarkets Stockpiling Food and Other Products in Anticipation of Price Hikes
63%
By Todd Crawford Visiontimes
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of Americans Say
China Should Pay Reparations for COVID-19 Lab Leak
By Neil Campbell Visiontimes
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recent survey of U.S. respondents found 63 percent of people, regardless of their location or political disposition, thought the Chinese Communist Party should be made to pay the world reparations for an accidental leak of SARS-CoV-2 from the Wuhan biosecurity level 4 laboratory. The research was conducted by the Center for Security Policy (CSP), a Washington, D.C.-based non-profit think tank. The survey found that for nearly every subgroup the majority of respondents, and 63 percent overall, believe the CCP should pay the world
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reparations for an accidental pathogen release from the Wuhan Institute of Virology. The number balloons to 78 percent if it comes to light in the future that Beijing released the virus intentionally. In the case of an accidental release, 61 percent of respondents identifying as Democrat or Independent and 71 percent of Republicans said China should pay reparations. The proportion changed to 73 percent for Democrats, 78 percent for Independents, and 88 percent for Republicans if COVID-19 was released on purpose. Based on age, for respondents in the 18-24 bracket, only 50 percent said China should pay reparations if accidental and 61 percent if deliberate. Between 25-44, the stats transformed to 65 and 74 percent. Over 65, they became 66 and 87 percent. For gender, while 72 percent of males said China should pay reparations if the release was accidental and 82 percent if
deliberate, only 55 and 75 percent of females agreed by comparison. When it came to race, for those identifying as white, 64 percent said China should pay if accidental compared to 83 percent if deliberate. Only one other racial segment was identified, black/hispanic, who said the CCP should have to pay 61 and 66 percent respectively. The Center also found that nearly half of the respondents believed SARS-CoV-2 “was developed in a lab,” with a quarter holding the opinion the CCP developed it and released it deliberately. The CSP said the world forcing the Communist Party to pay for the calamity it brought to the world, “Would have a two-fold positive effect: they would compensate American taxpayers and citizens for their personal and financial losses, and they would start the process of taking down the CCP.” The CSP’s survey was conducted by a third party company, TechnoMetrica, over a three day period spanning from June 30 to July 2, 2021. TechnoMetrica gathered the opinion of 1,424 18+ Americans.
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rocers are stockpiling food, including frozen meat and sugar, and other items such as cleaning supplies in an attempt to protect profits, keep prices low and compete in the market ahead of anticipated price hikes later this year. Paul McLean, the chief merchandising officer for Stew Leonard’s, a large American grocery chain, told Business Insider that the supermarket chain is purchasing 50 percent more inventory than usual and “bought ahead whenever possible” in an attempt to protect sales margins. There is evidence that other major grocers are engaging in a similar strategy. “Stockpiling by food retailers is driving shortages of some staples, grocery industry executives said, and is challenging a U.S. food supply chain already squeezed by transportation costs, labor pressure and ingredient constraints,” reported the Wall Street Journal. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) reported that the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for food-at-home increased by 0.4 percent from April 2021 to May 2021, and that food-at-home prices have increased 2.2 percent yearover-year. “In 2021, food-at-home prices are now expected to increase between 2.0 and 3.0 percent, and food-awayfrom-home prices are expected to increase between 3.0 and 4.0 percent,” the USDA website states.
tries, which offer higher salaries, larger hiring bonuses, and less labor-intensive duties. Drought conditions in the Canadian province of Manitoba, a major food producer, have forced the region to declare a local state of emergency. Authorities have asked for help from the provincial and federal governments. Water scarcity is threatening harvests and forcing farmers to sell livestock that cannot be sustained on the available water supply. In addition, drought conditions across the U.S. midwest are threatening harvests from California to North Dakota, and are also forcing farmers to sell off livestock. Cliff Matson, a rancher in North Dakota, told the Pierce County Tribune that “moving forward, it’s going to be tough to find a lot of feed around here without having it shipped in and paying a lot [of] money for it. So, a lot of people are thinking ahead and selling off part of their herds so they can maintain and get enough hay to hopefully hang onto the stock they’ve got.” The issues have been exacerbated by the steady increase in oil prices, which has driven up shipping costs around the globe. Recent discussions within the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) on supply policy have stalled due to infighting between two of its main players, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. OPEC made the historic move of cutting oil production by almost 10 million barrels per day due to a drastic drop in demand as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. As economies recover, demand for energy products is increasing again. However, due to OPEC infighting, major oil-producing regions have not increased production to match demand, driving up prices. Until the labor market stabilizes, drought-stricken regions receive relief, and oil production is raised to meet demand, consumers can expect to pay more at the grocery store and gas station for the foreseeable future.
The labor shortage, poor harvests due to extreme weather, increase in transportation costs due to rising oil prices, and COVID-19 pandemic woes are all contributing to the increased cost of everyday items and foods.
A perfect storm
According to a report by the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture (PDA), farming in Pennsylvania is an 81 billion dollar industry, but farmers are struggling to find enough workers to tend to their fields and farms. Amidst the broader labor shortage, farmers are unable to compete with hiring incentives in the restaurant and warehousing indus-
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Wall Street Behemoths Ate Reddit’s Gamestop Lunch
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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.
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on January 23, 2020. BlackRock is Gamestop’s largest owner at more than 9.2 million shares.
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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 trail, 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 ing to Rasm an interv ,” said Pompeo genetic BGI Edward a background in a serve its adherents. harvest- Repo ish as Amer ies Coronav rs. 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Going received $1.5 nt and tioners that e numb Monetary past week’s Senof practi ed by has employed the good intelligence, 0-696 t. they “commit and rise our nation, China and its exhaustive conducted “an Uyghurs and more effectiv the partis 3 have paved to meet of a been reinforc profiles, the CCP methods. been in the 19-miTrump expressed and boldly open above 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. 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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” ent on Tuesd d that benefi America dangerous factor titled “D divers tt fa a By Neil Campbell
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The Biden n Administratio to ng will be willi the make use of tools full array of a to hold Chin accountable. to Our approach sed date has focu on a unilateral and, approach — d as a result, coul e have been mor effective.
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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 fits of advances 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.
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Four year s ago we launche d great nati a ona effort to rebu l our country ild renew its , to spirit, and to rest 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 .
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A4 | JUL 16 - JUL 22, 2021
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China’s BGI Group Takes Data From Millions of Women Worldwide via Pregnancy Tests By Vision Times News
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troubling development has arisen as the Chinese company, BGI Group, has been doing prenatal tests in conjunction with the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) to collect genetic data from millions of women for research on population traits. The revelation that the genetic details of the women who have taken the tests has been alarming, as well as the fact that the data is also being used to single out Tibetan and Uyghur minorities by locating links between their genes. The data collected by BGI is said to be used to help China enhance its pharmaceutical, economic and military efforts, as advisors in the U.S. warned.
BGI and the NIFTY tests
BGI relies on its prenatal test for genetic data, and has worked with the military to improve “population quality”, as well as enhancing the capabilities of soldiers. The company has also been working with Chinese military researchers on genomics to gain more insight on conditions or defects during birth. The research has also been funded by the government, and BGI also worked with military hospitals to help advance the abilities of China’s soldiers. BGI was also able to perform the largest genetic study on China’s population ever, with 141,000 reused prenatal tests. The tests were able to confirm several defects and diseases, proving the sheer scale of the company’s mass research over a widespread populace. BGI has sold prenatal tests, called NIFTY (Non-Invasive Fetal TrisomY”
tests, across the world, with marketing in at least 13 European Union countries, as well as in Britain, Canada, Australia, Thailand, India and Pakistan. The tests have been sold in at least 52 countries. In a statement, BGI said that it, “has never been asked to provide – nor provided – data from its NIFTY tests to Chinese authorities for national security or national defence security purposes.” However, an examination performed by Reuters provides not only how the company is using its technology to further expand its research, but also backs the concerns that the United States should be aware of China’s plans to dominate in biotechnology and AI as a national security threat, and to come up with ways to counter them.
Data held in China
In a lengthy look into BGI’s operations, going through documents and interviews with people involved, Reuters has found that the NIFTY test can obtain data about not only the mother, but also personal details, like her country, height and weight, but not her name. More than 8 million women have taken the test worldwide, but BGI claims that it only obtains location data from those in China. Many of the women who took the test outside of China were unaware that their data was being held in the country, raising further worries of their personal data being kept in a country far from home. According to BGI, the company does not contain the data of women outside of China, but Reuters has uncovered the data of at least 500 women, some from abroad, that have been stored in their gene database, which is funded by the
US Covid Reponse Team Deletes Tweet With Taiwan Flag, Chinese Media Celebrates By Arvind Datta Visiontimes
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he White House COVID19 Response Team recently posted a tweet that detailed America’s vaccine donations globally, including those sent to Taiwan. One of the tweets features Taiwan’s flag, which had attracted controversy. Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen retweeted it, thanking Washington for its generosity and stating that they would beat the pandemic together. However, the response team’s tweet was soon taken down, which communist Chi-
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Original post including Taiwan flag. (Twitter, @WHCOVIDResponse screenshot)
nese media has celebrated. In a July 8 press briefing, White House press secretary Jen Psaki called the posting of the Taiwanese flag through the government account an error. “This was an honest mistake that
was made by the team handling graphics and social media, and should not in any way be viewed as a shift in official U.S. policy. When we recognized the mistake, we removed the tweet,” Psaki said. A spokesperson from the U.S. National Security Council (NSC) stated that the tweet was removed when they realized it was put up by mistake. “The United States remains committed to our one-China policy… Our policy has been clear for decades and has not changed,” the spokesperson said. Though the United States is Taiwan’s most important ally and a main
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supplier of arms, Washington does not maintain an official relationship with Taiwan. The U.S. abides by the “One China” policy which states that only one China exists. However, the position does not define which of the two nations — the Republic of China (Taiwan) or the People’s Republic of China (Chinese mainland) — is the “one China.” Beijing interprets the “One China” policy to mean that it is the real China while Taiwan remains simply a province. By contrast, Taiwan views itself as the legitimate China (ROC), with its capital in Taipei. Taiwan Foreign Ministry spokes-
Adobe Stock
Chinese women fill in application forms for a stewardess recruiting interview of China Southern Airlines on September 12, 2007 in Beijing, China. Chinese biological firm BGI has been gathering the medical and genetic data of millions of pregnant women in China and around the world. (Image: China Photos/Getty Images)
Chinese government. Concerns were also drawn towards the ability of the technology to collect data from even a small portion of DNA. According to Anna Puglisi, former National Counterintelligence Officer for East Asia in the U.S., BGI’s growth was due to the Chinese government policies that required all organizations to help in obtaining intelligence, and that understanding genes is really effective. “When you can combine large amounts of genomic data – including mothers and their unborn children – with their medical data and history, it is really powerful,” she said. The research was even able to analyze the genetic links in minorities including Uyghurs and Tibetans, which has caused backlash due to violations of human rights. The U.S. had already raised concerns over the situation and issued warnings that China’s collection of data could be a threat to their privacy, economy and national security. It has also warned health institutions and patients to be more careful with the risks posed by sharing data with Chinese companies. China has since provided new security laws to protect personal data and allow authorities to access them. Data collected can also be kept for a certain number of years before they are either deleted or destroyed.
woman Joanne Ou said that her ministry had noted the deletion of the White House COVID-19 response team tweet and has communicated with Washington on the issue. “Regarding the reason for the deletion of this tweet, as the media has different interpretations, the Foreign Ministry has asked the representative office in the United States to remind the United States not to cause unnecessary speculation or misunderstanding from all walks of life due to the removal of the related tweet,” Ou said. The CCP-backed Global Times published an article on July 9th ridiculing ROC president Tsai, stating that she faced “waves of mockery” for retweeting the White House tweet. The article went on to quote netizens’ angry comments against Taiwan and its dependence subscription@visiontimes.com
CHINA
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JUL 16 - JUL 22, 2021 |
A5
China Moves to Ensure Only ‘Healthy’ Songs Played at Karaoke Bars By Simone Jonker Vision Times
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he Chinese Communist Party is tightening its grip on all aspects of daily life, social interaction, entertainment, and traditional culture. For example, the Chinese Ministry of Culture recently announced plans to increase control over a popular national pastime: Karaoke. According to a draft of guidelines posted on the Ministry’s website, karaoke bars will be required to use songs and music bro-
kered by a CCP-created blacklist, in an attempt to ensure only “healthy” and “positive energy” music is heard, according to a report by Radio Free Getty Images Asia. According to the Ministry, a karaoke music evaluation board of experts would be tasked with constantly keeping the blacklist up to date. Music and songs will be prohibited and removed if the board determines that they “endanger national unity, sovereignty, or territorial integrity,” “damage
national security, honor, or interests,” or “incite ethnic hatred” based on Communist Party rhetoric. Sun Jialin, a Zhejiang current affairs pundit, told R FA, ” The action is part of the Chinese Communist Party’s continuous effort to control every area of cultural life, including people’s inner thoughts and emotions.” “Cultural censorship, ideological cleansing; it’s all brainwashing, and judging from the main points [in
the rules], this will affect any songs linked to themes of freedom and democracy, human rights, and the rule of law.”
Songs of protest
Music that overtly supports freedoms for any area or people or who criticize the CCP is few and far between. Despite this, there are still many Party-approved songs that repeat the regime’s talking points on issues such as the so-called “liberation” of democratic Taiwan, which, in fact, never was part of the People’s Republic of China in the first place. Music and songs linked
with particular ways of thought, dance, lifestyle, or religion and spirituality, which may have political overlap with some social activities, are more likely to be selected by central censors. Sun said, “A lot of those tunes, for example, songs by Cui Jian or ‘Vast Sky and Endless Sea’ by the [Hong Kong] rock band Beyond, have become hugely popular in karaoke parlors in recent years.” Vast Sky, a pro-democracy anthem sung by thousands by protesters in Hong Kong’s 2014 Occupy Central movement has lyrics such as,
DEADLY FLOODING
“Forgive me, but I’ve never given up on my love of freedom.” Hou Dejian’s “Descendants of the Dragon” is another example of a stirring and patriotic song about Chinese identity that has also been sung during demonstrations, and there are many more. According to a young Hunan academic who declined to provide his surname, the crackdown is part of the CCP’s larger effort to suppress freedom of speech and thus gain complete control over the public’s thoughts and all aspects of art and expression.
in South and Central China
STR/AFP via Getty Images
This photo taken in Sichuan province on July 11, 2021.Authorities in the embattled province raised the alert level to orange as unrelenting rainstorms persisted in the province since July 9.
Causes Millions in Economic Losses By Todd Crawford Vision Times
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xtreme weather has been battering numerous provinces in the south and central regions of China for weeks, causing an unaccounted for amount of damage and resulting in numerous deaths and scores missing, while inflicting millions of dollars worth of direct economic losses. In Sichuan Province, more than 500,000 people have been affected by torrential rains leading to the evacuation of nearly 110,000 people in seven cities in the province. Authorities in the embattled province raised the alert level to orange as unrelenting rainstorms persisted in the province since July 9. The rain is being blamed for causing a direct economic loss of US$274 million in the region. The China Meteorological Administration, in an update
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Nearly 1 million affected by Guizhou floods
on Sunday, July 11, said heavy rainfall and rainstorms are expected in Beijing Tianjin along with Hebei, Shanxi and Shandong provinces until 8 p.m. on Monday. Local authorities were urged to adjust their emergency response levels based on their local conditions and were instructed to strengthen their weather monitoring and forecasting efforts. Three working teams have been dispatched to Shanxi, Hebei, and Beijing to assist inundated local authorities. For twelve hours, between 8:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. on Monday July 12 heavy rains battered the area swelling the Qingyi River as well as the Mingshan, Lushan and Baoxing rivers. The Mingshan weather station reported precipitation of 187 millimeters per hour during the storm meaning that an estimated 2,244 millimeters of rain fell in the region in just twelve hours.
In China’s Guizhou province more than 954,000 people from 83 county-level regions were affected by torrential rains causing flooding, reported Xinhua News, a state funded news agency. According to the local provincial emergency management department, this year in Guizhou the average rainfall has registered as 615.5 mm, 5.6 percent more than last year. Since the flood season began, six regional rain storms have hit the province, with an average precipitation of 433.8 mm. The extreme weather has resulted in approximately 26,000 people being evacuated and an estimated direct economic loss of more than US$190 million. Compounding the disaster, 67,900 hectares of crops were destroyed along with an estimated 19,300 homes.
City of Jinan inundated by floods, severe winds
Heavy flooding due to torrential rainfall has inundated the eastern city of Jinan.
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STR/AFP via Getty Images
This photo taken in Sichuan province on July 11.
Residents of the city were forced to wade through waisthigh flood waters and drivers climbed to the roofs of their submerged vehicles to escape the rushing torrent of water. A local river overflowing is being blamed for the floods. The National Meteorological Center issued a blue rainstorm alert, the lowest of a four-tier warning system. On June 30, prior to the extreme rain storms, Jinan was hit by severe high winds that destroyed buildings and uprooted trees in the city located in Shandong province.
In 2020, floods in China were responsible for the displacement of approximately 744,000 people across 26 provinces with an estimated 81 people either confirmed dead or missing. The floods affected nearly 63.46 million people and caused a direct economic loss of US$27.665 billion. As this is just the beginning of the rainy season in many parts of China property loss, economic loss and the deaths of citizens are expected to rise as the provinces continue to battle extreme weather. 212-730-6962
WORLD
A6 | JUL 16 - JUL 22, 2021
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China Buys
UK’s Largest Semiconductor Firm Raising National Security Concerns By Jacqueline Chung Vision Times
W
ith Beijing facing a chip shortage under U.S.-led global technology sanctions, Chinese companies have been aggressively acquiring global semiconductor plants since the coronavirus pandemic began last year. Its latest purchase was Newport Wafer Fab (NWF), the UK’s largest wafer fab. However, this cheap acquisition has attracted widespread attention from the public, prompting the UK government order an investigation on grounds of national security. The Dutch company Nexperia, which is 100 percent owned and controlled by the Chinese firm Wingtech, has been the second-largest shareholder of NWF. NWF is the largest wafer fab in the UK and is now developing faster and more energy-efficient “compound semiconductors.”
NWF offers a 20nm process, which is mainly used for automotive wafers; as such, the acquisition fits with the Chinese government’s 2019 announcement that it would seek to become a leader in electric vehicle production.
On July 13, the British government, which had previously stated that it was “inappropriate to intervene” in the case, changed its stance in the face of public opposition. Prime Minister Boris Johnson said in a parliamentary question that his national security adviser, Sir Stephen Lovegrove, would launch an investigation into the £63-million (US$87.3 million) acquisition. The acquisition started when Nexperia signed a support contract with NWF in 2019, using its factory as collateral. The Telegraph reported that the Chinese company was able to take full control of the factory because the British company failed to meet its manufacturing quota obligations under the deal. The report also highlighted that, prior to the acquisition, NWF had appealed to the British government to help find a source of funding to stop the acquisition. But the British government did not intervene at that time. The use of the “debt trap” to force acquisitions is also common in countries targeted by China’s Belt and Road. When the countries involved with Beijing’s infrastructure projects fail to repay their debts, their assets are seized by the Chinese firms. NWF offers a 20nm process, which is mainly used for automotive wafers; as such, the acquisition fits with the Chinese government’s 2019 announcement that it would seek to become a leader in electric vehicle production. The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) aims
Newport Wafer Fab is the UK's largest wafer fab, which produces 20nm processes that are mainly used as automotive wafers. (Image: Newport Wafer Fab Official Site)
to surpass the US in both technology and market shares by 2025. NWF is one of the few remaining wafer fabs in the UK. It has a long history of funding from the UK government’s Department of Innovation and Research, receiving $24.93 million from the Welsh local government to date in order to preserve the long-established talent and industrial clusters. The British government’s China Research Group and chairman of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee, Tom Tugendhat, said, “This is the first real test of the new legislation since its introduction in April. The Government is yet to explain why we are turning a blind eye to Britain’s largest semiconductor foundry falling into the hands of an entity from a country that has a track record of using technology to create geopolitical leverage.” In a letter to Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng last month,
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson gives an update on relaxing restrictions imposed on the country during the coronavirus covid-19 pandemic at a virtual press conference inside the Downing Street Briefing Room on July 12, 2021 in London, England. (Image: Daniel Leal-Olivas-WPA Pool/Getty Images)
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Tugendhat warned, “With the world experiencing a shortage in semiconductor production and companies and countries competing over the limited supply that exists, it is crucial that the UK protects its strategically valuable manufacturing resources.” Opposition to the acquisition from both parties in the UK also pointed out that even if NWF cannot compete with TSMC and other top-tier fabs, it can help solve the local demand for chips for the automotive and communications industries, not to mention that the UK government has been investing for a long time and just sees a glimmer of success in its transformation. The dissenting voices also mentioned that during the summit of the Group of Seven major industrial nations held in the United Kingdom this June, the leaders of the nations clearly expressed in their joint declaration their desire to strengthen the security of the global supply chain, especially for industrial products such as semiconductors. The UK started developing its wafer industry before 2000. But due to slow R&D and the emergence of strong rivals such as TSMC and Samsung, many factories have gone bankrupt and closed down. In 2018, Canyon Bridge Capital Partners, a subsidiary of Ping An Insurance Group of China, also acquired Imagination Technologies. Imagination Technologies is a British graphics chip design company, which supplies chip
designs used by Apple Inc. The acquisition was approved by then-Prime Minister Theresa May, even though one of the funds’ founders was under investigation by the FBI for insider trading. Chinese investors have also focused on Italy, where the economy has been stagnant for a long time. In March 2021, Shenzhen Invenland Investment Holdings Co. actively pursued a stake in the local chip-equipment company LPE. The deal was canceled after the Italian cabinet intervened. The Italian cabinet said at that time that it would also consider joint ventures with EU countries to rebuild semiconductor production capacity. “Newport Wafer Fab is extremely worrying,” Conservative MP and member of the Foreign Affairs Committee Bob Seely said in an interview. “We need coherence on dealing with the Chinese state. I worry that we are still not there, and I worry that we are still failing to understand our dependency on China and the need to move away from that trade dependency.” Bloomberg also reported that it’s rare for the UK to halt a sale on grounds of national security. However, it happened in 2020 when a Chinese investor removed a bid for defense manufacturer Mettis Aerospace Ltd. and Impcross Ltd. A report in May revealed that Chinese companies and investors have bought up at least £135 billion in British companies, infrastructure, and property; 40 percent of the identified purchases were made since 2019. In March 2020, the Beijingbacked Jingye Group also took over British Steel, which produces one-third of the UK’s steel. subscription@visiontimes.com
TOPIC
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JUL 16 - JUL 22, 2021 |
A7
Virgin Founder Richard Branson
Virgin Galactic / Handout/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images
Kicks Off Billionaire Space Tourism Race
With Successful Unity 22 Mission By Jonathan Walker Vision Times
T
he billionaire space race was kicked off when Sir Richard Branson, the British founder of Virgin Galactic, entered space with a private crew on Sunday, July 11, launching from New Mexico. Branson’s historic space adventure, Unity 22 Mission, comes barely 10 days before Amazon founder Jeff Bezos is scheduled for his trip into suborbital space on a spacecraft developed by his com-
pany Blue Origin. Branson’s Virgin Galactic crew consisted of lead operations engineer Colin Bennett, chief astronaut instructor Beth Moses, and the company’s vice president of government affairs and research operations, Sirisha Bandla. The crew went to space aboard the supersonic space plane called the VSS Unity. Piloted by Dave Mackay and Michael Masucci, VSS Unity is powered by a single rocket motor and is the result of almost
two decades of development by Branson’s Virgin Galactic. The billionaire’s space journey started in 2004 when he announced his plans for making a space plane. At the Royal Aeronautical Society in London in September 2004, Branson had announced that he expected to have flights to space by 2007, adding that the trip was expected to cost around 100,000 pounds. However, Branson had to weather through sev-
eral technical difficulties including the fatal crash in 2014 to make his dream a reality. “I’ve wanted to go to space since I was a kid, and I want to hopefully enable hundreds of thousands of other people over the next 100 years to be able to go to space… I want people to be able to look back at our beautiful Earth and come home and work very hard to try to do magic to it to look after it,” Branson told BBC. VMS Eve, a massive twin-fuselage “mothership” plane, was responsible for executing the first phase of Branson’s journey into space. VSS Unity took to the skies attached under the wing of VMS Eve at 8:30 a.m. MT from the Spaceport America runway in New Mexico. Once Eve climbed to approximately 50,000 feet, the Unity spaceship was released and its rocket engine roared into life, accelerating to three times the speed of sound.
The spacecraft reached an altitude of 53.5 miles (approx. 282,000 feet) and did a slow backflip in microgravity. The crew was able to enjoy their first zero weight experience and floated around inside the cabin. After some time, the vehicle returned to earth’s atmosphere and glided back to Spaceport America’s runway from where it had earlier taken off. “I was once a child with a dream looking up to the stars. Now I’m an adult in a spaceship looking down to our beautiful Earth. To the next generation of dreamers; if we can do this, just imagine what you can do,” Branson tweeted from space. Virgin Galactic has received around 600 reservation requests for future commercial space flights. VSS Unity can carry up to six passengers apart from two pilots, with a trip to space costing between $200,000 and $250,000.
Cubans Protest Against Communist Regime Over Rising Prices and Shortages Continued from FRONT
In
an interview with the Associated Press, Ted Henken, a Latin American expert at Baruch College, City University of New York, said that the biggest communication revolution in the country took place in December 2018 when Cubans gained access to mobile internet. Over half of the population now has internet access. Though shutting down the internet is a common tactic to suppress dissidents and activists, Henken does not expect the government to continue with the policy for a long time. “The problem they have now is that it’s not a handful of activists or artists or independent journalists — it’s now a massive swath of the population all throughout the country… So the genie is out of the bottle. They’re trying to put it back in,” Henken said. Cuban President Miguel DiazCanel has lashed out at protestors, calling them “shameful delinquents” attempting to “fracture” the country’s communist revolution. He accused the protests of being backed by the United States, subscription@visiontimes.com
aimed at stirring public discontent and overthrowing the communist regime. Rogelio Polanco Fuentes, a top party official who runs the ideology department, called the protests as Washington’s effort to create “instability and chaos” in Cuba. In the United States, thousands of Cuban Americans participated in a rally in Miami in support of their countrymen back home. In an interview with France24, 35-year-old Cuban-American Gianni Leyva, a former marine, said that she hoped for Cuban people to continue their fight against the communist government. “I hope the American government will allow the Cubans here to go help. We want to help — me as a veteran — and there are many veterans out there that have served in the American military, are ready to go fight for the freedoms if we are allowed,” Leyva said. Demonstrations were also held in other nations like Argentina, Chile, Spain, and so on.
Political and tech stances
President Joe Biden issued a
Men ride on their bicycles near a poster of Cuban late leader Fidel Castro in Havana, on July 12, 2021. (Image: YAMIL LAGE/AFP via Getty Images)
statement on July 12 in which he declared that the United States stands with the people of Cuba and praised them for “bravely asserting” their “fundamental and universal rights.” “Those rights, including the right of peaceful protest and the right to freely determine their own future, must be respected. The United States calls on the Cuban regime to hear their people and serve their needs at this vital moment rather than enriching themselves,” the statement said. Julie Chung, Acting Assistant Secretary for the U.S. Depart-
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ment of State’s Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs, said in a tweet that the peaceful protests in Cuba is about the people’s concerns regarding “rising COVID cases/deaths & medicine shortages.” Christian Ziegler, Vice Chairman of the Florida Republican Party, accused Chung’s response as an attempt to mischaracterize the Cuban demonstrations, insisting that the protests are against the communist regime. “Hey Joe – The American flags carried in protests across Cuba represent FREEDOM, not COVID,” Ziegler said
Virgin Galactic’s Unity 22 mission, carrying the company’s founder Sir Richard Branson, launches into space on July 11 from Spaceport America in New Mexico.
in a tweet. Conservative political commentator Ben Shapiro tweeted about his recent talks with leaders of the Cuban dissident movement and accused Biden and mainstream media of spreading lies about the protests. “The mainstream media and Biden WH line that this liberty movement is solely about lack of vaccines and US sanctions is a total lie. It is about the evil repression of a communist tyranny,” Shapiro said in a tweet. Republican Senator Marco Rubio from Florida called Chung’s tweet “ridiculous.” “People in #Cuba are protesting 62 years of socialism, lies, tyranny & misery not ‘expressing concern about rising COVID cases/ deaths’… Why is it so hard for @ potus & the people in his administration to say that?” Rubio tweeted. Meanwhile, Twitter is also being accused of minimizing the impact of Cuban protests in its trending section, characterizing it mostly as a movement to “spread awareness” of the COVID-19 pandemic. In a tweet, Rubio called Twitter’s action as “surreal but not surprising” and stated that the platform’s presentation of the protests “ignores” how the demonstration is about the disastrous consequences of socialism. 212-730-6962
WISDOM
A8 | JUL 16 - JUL 22, 2021
Stories From the Students’ Rules :
The Di Zi Gui teaches us not just to be careful in how we dress and carry ourselves, but how we should behave when dining and appearance.
SIMPLE DIET & PROPER BEARING
Su Shi: Content Even ordinary food tastes good when you are hungry
By Cindy Liew
The
“Standards for Being a Good
Student and Child” (Di Zi Gui, 弟子規) is a traditional Chinese textbook for children that teaches morals and proper etiquette. It was written by Li Yuxiu in the Qing Dynasty, during the reign of Emperor Kang Xi (1661-1722). In this series, we present some ancient Chinese stories that exemplify the valuable lessons from the Di Zi Gui. In this series, we present some ancient Chinese stories that
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對飲食 勿揀選 食適可 勿過則
As regards food and drink Do not be picky and choosy Eat as needed And not to excess 年方少 勿飲酒 飲酒醉 最為醜
When not of age Do not take alcohol Getting drunk Is a most ugly sight Eating and drinking in moderation is a good habit to develop from young, as maintaining a simple diet provides the long-term benefits of a healthy life. This is best exemplified by the two ancient Chinese literati, Su Shi and Ji Kang.
The great poet Su Shi (蘇軾, 1037– 1101), also known as Su Dongpo, was also one of the greatest gastronomes in the history of Chinese food culture. He made many contributions to the development of Chinese cuisine, wine, and tea. Besides his profound understanding of cuisine, Su Shi's philosophy of eating in moderation is something everyone can learn from. One time, Su Shi was demoted and sent away from his hometown to take up a lower post. Prior to leaving, he met his younger brother Su Zhe. To share a final meal, the two brothers bought some plain soup and rice at a food stall by the roadside. The food wasn’t very appetizing, further saddening Su Zhe. He stared gloomily at the noodles and put down his chopsticks with a deep sigh. But Su Shi had already googled down his portion. He told Su Zhe: "Brother, we are already in hard times. Just make do with the food. It isn't so terrible after all." Su Zhe was very ashamed after hearing this. Su Shi believed that people should be moderate in their appetite. He said, "Even ambrosia tastes like grass when one is not hungry. One should only eat when hungry, so that ordinary food can be very tasty." His self-restrained, simple lifestyle and attitude enabled Su Shi to endure all the ups and downs of his life with a smile.
Ji Kang's Essay on Nourishing Life Ji Kang (嵇康, 224–263 AD) was a famous Chinese author and philosopher. He advocated the Taoist teachings of Lao Zi and Zhuang Zi, and believed in the 'Tao' of dietary health. One of his bestknown works is his "Essay on Nourishing Life" or the Yang Sheng Lun (養生論). In his work, Ji Kang provides complete theories and methods for health preservation, including methods for preserving the mind. He discusses how mental health affects physical health. He postulated that one's body is akin to a kingdom, while one's spirit is akin to the kingdom's ruler. As such, preserving health requires nourishing not only the body, but more importantly, the spirit. Ji Kang said, “Shape character to maintain the state of mind, and keep a peaceful mind to preserve the whole body.” Part of maintaining the spirit was overcoming one's desire for wealth, fame, and rich, decadent food. This enabled one's mind to be calm and at peace; to be full of vigor and far from sadness and worry. He stressed that those who are good at cultivating healthy lifestyles understand that pursuing fame and wealth eventually harms the heart and body. A person who takes fame and wealth lightly has inner peace, whereas a person who artificially withholds himself from fame and wealth reluctantly only feels worry and pain. Similarly, as for rich-tasting foods, Ji Kang proposed that people should make healthy eating a habit and a way of life, and should keep away from rich food so that they are not tempted by it. This, he said, is better than facing rich food and struggling to control one’s urge to eat.
exemplify the valuable lessons taught in the third chapter of Di Zi Gui—"Discretion in Daily Life."
The right posture and body language to show (and earn) respect
步從容 立端正 揖深圓 拜恭敬
With a relaxed gait And posture upright Bow deep and round Pay your respects reverently Maintaining a good posture is also important. Sitting or standing up straight communicates respect to others. 勿踐或 勿跛倚 勿箕踞 勿搖卑
Don’t step on thresholds Don't lean on one leg Don't sit with legs atop each other Don't wave your bottom
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tablet called an wuban. Zhang noticed that court ministers could carry their wuban in a bag dangling from their belts like the tobacco pouches carried by commoners. The chancellor thought this appearance was inappropriate in the presence of the emperor, so he had a neater pouch made to hold his wuban. A court attendant would carry it in behind him, allowing Zhang to see the emperor without the wuban bumping awkwardly against his legs. Chancellor Zhang’s upright behavior reflected his character, which was an invaluable asset to Xuanzong’s rule. "Whenever I see Chancellor Zhang, my mind and spirit feel rejuvenated and energized,” the emperor said. When his ministers recommended candidates to serve in
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court, Xuanzong would ask, "Is this candidate's demeanor like Zhang Jiuling's?" Unfortunately, Xuanzong did not always heed Chancellor Zhang’s advice. During the Kaiyuan era, a general called An Lushan was summoned to the imperial court for insubordination. The moment Zhang Jiuling laid eyes on the Turkic general, he realized at once that An was a treacherous figure, and moreover, according to military law the punishment for his crime was death. But despite Zhang’s recommendation that An Lushan be executed, Xuanzong relented. An was a friend of the emperor’s favorite consort Yang Yuhuan, so he was spared.
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One of the important lessons mentioned in the Di Zi Gui is how we should carry ourselves in our day-to-day activities. It is said in the text:
Our actions and body language should also be appropriate, so that we earn the respect of others as well. A good example of a person who inspired respect with his demeanor is Zhang Jiuling, a minister of the Tang Dynasty. Zhang Jiuling (張九齡) of Qujiang was chancellor during the reign of Tang emperor Xuanzong. His wisdom and foresight contributed to the Kaiyuan era golden age under Xuanzong, and his forthright loyalty was matched with his respectful and dignified composure. According to ancient Chinese historical texts, Zhang was "upright and gentle, with a well-groomed appearance." Whether he was working in the office or relaxing at home, he was always neatly dressed. He always had an energetic and sprightly stride, as well as an alert and sharp gaze. In order to transcribe notes and orders during meetings with the emperor, court ministers would carry a long, flat
True to Zhang's prediction, An Lushan later betrayed Emperor Xuanzong by initiating the An Lushan Rebellion, a series of catastrophic events that marked the beginning of the end for the Tang Dynasty. The emperor wept bitter tears for having disregarded Zhang's advice, and sent men to Zhang’s hometown in Qujiang to commemorate him. From then on, Zhang has been referred to respectfully as the “Lord of Qijiang.” Based on text provided by Singapore edition of The Epoch Times subscription@visiontimes.com
ANIMALS
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JUL 16 - JUL 22, 2021 |
A9
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L yalty: Dog Walks 2 Miles Every Day to Visit His Owner’s Grave
By Hermann Rohr
A
recent incident in the province of Sassari, Italy, shows that dogs are not just man’s best friend during their lifetimes, but that their loyalty can extend even beyond that. What an Italian man’s dog did after his death is beyond explanation. Who would think that a dog could be so connected to his owner that he could sense his whereabouts even after he died? An Italian man named Leonardo fell ill in December 2020 and was hospitalized. During this time, the man’s dog, whose name is Fulmine, stayed with his owner’s daughter, Sara. It soon became very clear how much Fulmine missed his master. “Whenever a car approaches, he will run to the door to see if it is my father, his master,” Sara said in an interview with Italian media.
It was heartwarming to see the deep bond the dog and his master established over the years. Unfortunately, Leonardo succumbed to his illness and passed away. It was quite a blow to the family. In their grief, nobody really considered how the dog felt about Leonardo’s death, or whether the dog even knew about it, since Fulmine had been with Sara for the entire time of his master’s hospitalization. The whole family attended Leonardo’s funeral — except the dog — who nobody thought to take along to the cemetery. The day after the funeral, Leonardo’s daughter took her son to offer flowers at her father’s grave. What happened next was totally unexpected and no one can explain it to this day.
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HEALTH
A10 | JUL 16 - JUL 22, 2021
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Foods With 5 Colors Benefit Health the Most By Vision Times Staff
In Chinese culture, food and medicine are closely related. The practice of traditional Chinese medicine places great emphasis on achieving balance in one’s body for the regeneration of the body’s systems and organs. This balance is referred to as yin and yang. An important aspect in attaining a balanced yin and yang is having well-rounded nutrition by eating foods with 5 colors.
Green (wood) food: Examples of green foods are avocadoes, spinach, green grapes, and broccoli.
W
hile the principles of yin and yang are relatively unfamiliar to the Western world, the Chinese have been practicing it since the third century. Over 3,000 years ago, the Yellow Emperor wrote in his classic book on internal medicine, Huangdineijing, that if people wanted to obtain health and longevity, they should eat food with “five colors, five tastes, and five fragrances.” A multicolored diet is especially important in Chinese food and medicine, as it is believed that colors (red, yellow, green, white, and black) are associated with the body’s vital organs (heart, spleen, liver, lungs, and kidneys). Colors are also related to the five main elements (fire, earth, wood, water, and metal) found in nature.
Green is the color of life and impacts the liver. It is a fundamental link in the food chain, and green food is the food source of people and animals.
According to Dr. Zhou, the color groups provide the following benefits for the corresponding organs:
White foods give people a clean feeling and purifies the lungs. They are good for adjusting the vision and calming emotions.
Doctor Ming Zhou, a Chinese internist,
says that in Chinese medicine not only is it important to reach a balance within oneself, but also to attain harmony with nature. This is why associating colors and organs with elements are so important. Freepik
Black impacts the kidney. The kidneys are the fatal organ among the five organs and the origin of life.
Benefits of eating foods with 5 colors
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White (metal) food: Examples of white foods are jicama, mushroom, onion, parsnips, cauliflower, shallots, and turnips.
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Yellow (earth) food: Examples of yellow foods are corn, yellow peppers, cantaloupe, and pineapples.
The benefits of a color-rich diet are also recognized by Western nutritionists. In the 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, some of the recommendations include adding the following color-rich foods to one’s diet: dark green vegetables, orange vegetables, legumes, fruits, whole grains, and low-fat milk products. The guidelines were released by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Marla Caplon, nutritionist and supervisor for the Division of Food and Nutrition Services for the Montgomery County Public Schools in Maryland, agrees that a diet rich in an array of colors can clearly be a contributor to good health and well-being. According to Caplon, yellow and orange fruits and vegetables, rich in beta carotene, Vitamin A, and Vitamin C contain powerful antioxidants that neutralize free radicals. Green vegetables are rich in phytochemicals and are good sources of iron, calcium, vitamins K, A, and C. Blue and purple fruits and vegetables contain anthocyanins, which are powerful antioxidants that help the prevention of heart disease, stroke, and some types of cancer. The red group contains lycopene, an antioxidant that can help protect against cancer. Foods high in lycopene may also help reduce the complications from and control high blood pressure.
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Black (water) food: Examples of black foods are black mushrooms, woodear, sea cucumber, century egg, black sesame, and black rice.
What is the best way to go about creating a multicolor diet?
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Yellow corresponds to the spleen. The spleen transforms and transports the energy from food and drink throughout the body. Yellow foods also correspond to the stomach.
The white group contains allicin, which has been known to help lower blood sugar and have amazing anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial properties. This group also contains powerful antioxidants, which help to protect against cancer and heart disease. Thus, it is important to eat foods with 5 colors. Caplon says that a colorful diet is visually appealing and can enhance one’s appetite.
Edward Shen, the owner of Seven Seas Restaurant in Rockville, Maryland, is highly supportive of the multicolor diet and uses this concept in dishes served at the restaurant. A restaurateur for 21 years, Shen always recommends that his customers order a variety of foods:
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Red (fire) food: Examples of red foods are red apples, strawberries, tomatoes, and beets. Red impacts the heart. Eating more red-colored food can help one’s immune system and prevent colds. Stick to the five main color groups when choosing what to feed your family. If you are making a dish that uses only one or two colors, use your creativity and add a few more. For example, if you make a beef dish with onions, the dish will look dull and lifeless. You can color your dish by throw-
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Food At The Table Should Look Like An Artist’s Palette. To Create Dishes That Have Vibrant Colors And Are Nutritious, You Need To Experiment With Different Ingredients. Mix And Match To See If The Colors And Flavors Blend T ogether Well.” ing in some green scallions, red peppers, and yellow zucchini. Add flavor by using seasonings like tamarind, coriander, ginger, garlic, and chili pepper. Learn to be adventurous with your food. It is only through having a multicolor diet that you can receive the full benefits from your food.
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LIFESTYLE
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JUL 16 - JUL 22, 2021 |
A11
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C
onsider these six recommended mosquito repellent plants to grow at home, even if you do not have a green thumb! They each have a potent smell that will either repel the pests or mask your own scent to throw them off track. Many of them have multiple uses and can be a welcome addition to your cooking, brighten your garden, or add a pleasant fragrance to your home..
1 Oregano Oregano is a familiar ingredient in pasta sauce and Meditteranian dishes. Mosquitoes find its scent repulsive and the oil it produces contains thymol and carvacrol, two chemical ingredients that have repellent properties. Oregano grows quickly and thrives in a full sun environment and well-drained soil, making it a very convenient summer mosquito repellent. Harvesting your oregano periodically will help keep it producing lush new growth. This prolific herb can be dried and stored for use all year round.
2 Lemon balm Lemon balm, a member of the mint family, is a perennial herb that is useful for deodorizing the house. The herb thrives in full sun, but can also be grown in partial shade. The strong lemon scent from the leaves contains high levels of citronella which mosquitoes find repulsive. Lemon balm can also repel other insects like ants, and its flowers’ nectar is attractive to bees. The leaves can also be used to make mosquito repellant spray. Pulp several leaves of lemon balm (along with mint if you like), pour into a spray bottle, and let sit in a cool, dark place for 1-2 weeks. If you are short on time, you can also crush the leaves and rub them directly onto your limbs.
3 Nasturtiums
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Lavender Lavender is one of the most widely used essential oils or scents. The aroma of lavender can help improve our quality of sleep and the oil also has antiseptic functions. Lavender contains linalool and linalyl acetate which cause mosquitoes to flee as it overloads their sensitive olfactory organs. The purple flowers also have high ornamental value that sophisticates any corner of your home. Due to its Mediterranean origin, lavender thrives in full sunlight, and grows best in a dry environment with welldrained soil.
Mosq uito Repe llent Plan ts By Je ssica Chen
One o f th many e biggest he mosqu people in th adaches for es it insect oes. These b ummer is sa lo body h re sensitive od sucking to ea and fin t, sweat and a person’s “smell d their prey skin odor emitte ing” the car mainly by bo d hard t from a perso n dioxide oe n uninv scape the st ’s pores. It is in ited gu ests ev gs of these en at h ome.
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Nasturtiums have strong aestheticizing effects thanks to its colourful petals. Not only does the plant produce airborne chemicals that repel mosquitoes, they also keep away other pests such as aphids, cabbage moths, squash bugs, and whiteflies. This makes them fantastic companion plants to cucumbers, tomatoes, and other pest-prone plants. Nasturtium’s flowers also attract pollinators like bees, butterflies and hummingbirds. Thanks to its lush leaves and stems, it forms a thick ground cover that prevents weeds. It grows well under full sunlight and needs water only when the top layer of soil is dry. BONUS: Every part of this peppery herb is edible. Even the immature seeds can be pickled like capers.
5 Basil Basil Known as the “king of spices,” basil’s stems and leaves emit a strong, special aroma. This means you do not even have to crush it to repel mosquitoes! Simply leave a pot of basils near any windowsill and make sure the soil is kept slightly moist and gets proper sunlight.
Mint
Mint Even if gardening is not your forte, mint is one of the easiest plants to grow. It requires minimal care and can be a splendid addition to a summer lemonade. The leaves and stems of mint contain a refreshing fragrance that gives off a cooling aroma. The strong minty scent it emits when the temperature rises is unpopular among mosquitoes; but if you are bitten by a mosquito, rub the leaves on the bite to soothe the itchy area. The smell of mint can also drive away other insects such as ants, cockroaches, etc. It is recommended to plant mint in moist, well-drained soil and areas with part shade.
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MOBILE MAGNETIC NORTH Should We Be Concerned, and What Can We Do? By Ila Bonczek
T
he earth’s magnetosphere is a continuously fluctuating magnetic field that extends an average of 40,000 miles above the earth’s surface. This field is generated by activity 1,800 miles below the earth’s surface – the movement of molten ironnickel within the earth’s outer core. The magnetic poles are the points where the magnetic field converges and points toward the earth. The Chinese discovered magnets’ tendency to position themselves in a north-south direction 2,000 years ago, prompting the use of the magnetic compass. Given that the core’s mass of molten metal is in constant motion, and that the magnetosphere itself is always changing, it is not surprising that magnetic north should move as well. Ever since James Clark Ross pinpointed the magnetic north pole in 1831, scientists have been observing its migration from Northern Canada toward Russia.
Rate of movement quadrupled
Recently, there has been some concern about the increasing speed at which the magnetic north pole is moving. According to an article in Popular Mechanics, the rate
of movement has more than quadrupled, from at most nine miles per year in 1999 to 37 miles per year in 2005. Is this a new phenomenon? Hardly. Through a radiometric dating technique, shifts in the earth’s poles from the distant past can also be studied. When rock cooled during the shifting of the tectonic plates, or continental drift, the magnetism of the time was “frozen” into it. By examining these samples of history, it can be seen that the poles have been shifting at varying rates for millions of years, with north and south even reversing at times. Researchers from the UK and Denmark suggest that this recent acceleration is due to a split in the molten mass of metal that generates our magnetosphere. Two separate masses now appear to be competing for magnetic rule. Ranging in magnitude from 25 to 65 μT (0.25 to 0.65 gauss), the Earth’s magnetic field not only provides a basis for orientation, it also forms a protective shield around the earth, protecting all life from the sun’s harmful rays. Drastic shifts can reduce its protective power. The most recent polar reversal 780,000 years ago led to the extinction of many marine species. According to the National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI),
however, such polar shifts “can take a long time to occur and pose no immediate threat.” That’s all well and good NCEI, but what about our global navigation systems? Everything that relies on compass data will be impacted by an ever-changing north pole.
The magnetosphere may impact human thinking
In the article How Magnetism Affects How We Think and Feel by Ed Decker, the author discusses the spiritual side of magnets. As a well established key force in the universe, scientists have begun studying the effects of magnetism on human mental disorders, thinking, and behavior. While MRIs use magnetic fields for diagnostic purposes, transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) can be used therapeutically. By targeting the portion of the brain related to mood regulation, it has proven effective in treating depression. This, then, raises the question of what effect the Earth’s electromagnetic field has on our thinking and emotions. Do shifts in the magnetosphere bring about global shifts in human thinking? And if this is the case, could the reverse be true as well? In researching such possi-
bilities, the Institute of HeartMath (IHM) has discovered that the human heart “generates the most powerful electromagnetic field in the body.” IHM Director of research Rollin McCraty, Ph. D. wrote in his clinical paper entitled The Energetic Heart, “The electrical field as measured in an electrocardiogram (ECG) is about 60 times greater in amplitude than the brain waves recorded in an electroencephalogram (EEG).” Can we use our own powerful magnetic fields to support our Earth’s magnetic field? The IHM launched their Global Coherence Initiative (GCI) in 2008 to determine just that. Advanced sensing technology is being used to detect whether the GCI’s interna-
tional community of nearly 60,000 members radiating positive emotions en masse has an effect on the earth’s magnetic field. If this is established to be effective, it would seem that we all have a responsibility to keep our thoughts in the realm of hope, benevolence, and righteousness.
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