VOL.037 SEP 17 - SEP 23 , 2021
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Gen. Mark Milley .(Images: JIM WATSON/Getty Images)
America’s Top General Reportedly
MADE SECRET CONTACT
WITH THE CHINESE MILITARY By Leo Timm Vision Times
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he highest-ranking officer in the U.S. military, Mark A. Milley, made two secret phone calls to Chinese counterpart Gen. Li Zuocheng in the final months of the Trump administration, anonymous reports say. Milley feared that the rhetoric and actions of then-President Donald Trump would spark a war with China, so he placed the calls to Li reassuring him that the situation in Washington weas “stable” and that the U.S. had no plans for attack, according to a number of anonymous sources. “General Li, I want to assure you that the American government is stable and everything is going to be okay,” Milley allegedly told the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) . “We are not going to attack or conduct any kinetic operations against you.” The revelations are included in an upcoming book, titled Peril, by Washington Post associate editor Bob Woodward and journalist Robert Costa. Drawing on several anonymous sources, Woodward and Costa said that the first call, made on Oct. 30 of last year — just four days before the Nov. 3 presidential election — “was prompted by Milley’s
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review of intelligence suggesting the Chinese believed the United States was preparing to attack,” as reported by Isaac Stanley-Becker of the Washington Post.
‘It’s not going to be a surprise”
According to the accounts, Milley, who was appointed Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff by Trump in 2018, even told Li that he would give him forewarning in the event the U.S. ordered an attack on the People’s Republic of China (PRC). “General Li, you and I have known each other for now five years. If we’re going to attack, I’m going to call you ahead of time. It’s not going to be a surprise,” he allegedly said. The second call took place on Jan. 8 this year, after the Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol building in Washington, D.C. that was sparked by protests against the results of the election that saw Joe Biden become president. In order “to address Chinese fears about the events,” as StanelyBecker put it, Milley promised a suspicious Li that “Everything’s fine. But democracy can be sloppy sometimes.” Milley did not inform the White House of either call. And while the news has sparked controversy, the
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Biden administration backed the 62-year-old officer in statements made Sept. 15. “I have great confidence in General Milley,” Biden told reporters in Washington, D.C. His statement came after remarks made by White House press secretary Jen Psaki, who did not affirm or deny the veracity of the revelations, but said that the president was standing by Milley. The same day, Republican Sen. Marco Rubio said that if the information was true, it amounted to “ignoring the Constitution, deciding he’s going to call a potential adversary and an enemy of the United States, and collude with them and tell them that ‘if I’m ever ordered to do something, I’m going to tell you about it first.'”
‘Constitutional order’
Psaki and other Biden officials have claimed that Milley’s calls were not amiss, pointing to the chaos of the Jan. 6 riots as important context. Psaki said that Trump’s “fomenting an insurrection” that day led to “broad concern about many members of his national security team,” and that she believed Milley was a “patriot” acting in line with his constitutional duty. “It’s the obligation of every chairman of the joint chiefs to follow
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The PLA’s Li Zuocheng. (wikipedia)
The revelations are included in an upcoming book, titled Peril, by Washington Post associate editor Bob Woodward and journalist Robert Costa.
(Screenshot form The Washington Post)
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constitutional order to prevent unlawful military action,” she said. John Kirby, Department of Defense spokesman, confirmed the Pentagon’s support for Milley, saying that “his calls with the Chinese and others in October and January were in keeping with these duties and responsibilities … in order to maintain strategic stability.” He noted that Milley regularly speaks with counterparts around the world, including military officers in Russia and China. According to the authors of Peril, the PLA’s Li Zuocheng felt confident in Milley’s guarantees. Milley, for his part, said that his fears were based on the Trump administration’s stern attitude towards Beijing over Chinese military activity in the South China Sea, a key shipping lane that the communist regime claims as its own. Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) said that Milley’s calls amounted to undermining the proper chain of command. “I don’t care what you think of President Trump, the Chairman of the JCOS working to subvert the military chain of command and collude with China is exactly what we do not accept from military leaders in our country. He should be court-martialed if true,” Rand said.
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NATION
A2 | SEP 17 - SEP 23, 2021
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China’s TikTok Overtakes YouTube in US Average Watch Time ing in the UK. YouTube’s mass audience means it’s getting more demographics that are comparatively light internet users… it’s just reaching everyone who’s online.” YouTube boasts two billion users worldwide, beating TikTok’s 700 million users. YouTube also benefits more from monetization from its users due to its premium and subscription options.
By Darren Maung Vision Times
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ikTok, China’s viral app known for its short clips and videos, has overthrown rival platform YouTube in average watch time per user in the U.S. and UK. App monitoring firm App Annie reports that TikTok users in the U.S. watch media for an average of over 24 hours a month on TikTok, beating YouTube’s average by about 2 hours. In the UK, TikTok users watch an average of less than 26 hours per month, while YouTube users watch an average of less than 16 hours per month. While the data is only from Android users, the assumption is that usage is just as high for iOS
Privacy concerns
users. The analysis also does not include users from China, where the app is called Douyin and is one of the country’s top apps. While TikTok rivals YouTube in average watch time per user, You-
Tube still holds the top spot for overall time spent due to its larger number of Android device users. Enders analyst Jaime MacEwan said, “YouTube still leads TikTok in overall time spent, includ-
Owned by the Chinese company ByteDance, which is also partially controlled by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), TikTok was named the most downloaded app of 2020. The app had nearly 70 million active users that year and was the only app not owned by Facebook to top the charts. Due to the app’s association with
the communist regime, there have been concerns that TikTok is being used as a tool for espionage or data theft. The app was declared a national threat by the Trump administration, which issued an executive order to ban the app. However, in January, President Joe Biden withdrew the executive order, which prompted Republican Senator Marc Rubio to urge the new president to reconsider the action. India has banned the app from use indefinitely. From 2018 to mid2020, ByteDance reportedly censored anti-China content in Indonesia, according to Reuters. TikTok was also sued by former Children’s Commissioner for England Anne Longfield, who claimed that the app was collecting and using data from children.
Why the FDA’s Pfizer Vaccine Approval Is Controversial
O
n Aug. 23, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine. Until then, the vaccine was used solely under the Emergency Use Authorization (EUA). The jab, known as the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine, “will now be marketed as Comirnaty,” the FDA said. This is the first COVID-19 vaccine to be approved by the agency. The FDA had issued two letters on Aug. 23 for two separate injections. The first letter is regarding the FDA approval of the Pfizer Inc/BioNTech COVID-19, which was renamed as Comirnaty. The company has not begun manufacturing the drug for the U.S. market. The letter also makes it clear that Comirnaty is not approved for those below the age of 16. In another letter, the FDA confirmed that existing Pfizer vaccine doses, which number in millions, continue to remain under EUA and people have the right to refuse them. FDA acknowledges that Pfizer
has “insufficient supplies” of the Comirnaty vaccine. Although the existing vaccines remain under EUA, they can be used “interchangeably” with the Comirnaty product, according to the FDA. Though these two vaccines are “legally distinct,” they are similar regarding “safety or effectiveness.” The existing EUA Pfizer vaccines have a liability shield which means that everyone involved with the product is protected from being sued. People who take a EUA vaccine and end up suffering injuries can only obtain compensation after applying to the Countermeasures Injury Compensation Program (CICP). The program has only awarded compensation to three percent of the claims made. On the other hand, people have the right to not take the vaccine. For instance, no business can force employees to take EUA vaccine injections. This right is protected under federal laws.
Rushed approval of the Comirnaty vaccine
On Aug. 31, Children’s Health Defense (CHD) filed a lawsuit against the FDA and its acting director, alleging deceptive and
rushed approval of the Comirnaty vaccine. Arguing that the licensure was classic “bait and switch,” CHD said that the move allows the Biden administration, military, and employers to urge people to take “licensed” vaccines even though all Pfizer vaccines currently, administered in the U.S. are under EUA. “FDA’s actions to simultaneously license Pfizer’s ‘Comirnaty’ vaccine and to extend Pfizer’s EUA for its vaccine that has the ‘same formulation’ and that ‘can be used interchangeably’ violates federal law… Once FDA approved and licensed Pfizer’s Comirnaty vaccine, there was no further basis for the FDA to preserve the EUA status for the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine,” the lawsuit states. The law cited in the suit is 21 U.S. Code § 360bbb–3 which concerns “Authorization for medical products for use in emergencies.” The code states that a EUA designation must only be used when there is no “approved”
alternative for preventing or treating the specific disease. Granting approval to Comirnaty should naturally make the EUA licenses of existing Pfizer vaccines void. In addition, the EUA status for other COVID-19 vaccines should also not be preserved. “The FDA must justify its actions in open court… The language of its licensure is nearly incomprehensible, and the result of licensed and unlicensed vaccines for the same indication is arbitrary,” Mary Holland, CHD president, and general counsel said in a statement. CHD has asked the court to remand the FDA’s decision to license the Comirnaty vaccine and
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By Prakash Gogoi Vision Times
to extend the EUA status of the existing Pfizer vaccine.
Vaccinated individuals being at higher risk of contracting COVID-19
The lawsuit comes as a study published at medRxiv on Aug. 24 warns of vaccinated individuals being at higher risk of contracting COVID-19. Researchers in the study looked at medical records of 673,676 Israelis 16 years and older, analyzing their infections, symptoms, and hospitalizations between June 1 and Aug 14 when the Delta variant was predominant in the country. The study found that those who were never infected but were vaccinated between January and February this year had a 13 times higher chance of getting infected by the COVID-19 Delta variant than those who previously contracted the virus and remained unvaccinated. “Natural immunity confers longer lasting and stronger protection against infection, symptomatic disease and hospitalization caused by the Delta variant of SARS-CoV-2, compared to the BNT162b2 two-dose vaccineinduced immunity,” the study said.
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Jared Isaacman
Christopher Sembroski
Hayley Arceneaux
SEP 17 - SEP 23, 2021 |
A3
Joe Biden Calls for Unity at 9/11 Memorial
Sian Proctor
By Arvind Datta Vision Times
Screenshot form Twitter@SpaceX
In Historic First SpaceX to Launch Four Civilians Into Space By Todd Crawford Vision Times
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paceX is set to make history on Wednesday by sending the first full crew of nonprofessional astronauts into space. The mission dubbed Inspiration4 is scheduled to lift off on the night of Wednesday Sept. 15 sometime during a five-hour window of opportunity that opens up at 8:02 p.m. ET. The mission is the brainchild of SpaceX and billionaire entrepreneur Jared Isaacman, a 38-year-old pilot and founder and CEO of Shift4 Payments, a payment processing company. Isaccman is said to have purchased his seat on the next launch for an undisclosed amount with the goal of raising awareness and funding for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Isaccman is no stranger to extreme flight. As an avid pilot he has flown in over 100 airshows and is the co-founder of Draken International, a private aerospace company that helps train pilots for the U.S. military. The remaining crew were selected through a variety of means. One member of the crew is a St. Jude’s staff member while the other two won seats into orbit via an entrepreneurial competition and via a charity lottery. “This is significant and historic because it’s going to be the highest that any humans have gone into orbit since the Hubble [Space Telescope] servicing missions.” SpaceX’s director of human spaceflight Benji Reed told reporters on Tuesday. The most recent servicing mission for the Hubble Space Telescope was conducted back in May of 2009. Since the flight was announced in Feb. 2021 Isaacman and the other three members of the Inspiration4 team have been working with SpaceX to train for the mission. The crew met with SpaceX leadership, including Elon Musk, on Tuesday with Musk giving the crew his assurances that his entire leadership team is solely focused on the mission at hand, CNBC reported. The launch of SapceX’s Crew Dragon capsule, which the four nonastronauts will be traveling in, is possible due to a large investment by NASA which has flown 10 of its professional astronauts on SpaceX’s spacecraft in the past. A key factor for a successful launch will be Florida’s temperamental weather, which will affect the timing of the liftoff and the SpaceX capsule’s splashdown a few days later. As is customary, SpaceX will be broadcasting the launch live beginning four-hours before liftoff until the spacecraft reaches orbit.
(Images: JIM WATSON/ Getty Images)
The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with Crew Dragon capsule lifts off from launch Pad 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center for the first completely private mission to fly into orbit on September 15, 2021 in Cape Canaveral, Florida. SpaceX is flying four private citizens into space on a three-day mission. ( Images: Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
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ept. 11 this year marked the 20th anniversary of the terror attacks on America by al Qaeda. The attacks claimed 2,997 lives, 25,000 injuries, and at least $10 billion in infrastructure and property damage. More than 300 firefighters and 72 police officers were also killed as a result of 9/11. In a video published on Twitter, U.S. President Joe Biden called for national unity while honoring the memory of the victims. Biden says that in the days following the Sept. 11 attacks, “we saw heroism everywhere” as well as something “all too rare” — a “true sense” of national unity. Americans showed the capacity to “recover and repair” in the face of trauma. He warned that everyone seeking to do harm to America will be hunted down.
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“Unity is what makes us who we are. America at its best. To me, that’s the central lesson of September 11 … unity is our greatest strength… Unity doesn’t mean we have to believe the same thing. But we must have a fundamental respect and faith in each other and in this nation,” Biden said. The president commemorated the day by visiting each of the three sites where the hijacked planes had crashed in 2001. His first tribute was in New York City where planes had toppled the World Trade Center twin towers. Biden was joined by former presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama at the event. Jill Biden, Hillary Clinton, and Michelle Obama were also present. Relatives of the dead victims read out their names. The Bidens then went to Shanksville, Pennsylvania, where they participated in a wreath-laying ceremony at the Flight 93 National Memorial. Passengers aboard United Airline Flight 93 had overcome the hijackers of the plane on Sept. 11, 2001, crashing it into a field and preventing another target, most probably the White House, from getting hit. Biden called it an act of “genuine heroism.” Finally, Biden and the first lady went to Washington to visit the Pentagon memorial. 184 people had died in the attack on the Pentagon that day. Biden did not deliver remarks at any of the sites. As such, his only video message to the public was the one uploaded to Twitter. U.S. presidents have often traveled to one of the three sites every year on 9/11. However, visiting three sites is something unusual. “The president felt it was important to visit each of these three sites to commemorate the lives lost, the sacrifices made on a day that has impacted millions of people across the country but certainly many people in those communities,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki stated.
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CHINA
A4 | SEP 17 - SEP 23, 2021
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China’s Evergrande Conglomerate Reels Under Payment Issues Threatening Chinese Economy By Arvind Datta Vision Times
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hina’s real estate giant, Evergrande, is teetering on the brink of bankruptcy, unable to service its debts. One of the most indebted private conglomerates in China, the company’s shares, listed in Hong Kong, have crashed this year as investors are worried about the firm’s financial health. After hitting a peak of 17.26 HKD on Jan. 19, the company’s shares are now trading at around 3.62 HKD. Evergrande has operations in over 280 cities. Primarily a real estate firm, the company has ventured into other sectors in recent years like the food market, mineral water, amusement parks, insurance, health, digital operations, and tourism. However, debt levels have risen to stratospheric levels. The group recently said that its total liabilities stood at 1.97 trillion yuan (305 billion dollars), which is roughly equal to the public debt of Portugal, and also warned of “risks of defaults and borrowings.” Some suppliers and contractors have started complaining that Evergrande is missing out on payments. A few creditors are demanding immediate loan payback. According to financial intelligence provider REDD, Evergrande plans on suspending interest payments on loans to two banks that are due on Sept. 21. The company is due to pay back 15 billion dollars to creditors by the end of this year. However, as of late June, the firm only had 13 billion dollars in its accounts. Banks have become reluctant to
“The collapse of Evergrande would have repercussions in the international market, as investors include global names like BlackRock, Allianz, and Ashmore.”
A general view of the skyline of the buildings during sunset on September 1, 2020 in Beijing, China. (Getty Images)
finance the company further. In August, ratings agency Moody’s downgraded Evergrande’s strength rating, as it lost confidence in the company’s repayment ability. The agency rating indicated that the firm was “likely in, or very near, default.” Goldman Sachs also downgraded its rating of the stock from “neutral” to “sell.” According to a Sept. 9 report by Bloomberg, the Financial Stability and Development Committee, the nation’s top financial regulator, has signed off on Evergrande’s proposal to renegotiate its payment deadlines with lenders. The company has reportedly contacted trusts and banks, requesting deadline extensions.
Beijing sees Evergrande as a “grey rhino”
Evergrande is a large company
that has such high levels of debt that it presents systemic financial risk. The company employs around 200,000 individuals directly, while supporting more than three million indirect jobs. As banks are reluctant to supply funds, Evergrande is finding it difficult to finish its real estate projects, which, in turn, deprives it of cash inflows. For the first six months this year, the company’s net income has fallen by 29 percent compared to last year. As such, the firm will now have to try reducing debt levels while ensuring that it remains profitable. “In a normal market economy, Evergrande would have gone bankrupt a long time ago… The rule was that as long as a company looked like it was moving forward – with plenty of projects
‘Deep Aging’ Becoming an Increasingly Difficult Problem for Many Major Chinese Cities By Todd Crawford Vision Times
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hina’s once in a decade census has revealed that 14 percent of all residents in 149 cities in China are over the age of 65 indicating a population crisis that will have deep impacts on China’s society and economy. According to internationally accepted standards when a country’s population of people 65-years-old or older exceeds 7 percent the country is considered “aging.” At 14 percent the country is considered “deep aging” and at 20 percent a country is considered to have entered “super-aging”. According to the census data released by the State Council of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) on May 11, China’s population was approximately 1.4 billion people of which 13.5 percent, or 190 million, were aged 65 or above. An analysis conducted by the state-run China Business News (CBN) found that the fastest-aging www.visiontimes.com
cities in China are mostly clustered around the Yangtze River and the southwestern cities of Chongqing and Chengdu, and the urban industrial northeast. The analysis reported on 336 prefecture-level and above cities and found that in addition to the 149 cities that have entered deep aging 11 have entered super aging.
The number of workingage people fall
The CCP is well aware of its current population crisis and went as far as to implement a three-child-
policy on May 31 of this year, 20 days after the census information was released. Currently, China’s working-age population — people between the ages of 15 and 59 — is in free fall. This age group has dropped from 70.1 percent of the population a decade ago to 63.3 percent today, according to AP. The Chinese Labor Ministry, under previous policies, feared that the number of working-age people could fall to half the population by 2050. This would be disastrous for China’s economy.
Elderly Chinese women sit in the late day sunshine as they chat outside a shopping mall on November 8, 2019 in Beijing, China.(Images: Kevin Frayer/Getty Images)
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Evergrande Group Founder Xu Jiayin (Getty Images)
in the pipeline – the banks gave it credit on the understanding that the strength of Chinese economic growth would always deliver profits,” Jean-François Dufour, head of French, China-focused consulting firm DCA Chine-Analyse, said to France24. Dufour believes that at least one bank would “go under” if Evergrande were to become bankrupt. Other banks would then hesitate to provide loans to high-debt companies, which would have serious consequences for China’s economic growth. Given such severe potential consequences, experts believe that Beijing will force a debt restructuring program on the company, and make creditors agree to its plans. Evergrande could also come under state control.
Billionaire Actress Zhao Wei Is Scrubbed From the Mainland’s Internet By Todd Crawford Vision Times
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ward winning Chinese actress, director and successful business woman, Zhao Wei, has been scrubbed completely from the internet in the People’s Republic. Beijing authorities have blacklisted the billionaire from all social media platforms in China and have ordered that all her works be pulled from streaming sites in the country. All discussions concerning Zhao have been censored on Chinese social media platforms like Weibo and WeChat, as the Chinese government continues a crackdown on the entertainment industry and the excesses of celebrity fan culture. Zhao, also known as Vicky or Vicki Zhao, rose to stardom after her breakout role in the popular television series “My Fair Princess” and starred in the blockbuster films “Shaolin Soccer” and “Lost in Hong Kong.” ad.ny@visiontimes.com
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While authorities have yet to release any details as to why Zhao has been blacklisted many believe her blacklisting may be due to allegations of financial impropriety as well as a number of other historical scandals. In 2018, Zhao and her husband were barred from acting as listed company executives for five years by the Zhao Wei Shanghai Stock attends the closExchange due to ing ceremony of the 73rd Venice issues and irregFilm Festival at ularities related Sala Grande on to a takeover bid September 10, 2016 in Venice, Italy. in 2016. (Getty Images) The Billionaire couple are close friends with Jack Ma, another target of Beijing authorities, and were early investors in Alibaba Pictures Group reportedly purchasing 1.93 billion shares in the company making them the second largest shareholder.
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CHINA
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SEP 17 - SEP 23, 2021 |
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WHY A BLACK SWAN
A5
IN BEIJING
Got People Speculating About Chinese Politics ‘Wild birds entering a temple’
By Crystal Fang and Leo Timm Vision Times
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he “visit” by a black swan to Beijing’s Tiananmen Square in the morning of Sept. 5 was quickly hushed by Chinese police at the scene, who drove away onlookers as wildlife protection staff caught the bird. However, the “Tiananmen black swan incident” trended on the Chinese internet, where many took the swan’s appearance as either an amusing coincidence, or an ill omen for the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) regime. The term “black swan” is often associated with the axiom “Black Swan Event,” coined by statistician Nassim Nicholas Taleb, which describes an unforeseen (and seemingly unpredictable) development with major consequences. The term has been used by Chinese leader Xi Jinping in warnings against events that could threaten the 100-year-old Party’s longevity. According to state-run “Beijing Daily,” the black swan suddenly landed on Tiananmen Square shortly after the flag-raising ceremony that day. It strolled around the square, pausing to preen its feathers from time to time, in no hurry to fly away. The swan, appearing “well-travelled” due to its unhurried and undisturbed demeanor, attracted crowds who took its photos. However, security staff at Tiananmen Square went into action, evacuating onlookers and contacting the relevant departments. At 8 a.m, the black swan was taken away by the Animal Protection Department and sent to Shunyi District. Local media and netizens speculated that the bird may have flown in from a nearby park. Tiananmen Square is located in front of the Forbidden City palace that once housed the Chinese emperors, and near Zhongnanhai, headquarters of the CCP.
(Image: Chinese social media)
A black swan landed in Beijing's Tiananmen Square on Sept. 5, 2021, stirring speculation about the fate of the Chinese communist regime.
Netizens joked and speculated about the “black swan event” on Tiananmen, linking it to recent political developments in China and the fate of the communist authorities. Chinese regime censors quickly deleted conversations surrounding the black swan in Tiananmen. Some likened the bird’s appearance to the ancient Chinese proverb “wild birds entering a temple” (野鳥 入廟), which is used to describe an imperial dynasty in the period right before its collapse. Netizens drew a link with the black swan walking around the Monument to the People’s Heroes and the “temple,” which in ancient tradition was a place where the emperor made offerings to heaven or held important discussions. Likewise, CCP leaders offer wreaths to deceased “heroes” of the Communist Party on the dates of revolutionary events. One Chinese internet user remarked that Xi Jinping had this January told officials to prevent “black swan” and “grey rhino” incidents, with the latter referring to known risks that could “charge” at any movement (i.e. disasters waiting to happen). Recently, the Chinese Communist Party’s Cyberspace Administration of China also launched a campaign to clean up online media personalities for “illegally publishing” financial news, as well as prohibiting financial media channels from “bad-mouthing” China’s financial market and China’s economy. “As soon as these were said, the black swan landed on Tiananmen Square,” another netizen commented. “It seems that sudden economic collapse may happen in a matter of minutes, and the biggest uncertainty comes from Beijing and from the political center.” Others noted that on Sept. 2, the CCP had just announced that it would establish the Beijing Stock Exchange (BSE). “The [black swan] picked a fine time indeed,” one person wrote.
China Opens Its First Plant That Turns Nuclear Waste Into Glass By Todd Crawford Vision Times
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n Saturday Sept. 11 China opened its first plant that will turn radioactive nuclear waste into nearly benign glass using a process called nuclear waste vitrification. The plant, located in Guangyuan, Sichuan province, is reported to be able to process several hundred cubic meters of highly radioactive liquid waste each year. The new process is being welcomed by China as it continues to expand its nuclear power facilities. Currently, China has fewer nuclear power stations than France or the United States, however it is rapidly expanding the use of the technology in an effort to cut the country’s carbon www.visiontimes.com
emissions. Nuclear power has been touted as a more sustainable form of energy due to nuclear power plants not producing any greenhouse gases. With several new reactors coming online each year in China, finding a solution for the waste that they create was becoming an increasingly difficult problem. Temporary solutions like crushing the waste and mixing it with water for storage in metal containers was identified as inadequate in the long-term. With the opening of the plant China joins a small list of countries that have been able to successfully implement the difficult procedure including the U.S., France, Germany and India. The idea has been around for some time but implementing the process has proven to
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The bird view of Tianwan nuclear power plant on 18th May, 2021 in Lianyungang,Jiangsu,China.
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be extremely difficult. Over the past four decades half of the 10 or so vitrification plants that have opened across the globe have been closed due to technical or financial difficulties, the South China Morning Post reported. When the technology was first experimented with, engineers would simply mix liquid radioactive waste and glass-making materials such as silica into a melting pot and heat the mixture to extremely high temperatures. But the radioactive waste was found to be extremely corrosive at high temperatures and difficult to manipulate. Plants in the United States and Europe developed a superior technology that would heat the liquid in an electric oven to temperatures over 2,100 Fahrenheit to form glass, with a ceramic covering. The glass would then ad.ny@visiontimes.com
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be stored underground where it would pose less of a risk to the environment. This is similar to the technique used at the Guangyuan plant that was approved for construction by the central government in 2009 and was based on German technology. The process is not without its challenges though. The oven, where the radioactive substances are cooked, needs to be replaced every five years or so due to erosion; however scientists are exploring ways to keep the oven functioning longer by using water to cool the inner walls of the oven. This technique however is not yet ready to be implemented and poses numerous engineering challenges. Chinese researchers are expected to start construction on a plant that attempts to utilize this new method in 2024.
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WORLD Kerala, the Indian State Where COVID-19 Refuses to Subside A6 | SEP 17 - SEP 23, 2021
VISION TIMES
In Tit-for-Tat Both North and South Korea Test-Fire Ballistic Missiles as Tensions Rise on the Peninsula
By Prakash Gogoi Vision Times
K
erala, a small state in southern India governed by a communist party, has the highest number of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID19) cases in the country. In the week ending Sept. 4, Kerala was responsible for 69.59 percent of the COVID-19 cases in India despite accounting for just 2.76 percent of the nation’s population. On Sept. 9, Kerala reported 181 deaths, which was over 50 percent of India’s total death toll of 338 that day. The state’s government, the Communist Party of India (Marxist)-led Left Democratic Front (LDF), had won the 2021 Assembly Election by a considerable margin, winning 99 out of 140 seats. The communist party has a long history of being elected to power in a state that prides itself on its high level of education. Last year, Kerala was touted as a model for the entire country on how to manage the COVID-19 pandemic.
(Image: SUJIT JAISWAL/AFP via Getty Images)
Among the Indian states with a population of over 10 million, Kerala ranks first in terms of vaccine shots administered per million.This photo taken in Allahabad on April 1, 2021. (Image: SANJAY KANOJIA/AFP via Getty Images)
in Kerala are antigen tests instead of reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) tests that are seen by the health ministry as the “gold standard.” According to Dr. Gopikumar, Kerala Secretary of the Indian Medical Association (IMA), the state must do away with antigen tests if it hopes to control the pandemic. Calling antigen tests unreliable, he pointed out that even symptomatic patients were testing negative for the virus. In contrast, almost 90 percent of such cases would theoretically correctly test positive in RT-PCR tests. Interestingly, the spike in infection rates has occurred despite the fact that Kerala is leading the country in vaccinations. Among the Indian states with a population of over 10 million, Kerala ranks first in terms of vaccine shots administered per million. As of Sept. 9, 50.5 percent of Kerala’s 18 to 44-year-olds have been
vaccinated. Among 45 to 60-yearolds, the number drops to 29.7 percent, while for those above 60, the vaccination rate is 19.8 percent. Around 40 percent of the Indian population has been vaccinated with at least one dose, with over 12 percent fully vaccinated.
Not only does Kerala have high rates of infection and mortality, but also the state has a high TPR of 13.07 %. According to a Sept. 9 report by The Hindu, almost 27 percent of vaccinated individuals in the Ernakulam district of Kerala have
tested positive for COVID-19 in the past four weeks. In July, 19.33 percent of infections were among the inoculated, while in August, this number jumped to 27.21 percent. As to why Kerala is reporting such a high number of infections, there are several opinions. Some believe that Kerala is conducting more tests and thus recording more COVID-19 cases. Others point to government mismanagement. A few suggest that the high population density of the state might be a factor. Meanwhile, 68 people in the state are under isolation due to a possible Nipah virus infection. A 12-year-old boy reportedly died after contracting the virus. The Nipah virus is far deadlier than COVID-19, having a fatality rate of 40 to 75 percent. There is no vaccine available for the virus, and treatment is centered around supportive care and managing symptoms.
Japan and Vietnam Sign Defense Deal to Counter Common Foe By Todd Crawford Vision Times
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t a meeting on Saturday Sept. 11 between Vietnam and Japan, Japan agreed that it will now provide defense equipment and technology to Vietnam to counter what the two nations see as a mutual aggressive foe, China. Japan’s defense minister, Nobuo Kishi said the deal elevates their defense partnership “to a new level” adding that Japan and Vietnam plan to deepen defense ties through multinational joint exercises and other means, The details concerning the transfer of equipment, which includes naval vessels, are to be determined in subsequent talks, the ministry said. The meeting between Kishi and his Vietnamese counterpart, Phan Van Giang, in Hanoi occurred alongside a two-day visit to the www.visiontimes.com
Vietnamese capital by Chinese Foreign Minister, Wang Yi. Wang ended his visit stating that China plans to donate upwards of 3-million doses of its domestically produced coronavirus vaccine to Vietnam. The agreement between the
two nations also comes just two weeks after the U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris traveled to Vietnam in an attempt to strengthen ties between the two nations. During the visit, Harris urged countries not to tolerate “bullying” by China in the South China sea.
This picture taken and released by the Vietnam News Agency on September 12, 2021 shows Vietnam's Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh (R) shaking hands with Japan's Defence Minister Nobuo Kishi before a meeting in Hanoi. (Image: STR/Vietnam News Agency/AFP via Getty Images)
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In a statement by Japan’s Defense Ministry the Ministry stated that Kishi and Giang agreed on the importance of maintaining freedom of navigation in the IndoPacific region as well as cooperation in various areas of defense including cybersecurity. Without identifying any country by name, Kishi asserted Japan’s strong opposition to “any unilateral attempts to change the status quo by coercion or any activities that escalate tensions,” in the South China Sea, referring to China’s increasingly aggressive posturing in the area. The deal with Vietnam is the 11th partner to date that Japan has signed a defense equipment and technology deal with. Japan is looking to expand its military cooperation with nations beyond the United States and has signed similar deals with Britain and Australia as well as the Philippines and Indonesia. ad.ny@visiontimes.com
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On Wednesday Sept. 15 North Korea launched two ballistic missiles into the waters off its eastern coast. A few hours later, South Korea announced that it had successfully test-fired a submarinelaunched ballistic missile. The two test-fires are being interpreted as an arms race that is quickly escalating between the two Korea’s. North Korea’s tests of the ballistic missiles were in violation of multiple UN Security Council Resolutions unlike its successful tests of its new long-range cruise missiles that were conducted on the weekend of Sept. 11th and 12th. North Korean state-run news outlets said on Monday that the cruise missile launches would provide the country with another effective means of deterrence in the face of “ the military maneuvers of the hostile forces.” Ballistic missiles are considered to pose a deeper threat as they are significantly larger and have the ability to deliver bigger payloads, including nuclear warheads, and have much longer ranges than other types of missiles. The North Korean ballistic missiles are suspected of being able to travel upwards of 13,000 kilometers (8077 miles) placing much of Europe and the United States mainland within reach. North Korea’s test on Wednesday was the first ballistic missile test Pyongyang has conducted since last March.
Getty Images
However, this is no longer the case. Not only does Kerala have high rates of infection and mortality, but also the state has a high Test Positivity Rate (TPR) of 13.07 percent. Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the opposition party in the state and the ruling party nationally, has alleged that more than half the COVID-19 tests being conducted
By Todd Crawford Vision Times
A replica of a North Korean Scud-B missile (C) and South Korea's Nike (L) and Hawk missiles (R) are displayed at the Korean War Memorial .
South Korea announced that its test of an indigenous submarinelaunched ballistic missile (SLBM) flew a planned distance and precisely hit its target. The successful test makes South Korea only the seventh country, and only nonnuclear power, in the world to possess such a capability. The North Korean tests occurred just weeks after a nine-day joint military exercise was conducted by South Korea with its ally the United States. Nuclear disarmament negotiations between the United States and North Korea have stalled since a summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un and former U.S. President Donald Trump collapsed in 2019. Trump rejected a deal by the North Korean dictator stating that Kim Jong-Un was not offering enough of a concession in return for removing sanctions. Pyongyang has to date refused the Biden administration’s appeals to return to the negotiating table.
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WORLD
VISION TIMES
SEP 17 - SEP 23, 2021 |
A7
9 Weeks and Counting:
120,000 French Demonstrate Against Vaccine Passports THOMAS SAMSON/AFP via Getty Images
By Neil Campbell Vision Times
Leader of the French nationalist party "Les Patriotes" (The Patriots) Florian Philippot (C) leads the march during a demonstration against the Green Pass vaccine passport segregation system in Paris on September 11, 2021. More than 120,000 French hit the streets for the 9th week in a row, calling for a return to normal life.
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hile the United States and the English speaking world focused on the solemn 20th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorism attacks, in France, the date marked the ninth consecutive week of massive protests against vaccine passport social segregation in the country. According to AFP, more than 120,000 citizens hit the streets to challenge President Emmanuel Macron’s “Green Pass” vaccine passport, an initiative implemented in July that has seen those who have not voluntarily accepted Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination be locked out of virtually every aspect of social life. Macron placed heavy penalties on businesses and individuals who evade Green Pass requirements: business owners can face a year in prison and/or a €45,000 fine, while patrons who fail to show qualified papers to authorities upon request can face six months in jail and/or a €10,000 fine. The French immediately took to the streets in droves to protest the measures, an order that will also see the country’s healthcare workers suspended without pay on Sept. 15 if they have not accepted an injection. On July 24, more than 160,000 citizens marched to challenge the decree. Numbers for the Sept. 11 protests were provided to AFP via the Interior Ministry, which noted the demonstrations were spread across the country, with 19,000 protestors in Paris. On Sept. 10, France24 reported that former Health Minister Agnes Buzyn will face a formal investigation for “endangering the lives of others” after she said in Janu-
A woman with a message written on her face reading "No vaccine" chants slogans during a demonstration to protest against the mandatory Covid19 health pass to access most of the public space, in Paris on September 4, 2021.(Image: STEFANO RELLANDINI/AFP via Getty Images)
People hold placards reading "Leave the children alone" (R) and "Do not touch Raoult" (C) during a demonstration called by French nationalist party "Les Patriotes" (The Patriots) leader Florian Philippot, to protest against the mandatory Covid-19 health pass to access most of the public space, in Paris on September 4, 2021. (Image: THOMAS COEX/AFP via Getty Images)
ary of 2020 when the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic began its global spread from Wuhan City in China that there was “practically no risk” of importing the virus to France. France24 says a month later, Buzyn left her position as Minister after being asked by Macron to run for Mayor of Paris after Benjamin Griveaux resigned in disgrace from a sex scandal. While campaigning, Buzyn changed her tone immediately, stoking fear in the public when she said about the virus that “the tsunami has yet to come.” France isn’t alone in the battle. According to DW, 150,000 citizens in The Netherlands hit the streets in a protest dubbed “Unmute Us” against the country’s vibrant nightlife scene being shut down by pandemic measures. Organizers said on their website, “We need to stand up for the events industry, which has been shut down for a year and a half.” More than 70,000 Dutch joined a first wave of Unmute Us protests held in August. Data tracking website Statista says France has delivered two doses of vaccination to almost 46 million of its 67 million citizens as of Sept. 7, a figure up from slightly more than 23 million on July 1. In Israel, the government recently announced that fully vaccinated status for the country’s passport system would be automatically removed six months after the last injection, forcing citizens to accept a third, and possibly fourth or fifth dose, in order to continue to participate in society.
UK Government Scraps COVID-19 Vaccine Passport Plan Getty Images/Flag from MaxPixel
By Prakash Gogoi Vision Times
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ajid Javid, the UK’s Health Secretary, has announced that the government will not be mandating Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID19) vaccine passports for cinemas, nightclubs, and other large venues. The decision followed the intense public debate on the issue, with members of Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s own party expressing strong opposition. In an interview with BBC, Javid said that he has “never liked” the idea of asking people to show papers so that they could perform their everyday activities. He denied the idea that the government arrived at the decision following criticism from its own supporters. Javid insisted that the passports were not needed due to the country’s high vaccination rate, surveillance, testing, and new treatments. 82 Members of Parliament (MPs) had signed the Big Brother Watch www.visiontimes.com
declaration, which called COVID19 passports “discriminatory Covid status certification” denying individuals access to services, businesses, and jobs. Big Brother Watch is a civil liberties campaign group. Out of the 82 MPs, 44 were from the Conservative party. “We live in something called a ‘parliamentary democracy’ which means introducing internal health passports isn’t something ministers can just ‘start’ but something parliament has to vote on. We’ll fight tooth and nail for the Government to lose that vote,” Big Brother Watch said in a tweet. A survey conducted by Dr. Alex de Figueiredo from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine showed that people in unvaccinated groups are less likely to get vaccinated if the government imposes vaccine passports. The study found that the negative impacts of the passports would disproportionately affect men and highly educated individuals. “Not only would vaccine passports create exclusion, that exclu-
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Not only would vaccine passports create exclusion, that exclusion would be structured by existing inequalities. ”
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sion would be structured by existing inequalities. “ According to Prof. John Drury, a participant in the Sage subcommittee advising on behavioral science, vaccine passports would trigger social divisions. “You only need to look at the data on who isn’t yet vaccinated to understand this – the young, the poor, ethnic minorities stand to be excluded,” Drury said. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Johnson is expected to rescind Coronavirus Act powers, includad.ny@visiontimes.com
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ing the ability to shut down parts of the economy, place limitations on public gatherings, and detain potentially infected people. Instead, the government will focus on giving booster shots to people in hopes of preventing a deadly winter wave. Booster shot administration will begin in autumn, with preference given to the elderly and vulnerable. “Vaccines are the first line of defense. We have listened to MPs on certification. We don’t see the need for it so we will hold it in reserve. Only if things get much worse would we look at masks or a return to working from home,” a government source said to the media outlet. Between May 1 and Sept. 1, the number of daily new confirmed COVID-19 cases per million people rose over 14 times from 32.35 to 492.48, despite the fact that the number of people who had received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine rose from 50.59 percent of the UK population to 70.50 percent.
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SCIENCE
Ad o
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A8 | SEP 17 - SEP 23, 2021
VISION TIMES
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Vibrational energy
Edgar Cayce, the American prophetic seer, reportedly sought out azurite to have “Visionary Experiences” that would guide him in his life’s work. “The vibratory essence of what he [Edgar Cayce] termed the ‘Singing Stones’ (azurite) allowed him to regain understanding during a great life crisis. He was guided to specific terrains of rich deposits of copper/azurite in Arizona and then to azurite mines in Mexico. According to Cayce, azurite was one of the “most powerful vibratory mineral gems on the earth.”
Some studies show that stones and substances are more than just lifeless lumps of material, suggesting that all things in the cosmos are forms of energy with their own frequency and vibration. As Serbian-American engineer and physicist Nikola Tesla put it, “In a crystal, we have clear evidence of the existence of a formative life principle, and though we cannot understand the life of a crystal, it is nonetheless a living being.”
T h e
By Simone Jonker
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zurite typically occurs as tiny prismatic, tabular, or equidimensional crystals that are striated. Some other forms are large crystalline clusters with a crusty surface and radiating fibers. The stone can be found in many areas of the world from Arizona to Zambia, with Europe, Australia, and China in between.
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Cousins
Lapis is the Latin word for stone. Lapis Linguis (Azurite) and its cousin Lapis Lazuli (Lazurite) are both blue stones associated with the azure color, which falls between cyan and blue on the color chart. Azurite’s copper silicate is formed by the weathering of copper ore deposits, and its chemical composition is Cu3(CO3)2(OH)2. Azurite is almost always found with or near the green mineral Malachite, another copper carbonate hydroxide mineral. Its name originates from the Greek word Lalaku, meaning mallow plant, azurite is often pseudomorphically replaced by Malachite.
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Uses
Due to its softness, which rates between 3.5 to 4.0. on the Mohs hardness scale, azurite is not suitable for use as fine jewelry. It is sometimes shaped into polished cabochon beads, however. This stone is delicate, fades in the sunshine, and becomes permanently blackened by heat. Gradual heating, however, creates a deeper blue hue which is used as a pigment in Japanese painting. Azurite is believed to clear the mind and is often referred to as “a clear sky over a desert in winter.”
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S i g i n
Azurite (Lapis Linguis) Is An Ancient Stone With A Rich History. It Is A Rare Mineral That Is Characterized By Its Stunning Twilight Blue Hue.
Azurite is believed to clear the mind and is often referred to as
Culture and History
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Pliny the Elder, Roman author, naturalist, and natural philosopher, named the gem “kuanos,” meaning “deep blue” in Greek, dedicating it to “all things blue and green.” Until the early 19th century, azurite was known as Chessylite after the Chessy Mines, where it was mined in France. From the 15th to the middle of the 17th century, azurite was the most widely used blue pigment in European painting. Crushed azurite was also very popular among the ancient Egyptian artisans. In the East, azurite pigment appeared in the Ming and Song Dynasty on walls and in cave paintings in China. Jiangyin Temple, known as Tutang Buddha Temple, is situated in Tutang Village, Shanxi Province. First built during the Northern Qi dynasty, and later rebuilt in 1205 AD during the Jin Dynasty, the temple hosts a statue of Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara, whose kasaya was painted with a mineral pigment identified by scientists as Azurite.
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“a clear sky over a desert in winter.”
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Stone
4 Azurite and malachite are often found together.
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Cultural significance
Native American tribes regarded Azurite as a holy stone and considered it highly powerful in healing. Associated with enigmatic spiritual qualities, it was formerly worn as an amulet in certain Native American tribes to aid the user in communicating with a spirit guide. The Zuni tribe used it in conjunction with Alabaster. Legends claim that azurite was widely used in Atlantis and in ancient Egypt, where it was revered as a spiritual aid that helped high priests become more conscious of God. The Egyptian temple priests believed that painting the protecting eye of the god Horus with azurite pigment on their foreheads enhanced their physic abilities. The Mayans promoted the transmission of information, knowledge, and wisdom with the help of azurite, while ancient Romans valued azurite for its medicinal properties.
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Specimen stones
The Stone of King Solomon, (Eilat Stone) is Israel’s national stone. The Eilat Stone is named after the Israeli city of Eilat, where it was originally mined. Azurite and malachite are among the secondary copper minerals found in the stone. In Feb 2021, a part of the gem from the 1893 World’s Fair was recently put back on display at the American Museum of Natural History in New York when their Gems and Minerals exhibit reopened. The five-foot-tall, four-ton; block of azurite, malachite, and copper ore stone was mined by Copper Queen Consolidated Mining Company in 1891 and exhibited at the1893 World’s Fair in Chicago. The stone was subsequently donated to the American Museum of Natural History. Reportedly dubbed “Singing Stone” because of an unusual sound it made before the museum’s air handling system was installed, it is one of approximately 5000 pieces on display in their new Allison and Roberto Mignone Halls of Gems and Minerals A new lapidary stone from near the China-Pakistan border has recently emerged: a white granite with brilliant blue azurite orbs scattered throughout. X-ray diffraction shows azurite within the stone. It was found at the foot of the world’s second-highest peak of the Karakoram Mountain Range. This azurite granite is known as “K2 granite,” “K2 Jasper,” or “Raindrop Azurite.” A fascinating specimen of nature, K2 garners a great deal of attention at gem and mineral exhibitions. The unusual combination of azurite and granite has sparked some debates, and even the odd dispute among gemmologists.
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MYSTERIES
VISION TIMES
SEP 17 - SEP 23, 2021 |
A9
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The craters on the surface of the moon are thought to be caused by the impact of meteorites and comets. Studies have found that if meteors having diameters of a few miles traveling at 30,000 miles per second were to hit a solid planet, the meteors would penetrate at a depth of four to five times the diameter of the meteor. Such findings have been verified on Earth. The craters on the surface of the moon are all surprisingly shallow. The tens of thousands of craters on the moon all have varying diameters yet they all have the same depth. The deepest crater on the moon, the South Pole- Aitken basin, has a diameter of 2,500 km and a depth of 8.2 km. The Gagarin Crater is named after Yuri Gagarin, a Soviet cosmonaut who was the first human to travel to outer space. It is 265 km in diameter and only 4.8 km in depth. The depth of the Gagarin Crater is only 12% of its diameter, implying that the moon’s shell is very hard and can sustain the impact of meteors of varying sizes.
One hypothesis claims that because of its low magnetic field it is possible the interior of the moon is hollow. In nature, cosmic bodies have their own magnetic fields, but studies have found that the Moon has almost no magnetic field. Scientists believe that the Earth's magnetic field originates in the Earth's inner core. The core is divided into an inner core and an outer core, with the inner core being solid and the outer core being liquid. The liquid outer shell can flow rapidly and generate induction currents, which generate magnetic fields. So, by analogy, if it is a solid sphere, there should be a magnetic field. The Moon, on the other hand, is completely different. Based on the lunar rock samples taken by the Apollo spacecraft and direct measurements of the lunar surface magnetic field, the magnetic field around the Moon is less than 1/1000 of the magnetic field strength of the Earth. This is extremely low in comparison to the size ration between the two bodies. This indicates that the Moon does not have an inner core like the Earth and has thus been hypothesized that the Moon's interior is hollow.
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Speaking of which, the Apollo astronauts did find what would seem to be evidence of the existence of highly intelligent life on the moon. The astronauts took some photos of craters on the moon's surface which seem to show traces of artificial transformation. For example, in the interior of the Goclenius crater on the front of the Moon there is a perfect right angle which stretches 25
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When astronauts landed on the moon for the first time and tried to plant an American flag into the soil, they had a lot of trouble inserting it into the soil and could only insert the flagpole a few centimeters. Later, astronauts tried to use electric drills but they could only penetrate 75 cm at most while on Earth, they could easily penetrate 360 cm. When the astronauts tried to drill into the soil to obtain lunar rock samples, they had a very difficult time due to the moon’s crust being so hard. Processed metals like brass, mica and titanium were found when the astronauts attempted to drill into the soil. Specimens of lunar surface rocks brought back by Apollo 11 and 12 were found to have a higher density than that of rocks on Earth. Earth rocks have a density of 2.7 to 2.8 grams per cubic centimeter and lunar rocks have a density of 3.2 to 3.4 grams per cubic centimeter. Scientists determined that if the moon was solid, the overall density should be greater than that of the Earth and the total mass and gravitational strength of the moon would be large. However, the average density of the moon was 3.33 g/cm3 compared to the Earth’s average density of 5.5 g/cm3. The average density of the moon is nearly half that of the Earth’s. The moon’s gravitational force is only 1/6 that of the Earth’s surface. The moon also lacks a magnetic field, which suggests that it doesn’t have a molten core like that of the Earth. Harold Urey, an American physical chemist and a winner of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry, theorized that the moon is hollow. During an artificial moonquake experiment in 1969, the vibrations lasted for more than an hour leading scientists to believe that the moon is partially hollow. The moon was found to react like a bell when struck. British astronomer Hugh Percy Wilkins suggests that parts of the moon’s crust are hollow 20 to 30 miles from the surface and that there appear to be hidden extensive cavities and tunnels. The moon and Earth are tidally locked which means the moon takes just as long to rotate on its own axis as it does to rotate around the Earth and it also means that the same side of the moon always faces Earth. The moon also affects the axial tilt of Earth and the orientation of the Earth to the Sun so much so that without the moon, drastic changes could result from changes in the axial tilt of the Earth. The moon’s gravitational force is very important to Earth because it keeps Earth from making drastic changes in its rotational angle. Without the moon, life on Earth would be very different. The relatively large size of the moon also plays an important role as the moon’s gravitational pull has a large effect on Earth and its tides.
km long on each side. There also seem to be visible signs of angular shaped dents similar to the type which appear when a hammer or stone strike a piece of metal. Is it possible that the moon is not a naturally occurring celestial body? Further research should be done but there is a body of growing evidence that supports this hypothesis. —NTD TV contributed to this article.
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NATURE
A10 | SEP 17 - SEP 23, 2021
VISION TIMES
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Past research
Fl o r a S e n t i e n c e:
A quest for answers Could plants have consciousness? Plant cell biologist FrantiŠek BaluŠka investigated this theory by sedating plants that could move, like Venus flytraps. The anesthetics applied shut down the electric impulses in the plants and thus stopped any movement. Once the sedatives wore off, however, the plants were able to move again. Since waking up is believed to require consciousness, this test has posed the important question of plants possessing a consciousness of their own. “No one can answer this, because you cannot ask [the plants],” said BaluŠka. Upon further research, he has also suggested that plants do feel pain, as every life form requires it to react accordingly. BaluŠka has speculated that plants have the ability to see the world around them. He conducted another test on a vine that could change the shape of its leaves based on the plant it grows on. Using an artificial plant as a host, the results showed that the leaves could still copy the shape of the fake leaves, despite the lack of chemical compounds found in real plants. BaluŠka thus that the vine could definitely see and give a corresponding growth response.. BaluŠka also researched the accuracy of plants’ response to light by studying the cuticle (the outer layer of leaves) and how its transparency might be a sign of a plant’s ability to see. In fact, cuticles of many plants are shaped like a lens, which focuses light through the plant, rather than absorbing it.
Plants Demonstrate Sight and Feeling By Darren Maung
Before BaluŠka, there have been a few attempts to discover sentience within plants. Charles Darwin once theorized that the tips of plant roots might act like brains. However, the research has long faded into obscurity. A book titled The Secret Life of Plants, written by Peter Tompkins and Christopher Bird, was published in 1973, but the research was based on experiments that were, as BaluŠka explained, initially meant for people, drawing the line between animals and plants even further.
Harmony of life Writer Peter Wohlleben believes that harmony between life forms will take time and is dependent on perspective and scientific clarity. He suggests that plants do not fight each other for competition of basic needs like light, water and nutrition. Instead, they adapt and coexist around said competition, allowing them to grow and thrive without any intervention. For millions of years, plants have survived and thrived in an ever-changing world, imploring humankind to discover the secrets of their longevity. If we let go of our limiting notions regarding plants’ capacity to think, we stand to learn a lot from our floral friends; We may find that survival of the fittest means being the most adaptable, not the most dominant.
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lthough plants are very much alive like you and me, it is rare to find someone who would consider them living beings with thought and feeling. Is it impossible for the flora around us to exhibit signs of intelligence or sentience? On the contrary. Thanks to recent research into the behaviour of plants, the way we think about them might just change forever.
The natural order of life Philosopher Emanuele Coccia wrote in his book, Die Wurzeln der Welt (titled The Life of Plants in English), that theology, human supremacy and our tendency to arrange everything impacts the way we classify nature, forming a biological hierarchy where humans are at the top and plants at the bottom. He believes that this order is affected by cultural, historical and religious values, rather than scientific ones. Moreover, he holds that the line between plants and animals is nonexistent because plants have the capacity to feel and even think like us.
Recent research supports past claims that plants have a sort of consciousness and can see and react to their surroundings.
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LIFESTYLE
VISION TIMES
SEP 17 - SEP 23, 2021 |
A11
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The Dirt on Soap – Is it Overrated ? By Simone Jonker
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ave you ever gone on a holiday at the seaside and found that your skin felt fresh and healthy without a lot of washing? As a society, we value cleanliness beyond everything else. While soap is marketed to us as essential for keeping our bodies clean and odor-free, it may be one of those things where “less is more.” If your skin feels tight after a shower, it does not necessarily imply that one’s skin is squeaky clean. Strong alkaline compounds in soap tend to strip the natural oils from your skin, leaving it overly dry. While soap is ideal against dirt and bacteria (especially on top of sanitizer), most of us are not dirty when we take our showers. And the hands are the only area regularly exposed to foreign bacteria. Using soap where it is not necessary strips away our natural protection. Our skin works very hard to produce sebum to protect us from pathogens and microorganisms. Harsh soaps remove those protective oils, leaving our skin with a reduced ability to fight bacteria. Due to dryness, the skin’s barrier is compromised, and the skin begins to crack and tear, enabling additional chemicals, allergens, and bacteria to penetrate deeper into one’s skin. This can result in burning, acne, eczema, dermatitis, and rosacea. “We’re taught that, in society, you’ve got to smell great,” says Dr. Clare Ballingall, Chair of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners, RACGP, in Tasmania. “(As though) smelling like some strong scent is equated to health and wellness.” Soaps that include “fragrance” are one of the biggest culprits in subpar washes.
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According to Healthy Women, scents may basically “be a mix of chemicals and you’d never know it.” Regarding protecting trade secrets, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) does not compel businesses to disclose the chemicals in their perfumes, so it is doubtful that you will be aware of what you are putting on your skin. Other hazardous compounds often found in soaps include parabens, sulfates, and triclosan. Parabens are preservatives that can enter the bloodstream through skin contact and imitate estrogen. The main lather producer, Sulfates, strips the skin of its natural oils and causes it to dry out. Triclosan is a still more serious concern, as it “promotes the emergence and growth of bacteria resistant to antibiotic cleansers.”
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What soap is safe?
Generally speaking, the fewer ingredients a soap contains, the better it is for you. Opt for all-natural bar soaps. Or, use soap only where necessary. Apply it on the hands, armpits, groin, buttocks, and feet. Dr. Ballingall emphasizes that handwashing with soap is essential for preventing disease transmission, but putting soap on the rest of our bodies has little benefit. A good scrubbing in plain water is fine for the rest of the body. To prevent odor, be sure to dry off completely after washing. This prevents the growth of bacteria, which flourish in warm, damp crevices.
Experiment with oil cleansing
Cleansing oils are an alternative to soap. Contrary to popular belief, slathering your skin with oil cleans it better than soap. Oil-based cleansers are particularly effective in trapping dirt and dead skin cells. This allows the skin to be washed without breaking the oil barrier. Remember to oil up before getting in the shower. Oilbased cleansers now come in mild lathers that rinse quickly without harming your skin or leaving a residue. However, oil in the shower presents an obvious hazard, so be sure you have a nonslip rubber mat for the tub.
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Remove dead skin cells with a brush
Dry brushing removes dead skin cells and dirt from the skin’s surface while stimulating the release of healthy oils. A natural fiber brush is used to dry brush your skin while it is still dry. The action of the bristles moving across your skin exfoliates and removes dirt. There is also evidence that brushing the skin may stimulate lymphatic drainage, purifying the skin and the whole body.
Create your own allnatural exfoliant
There are literally hundreds of recipes for homemade exfoliants. There are salt and sugar scrubs, as well as oatmeal and honey exfoliators. These natural recipes help exfoliate dead skin cells and moisturize your body without harming your skin’s protective barrier. However, please refrain from using strong exfoliators on your face as they may cause micro-abrasions.
Handmade soaps and washes
Compared to commercially manufactured soap bars, handmade soaps are less harsh to the skin and typically utilize higherquality fats and oils during saponification. Good components such as shea butter, coconut oil, or olive oil are often used as the foundation for these soaps instead of the harsh
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chemicals and low-quality oils and fats typically found in commercial soaps. The popular “body washes” found today are a somewhat gentler option. They contain surfactants closer to the skin’s natural pH rather than the harsh alkaline compounds found in soaps. Still, keeping a functional natural microbiome is preferable in the maintenance of healthy skin and hair. Be mindful of washing away the “good” bacteria together with the “bad” when you use any cleanser. If you allow your skin to do the work it was meant to do, you may find it does a remarkable job.
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HEALTH
A12 | SEP 17 - SEP 23, 2021
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Food For Thought
BE S T E AT S F OR M E N TA L C L A R I T Y By Simone Jonker
D
o you wake up some mornings and your head feels like cobwebs, “foggy,“ or “cloudy?” You may be suffering from “brain fog,” which causes one to feel tired, distracted, moody, and just generally “off.”
The unfortunate reality is that many of the processed and refined foods we eat today, as well as the different ways in which we spend our time, do not promote optimal brain function. Fortunately, you remedy this and enhance your general health and well-being by adopting a few simple lifestyle adjustments.Being “foggy headed” is the exact opposite of feeling level-headed, calm, optimistic, and motivated. Choosing a diet rich in whole foods naturally provides energy for our brains by maintaining steady blood glucose levels. We are sharp and focused when our brains have the glucose necessary to function properly. When asked how they increase productivity, successful people often refer to their exercise routines, regulated schedules, and healthy eating habits.
Natural ways to boost productivity Consider integrating nutritious foods into your daily routine that will benefit mental health with the added advantage of enhancing your physical appearance.
Blueberries
By increasing blood flow to critical brain regions, the flavonoids in blueberries decrease the risk of cognitive decline improving memory and attention to activities. Dr. Steven Platt, MD, author of Superfoods Rx: Fourteen Foods Proven to Change Your Life calls them “brainberries,” as they have one of the highest antioxidant components of all fruits and vegetables. These tiny berries contain a powerful memory-protecting chemical known as “vaccinium cyanococcus.” While it is not difficult to eat a serving of blueberries plain, they can also be added to yogurt, granola or other cereals, fruit salads and green salads. For a healthy yet decadent treat, few desserts that can beat a blueberry pie.
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Dark chocolate
Leafy greens Nuts and seeds
All you need is an ounce of nuts and seeds each day to substantially reduce cognitive fog. High in protein, fiber, minerals, vitamins, and brain-friendly essential fatty acids, these substances also help suppress our appetites, preventing us from overindulging and becoming sluggish. A handful of almonds, walnuts, pistachios, sunflower seeds, or pumpkin seeds is a healthy snack, and a tablespoon of chia seeds added to a smoothie or juice can help dissipate brain fog, like mist before the sun.
Avocados
Avocado is a delicious fruit native to South Central Mexico. It belongs to the flowering plant family Lauraceae. Oddly enough, botanists categorize them as a berry – although a very large one. Some brain experts have called this creamy, nutrient dense fruit the world’s most perfect food. A tasty and nutritious food option, these babies are a powerful energy booster. Avocados are high in dietary fiber, with one serving providing up to 40% of our daily needs. They also contain Oleic acid and other omega fatty acids, which contribute to the development of the myelin sheath, a protective coating on neurons that allows information in your brain to flow at a rapid rate. Avocado works wonders in a salad, on a sandwich, and of course it is the key ingredient in guacamole..
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Leafy greens are the pinnacle of superfoods, containing a plethora of vitamins and minerals in abundance. Strongflavored greens like spinach and kale are like magic potions that clear and refresh the mind. Kale is one of the finest sources of vitamin K, an essential nutrient for memory. Kale is also high in dietary fiber, B vitamins, and folate, which is essential for brain development. The B vitamins, often known as “antistress vitamins,” promote longevity by decreasing memory loss and depression. Kale is also a good source of magnesium, which aids in relaxation, helping your brain recharge properly during sleep. A team from Frontiers for Aging Neuroscience found that lutein, which is a pigment found in kale, accumulates in the brain, where it is believed to be neuroprotective. Because it is retained throughout one’s lifetime, it could help preserve brain health. In fact, all Brassicas, a genus including 37 species in the Mustard family, have similar properties to kale. Broccoli, collard greens, bok choy, cabbage, brussels sprouts and turnip greens should be enjoyed regularly. Spinach, and other members of the Amaranth family, such as Swiss chard and beet greens, are also high in vitamins and minerals. Leafy greens, while often cooked, can also be eaten fresh, “wilted,” or “massaged” in a salad, added to a smoothie, baked into a casserole, or hidden within other baked goods.
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This delicious treat’s high antioxidant content and natural stimulants are great for improving mental clarity. Unlike milk chocolate, dark chocolate uses cocoa butter rather than dairy, and contains significantly less sugar. It normally contains between 60 and 99 percent chocolate or cacao. The greater the cocoa content, the richer and more bittersweet the taste. Dark chocolate may contain vanilla and other emulsifiers such as soy lecithin to keep its unique flavor and texture. Cocoa contains more phenolic antioxidants than most foods, including wine and tea. This helps prevent free radical damage and removes toxins from the body. Minerals include manganese, magnesium, iron, and copper. Dark chocolate also contains phosphate, potassium, selenium, calcium, and vitamins K, B-12, and vitamin A. Dark chocolate with a cocoa level of 70% or more is associated with many health benefits. The best dark chocolate contains 70 percent or higher cacao percentage. It promotes the release of endorphins, which are good for our brain and mood. Two pieces of dark chocolate a day may help you think better and feel good.
Additional ways to maintain mental clarity Stay hydrated
Seventy percent of our body is water. Every organ in your body and its capacity to work correctly depends on essential water levels in your body. When you are not properly hydrated, your cognitive function, concentration, and energy all diminish, and important bodily processes are impaired. To improve cognitive abilities and concentration, it is recommended to drink at least eight glasses of water each day.
Spiritual development
While eating a healthy diet can go far in helping to improve focus and productivity, adopting a spiritual outlook can push you still further. When one puts emphasis on character, strives to improve morally, and treats others with kindness, maintaining a clear mind becomes second nature.
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