Vision Times Newspaper VOL.50 DEC 17 ,2021 by Vision Times -Bringing you Truth, Inspiration, Hope

VOL.050 DEC 17 - DEC 23 , 2021

VISION TIMES

By Todd Crawford Vision Times

Facebook: Fact Checks Might Not Actually Be Factual

n Wednesday Dec. 15, the Federal Reserve (Fed) lifted its forecast for U.S. inflation in 2022 to 2.6 percent, up from its prior estimate of 2.2 percent, sending signals that price pressures won’t dissipate for Americans as rapidly as senior officials once believed.

5 percent inflation

A year ago, inflation was near zero, practically non-existent and was a distant concern; however over a 12-month period ending in Oct. 2021, Americans have had to endure upwards of 5 percent inflation which marked the fastest increase in 31 years. The consumer price index (CPI) has surged to its highest level in almost 40 years and businesses are noticing. Retail sales for November, a typical busy pre-holiday season, hardly rose at all and when adjusted for inflation actually declined.

Inflation to 2024 expected

(Image: Getty Images)

By Vision Times News

n 2021, China’s economy finds itself in chaos. According to its National Bureau of Statistics, China’s GDP grew by 18.3 percent in the first quarter, 7.9 percent in the second quarter, and fell sharply by 4.9 percent in the third quarter. Some analysts have predicted it to continue dropping below 4, or even 3 percent in the fourth quarter. This article outlines the seven major policies of the CCP that have devastated China’s economy. Continued on A4

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By Jonathan Walker Vision Times

acebook has long been accused of censoring content through thirdparty fact-checkers. Such factcheckers go through the controversial content and give a judgment on whether such content is based on facts or not. Many people have accused these fact-checkers of being incorrect and biased in their approach. Now, Facebook itself has admitted that articles labeled as “fact-checked” are not an admission that such articles contain actual facts. Facebook’s admission came during the company’s court battle with television presenter John Stossel who had sued the platform for defamation after Facebook added “fact check” labels on Stossel’s videos on climate change. In its court filing, Facebook insisted that Stossel failed to state a claim for defamation. Stossel failed to establish that Meta (Facebook’s new name) “acted with actual malice,” the filing said. The defendant’s claim focuses on fact-check articles written by Climate Feedback and not the labels

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It’s wrong for Facebook to give these activists the power to throttle videos they don’t like. John Stossel, television presenter

“affixed through” the Facebook platform. “The labels themselves are neither false nor defamatory; to the contrary, they constitute protected opinion. And even if Stossel could attribute Climate Feedback’s separate webpages to Meta, the challenged statements on those pages are likewise neither false nor defamatory. Any of these failures would doom Stossel’s complaint, but the combination makes any amendment futile,” the court filing states. fact-checking process is not a guarantee that an article contains actual facts. The admis-

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sion raises questions on the need for fact-checkers and Facebook’s censorship of posts flagged by such fact-checkers. In a write-up by The Epoch Times in October last year, Stossel laid out the crux of the problem he has with Facebook. One of his videos on climate change was flagged with a warning stating “missing context.” The label stated that the information in the video could be misleading according to “independent fact-checkers.” As a result, some of his viewers criticized him for posting such information. Stossel points out that such labels and warnings end up affecting the future view count of his videos. The video was fact-checked by an entity called Climate Feedback which claims to sort out “fact from fiction.” “With this lawsuit, Stossel asks the Court to declare that Defendants are not permitted to hide behind the masquerade of a ‘fact-check’ to defame him with impunity, and that they must make him whole for the damage they have maliciously caused by their provably false and disparaging statements about his reporting,” the complaint states.

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Hochul Imposes Statewide Mask Mandate Over Fears of a ‘Cold Weather Surge’ By Todd Crawford Vision Times

ver fears of a cold weather surge in COVID-19 infections, on Dec.10 New York Gov. Kathy Hochul announced that masks will be mandatory in all indoor public places in the state unless businesses or venues implement a vaccine mandate. The mandate will stay in place until Jan. 15 at which time it will be reevaluated. Hochul cited a rising number of cases and hospitalizations as justification for reinstating the mask mandate. In April 2020, early in the pandemic, New York state enacted a mask mandate that ended in June 2021 for vaccinated individuals only. Continued on A2

Omicron Severely Escapes AstraZeneca and Pfizer Vaccines (Image: AdobeStocks)

7 Ways China Is Destroying Its Own Economy

NY-DC EDITION

(Image: Getty Images)

Panic at the Fed: Interest Rate Increases Coming as Inflation Soars

Inflation in 2023 is predicted to slow to 2.3 percent and in 2024 Americans can expect to shoulder another 2.1 percent in inflation. This acknowledged reality has prompted the Fed to clear the way for earlier and faster interest rate hikes in 2022. Continued on A3

$2.00

By Neil Campbell Vision Times

new study published by Oxford researchers, many of whom are affiliated with the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences (CAMS), have found the Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID19), is severely evading antibodies generated by the AstraZeneca and Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines. The study is a short, seven page preprint submitted to medRxiv on Dec. 11. In the experiment, Oxford/CAMS researchers examined blood serum taken from 43 test subjects in the Com-COV2 study published in The Lancet on Dec. 6, which examined adults aged over 50 for the results of mixing vaccine flavors between first and second doses (i.e. first dose Pfizer, second dose Moderna). Continued on A7

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NATION

A2 | DEC 17 - DEC 23, 2021

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Hochul Imposes Statewide Mask Mandate Over Fears of a ‘Cold Weather Surge’ Continued from FRONT

uring a recent public appearance in New York City, Hochul said, “We’re entering a time of uncertainty and we could either plateau here or our cases could get out of control,” the Associated Press (AP) reported. New York state joins a slew of other states that have implemented similar countermeasures in an attempt to stave off infections and hospitalizations due to COVID-19 including Washington, Oregon, Illinois, New Mexico, Nevada and Hawaii. Violators of the mask mandate could face both civil and criminal penalties, including a fine of up to $1,000.00. Local health departments will be responsible for enforcing the mandate.

Hochul recently announced the reinstatement of a statewide mask mandate out of fear of a cold weather surge. (Image: Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

The measure overreach

While some cheered the announcement others called the mask mandate an overreach stating the measure places additional burdens on businesses already struggling with the fall-out of the pandemic and that the mandate will not be enforced.

Violators of the mask mandate could face both civil and criminal penalties, including a fine of up to $1,000.00.

(Image: Chesnot/Getty Images)

Republican Ed Day, Rockland County Executive, told AP via a prepared release, “I told the governor’s staff that we cannot and will not enforce this requirement as it currently stands.” Niagara County Legislature Chair Becky Wydysh, Republican, said in a statement that the county will take an “educate to cooperate approach” when enforcing the mandate indicating a relaxed approach to enforcement. Last week the state recorded more than 68,000 positive tests

for the virus over a seven day period prompting Hochul to conclude that “we are heading upward in a direction that I no longer find sustainable.” In New York, close to 3,500 people are currently hospitalized with confirmed COVID-19 infections, a number that is nearly double the cases identified on Nov. 7 when 1,794 people were in hospital with the disease. Over the course of the pandemic, 2,835,295 cases have been identified in New York state resulting in 58,017 deaths.

Restaurant Owner Gets 90 Days' Prison for Violating COVID Mandate to File Federal Lawsuit By Victor Westerkamp Vision Times

n Albert Lea bistro owner who was sentenced to three months in prison plus a $1000 fine for violating the Minnesota COVID-19 state mandate will file a federal lawsuit. Lisa Hanson, 57, defied Governor Tim Waltz’s executive order on COVID-19 by keeping her Interchange Wine and Beer Bistro business open, serving alcoholic beverages indoors through November and December 2020 during the state-imposed lockdown — a decision that brought her on a collision course with Chief District Judge Joseph Bueltel. Hanson, who defended herself in court during her three-day trial from Dec. 8 to 10 at the Freeborn County courthouse, was charged with six criminal misdemeanor counts each of which came with a $1,000 fine and 90 days in prison. The restaurant owner while receiving legal aid from the National Taskforce, an independent nonprofit body of legal adviwww.visiontimes.com

sors, mainly invoked her constitutional rights during trial. However, all of her attempts to do so were brushed off by Bueltel, calling her pleas without merit or in violation of law or court procedure.

Defying the COVID mandate

Judge Bueltel, who did little to conceal his personal animosity towards Hanson on at least three occasions, insinuated she “only wanted to make money” while others had to shut down during the pandemic and that she thereby had jeopardized the health of others. “You don’t get to decide you’re governor,” Bueltel berated Hanson, according to the Star Tribune. “You don’t have that role. You were a public risk. You kept your business open. … You were making money while suckers down the street closed.” Hanson, in her closing argument, opposed the judge lamenting “the abusive exercise of government authority” and “the overreach of an overzealous government.” It took the jury one hour to unan-

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(Image: Interchange/Facebook)

imously declare Hanson guilty on all six counts and the prosecutor demanded a $500 fine and ten days imprisonment. Hanson said she was “a good person.” “I don’t need a fine,” she said. “I don’t need to go to jail. I need to be with my family.”

How the judge sentenced

But for judge Bueltel the prosecutor’s requests didn’t go far enough. “You don’t want to recognize our law. I want to reinforce that the

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Front of the Interchange Wine andCoffee Bistro in Albert Lea, Minnesota which will never open its doors again after a county judge jailed its proprietor Lisa Hanson for defying Minnesota State executive order by keeping her business open during the lockdown in December 2020

law does apply to you,” he said. “I want to send a message to the community that executive orders are law,” as he handed down an even stronger sentence of a $1,000 fine and 90 days imprisonment. When Hanson asked the judge to explain how such sentencing would work in practice, he said, “You’re your own counsel, so figure it out.” Keith Haskell, of the National Task Force who assisted Hanson during the process, was furious ad.ny@visiontimes.com

over the verdict and even more so over judge Bueltel’s unprofessional behavior in the courtroom.

Filing appeal

Haskell indicated their team would push for the disbarment of Judge Joseph Bueltel and Albert Lea Prosecutor Kelly Martinez while saying the whole show was a blatant sample of “prosecutor misconduct, judiciary misconduct,” KeyC News reported. “I’d even go as far as to say judiciary tyranny, “ Haskell said. “This was a railroad job and I can prove it on paper,” he said, adding, “We just decided to fight fire with fire.” “Lisa is actually in good spirits,” Haskell said. When she left the courtroom, her last words were ‘freedom and liberty for all,’” he said, adding that, “…We talked about possibilities, she said, ‘hey, no matter what, I’m going to hold my head high.’” Haskell said he was hoping to grant the Hanson family “the best Christmas present they’ve ever had,” hinting at the imminent filing of her case in the Federal Courts in St. Paul.

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NATION

VISION TIMES

DEC 17 - DEC 23, 2021 |

Panic at the Fed: Interest Rate Increases Coming as Inflation Soars Continued from FRONT

hile the Fed’s policy making committee left its benchmark rate near zero it now projects three rate hikes in 2022 up from one in its September forecast. Three additional rate hikes are expected in 2023 and two more in 2024. All in all interest rates are predicted to be at 2.1 percent by the end of 2024.

In this aerial view, crews clear the rubble at the Mayfield Consumer Products candle factory after it was destroyed by a tornado three days prior, on December 13, 2021 in Mayfield, Kentucky.

Bond-buying stimulus program

(Image: Scott Olson/ Getty Images)

Managers at Tornado-hit Kentucky Factory Allegedly Told Workers to Stay or Be Fired By Neil Campbell Vision Times

factory where eight people died and was destroyed during a catastrophic tornado strike last week in Kentucky told their workers if they leave early amid storm warnings, they would be fired, according to statements given by staff to the media. A Dec. 3 article by CNBC that interviewed staff of the nowruined Mayfield Consumer Products (MCP), a business reported to produce scented candles, stated “as many as 15 workers beseeched managers to let them take shelter at their own homes, only to have their requests rebuffed.” CNBC interviewed an employee of the company, a 21-year-old woman, from her hospital bed, who was paraphrased as saying staff first tried to leave when tornado sirens went off at 5:30 p.m. The first set of sirens turned out to be a false alarm as staff hid in bathrooms and hallways, “After employees decided that the immediate danger had passed, several began asking to go home, the workers said.” The woman told CNBC she heard managers tell other staff-

(Image: Scott Olson/Getty Images)

Five employees who spoke with CNBC said that management told staff if they leave to take shelter they would face termination. (Image: Scott Olson/Getty Images)

ers, “If you leave, you’re more than likely to be fired.” “I heard that with my own ears,” she said. According to the article, as the tornado struck the building during the second set of sirens, she was near the wax and fragrance room and was suddenly hit in the head

by a piece of falling concrete and pinned under a fallen wall. CNBC said she was trapped for six hours, describing her injuries as, “Several chemical burn marks on her legs, her buttocks and her forehead from the candle wax. She also sustained kidney damage, her urine is black, and she still can’t move her legs because of the swelling and from having been motionless for so long.” Another 29-year-old female employee clarified to the outlet that there was a three or four hour gap between the first set of sirens and when the real tornado struck, and it was the night shift that had been asking to leave with disaster pending. The woman said that managers

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did not want to let staff leave during the first set of sirens for safety reasons and instructed them to hide in the bathrooms and hallways. But after the first warning turned out to be a false alarm, everyone was sent back to work. Another 20-year-old male employee told CNBC, “I asked to leave and they told me I’d be fired.” “Even with the weather like this, you’re still going to fire me?” he asked, adding that the answer from his boss was an unequivocal “Yes.” The young man said managers even took a roll call in order to confirm who had left without authorization. A spokesperson for the company characterized the claims as “absolutely untrue.” The report said there were approximately 110 people inside the facility when the tornado struck. Beshear was further paraphrased as stating, “Of the 110 workers who were believed to be at the factory when the tornado hit, there have been only 40 rescues of workers by first responders.” MCP’s spokesperson told the Journal, however, that all 110 employees had been accounted for with eight fatalities.

The Fed has also announced that it will be ending its bondbuying stimulus program for the U.S. economy sooner than previously planned. Previously they were going to end the program in June of this year however have now moved it up to March.

It projects three rate hikes in 2022 up from one in its September forecast. In an attempt to keep long-term interest rates low, the Fed has been buying $120 billion in bonds on a monthly basis. The scheme was concocted in an attempt to keep rates for auto loans and mortgages low while providing an environment where it was cheaper for businesses to invest. Despite its abrupt moves the Fed insists that the amount of inflation currently being experienced is primarily due to temporary shortages of labor and business supplies tied to the pandemic and these shortages are expected to abate in 2022.

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CHINA

A4 | DEC 17 - DEC 23, 2021

VISION TIMES Adobe Stock

News analysis

‘Zero Tolerance’ COVID-19 policy

As the pandemic continues to ravage communities in its second year, people around the world have tried to resume some sense of normalcy while co-existing with the virus. The CCP however, continues to enforce a strict “zero tolerance” COVID19 policy, resulting in the locking down of communities every time a single confirmed case is found and enforcing mass nuclei testing. In the city of Ruili, one toddler has been tested more than 70 times, which shows the absurdity of the “zero tolerance” policy. Chinese leader Xi Jinping also hasn’t traveled abroad or received foreign guests for more than 20 months. The CCP has defended its COVID-19 protocol, with deputy director for the National Health Commissions’ Disease Control Bureau, Wu Liangyou, saying it “demonstrates the strength of a system based on the people’s will.”

7 WAYS CHINA IS DESTROYING

ITS OWN ECONOMY

Continued from A1

Biased ‘antimonopoly’ laws

In late 2020, Beijing began cracking down on the country’s private and tech sectors under the slogan of “strengthening anti-monopoly and preventing disorderly expansion of capital.” On Nov. 18, the National Anti-Monopoly Bureau was officially inaugurated. Legislation was also revised for the first time in 13 years to include anti-monopoly laws. Several penalties by the country’s regulators have resulted in severe loss of profit for tech giants Alibaba, Tencent and Baidu after being fined billions of yuan for violating Anti-Monopoly laws. Online platform giant DiDi was also forced to delist from the U.S. stock exchange after a joint investigation by seven departments resulted in its removal from app stores.

Demographic decline

When analyzing this year’s census data, China’s demographics are currently in severe crisis. The crisis can be attributed to two factors: a rapidly declining birth rate and the growing elderly population. China’s birth rate dropped from 21.06 per 1,000 people in 1990 to 12.07 in 2015 and to only 10.48 per every 1,000 in 2019. The birth rate has been declining continuously since 2016. Secondly, the sharp increase in China’s aging population continues to rise. In 2020, 18.7 percent of its population was aged 60 and above and 13.5 percent was aged 65 and above, an increase of 5.44 and 4.63 percent, respectively. These two trends have already significantly impacted the Chinese economy. Based on the demographic changes, demographer Yi Fuxian has projected that China’s economic growth rate will continue to decelerate, most likely falling below 4.7 percent after 2025.

Draconian data control policies resulting in a ‘digital Berlin Wall’

The Chinese government considers data as the equivalent of oil of the 21st century, an indispensable resource for driving artificial intelligence algorithms, economic strength, and national power. The CCP therefore regards data and the digital economy as a major opportunity to “overtake” the U.S. Chinese regulators have aimed to create a “data Berlin Wall” in protecting its intellectual property. The CCP has also succeeded in forcing Tesla, Apple, and other Western companies to build dedicated Chinese data centers. Reuters reported on Nov. 16 that after China introduced a new data law, some Chinese ships became untrackable, severely disrupting the global supply chain. www.visiontimes.com

Exploitive reforms resulting in panic across the real estate market

Power shortages due to systemic problems

The CCP’s policy of “double control of energy consumption” includes two elements: “energy consumption per unit of GDP” and “total energy consumption.” Although the policy has been implemented for many years, it hasn’t impacted this year in terms of carbon peaks and neutrality. However, since 2020, because of the pandemic, some provinces and municipalities took a chance and were loose in implementing the energy policy. On Sept. 16, the National Development and Reform Commission announced another program to improve the intensity and total production of energy. Under pressure, local governments engaged in campaign-style emissions reduction and forcefully restricted electricity consumption. The shortages highlight a structural problem in power supply and institutional management across China. The structural problem refers to the phenomenon of “electricity surplus throughout the year but a shortage in peak times.” The communist-styled policy is used to reverse the price of coal and electricity. The price of coal is based on market prices, but coal plants are controlled by the government, resulting in a phenomenon where the more energy coal plants generate, the more money they lose.

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In 2003, the CCP positioned the real estate industry as one of the pillar forces in driving national economic development. The “main body of housing supply” switched from affordable housing to commercial housing. This has resulted in an absurd situation where 90 percent of China’s urban housing is luxury real estate, which most people cannot afford. On one hand, the price of commercial housing has been rising exponentially, and on the other hand, the construction of affordable housing has been marginalized and cut. Not only have Chinese people struggled to pay their mortgages in the era of “high housing prices,” but the housing market has also created an unprecedented bubble, impacting the economy in four ways: 1. Economic growth (about 1/4 of GDP growth rate) 2. Local finance (about 1/3 of broad local revenue) 3. Bank credit (about 40 percent) 4. Residents’ wealth (more than 70 percent) The housing bubble has posed a sizable threat to the nation’s economy. Since 2020, new regulations have been introduced such as the tightening of loans for home purchases, making it increasingly more challenging for real estate companies to survive. The most prominent case is the collapse of real estate giant Evergrande Group. 212-730-6963

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The housing bubble has posed a sizable threat to the nation’s economy. Since 2020, new regulations have been introduced such as the tightening of loans for home purchases, making it increasingly more challenging for real estate companies to survive.

The specter of ‘common prosperity’

One of the most far-reaching CCP policies is the concept of “common prosperity” advocated by Chinese leader Xi Jinping on Aug. 17. The policy suggests an institutional arrangement that coordinates the distribution of wealth equally amongst the wealthy and poor. After Beijing launched the “common prosperity” campaign, tech giants have begun donating millions of dollars and competing to outshine each other in charity work. Tencent was the first to announce a total donation of 100 billion yuan, followed by Pinduoduo’s 10 billion yuan. China’s largest e-commerce firm Alibaba launched the “Ten Actions to Promote Shared Prosperity” on Sept. 2, vowing to donate 100 billion yuan by 2025. All these examples suggest that “common prosperity” isn’t just a policy or propaganda slogan, but a scheme created by the CCP to fundamentally restructure the economy as it sinks into recession. 703-868-1509

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CHINA Jimmy Lai, 7 Others Sentenced for Urging Participation in Banned Tiananmen Vigil VISION TIMES

By Todd Crawford

Lawyer, Chow Hang-tung and former reporter Gwyneth Ho, were sentenced to 12 and six months respectively for participating in the vigil which thousands had attended. The annual vigil is held to memorialize victims of the Chinese army’s brutal crackdown on student-led pro-democracy protests that occurred in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square in 1989. Former chairman of the now shuttered Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China (The Alliance), Lee Cheuk-yan was also sentenced Monday. Lee received 14 months for organizing last year’s “unauthorized” assembly. The peaceful candlelight vigil is held each June and is the only large-scale commemoration of the Tiananmen Square Massacre held on Chinese soil. To date, more than a dozen activists have plead guilty to participating in the vigil and have been convicted including pro-democracy activist Joshua Wong, who was sentenced to 10 months in jail for his participation.

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Hong kong pro-democracy media mogul Jimmy Lai.(Image: VERNON YUEN/Getty Images)

The law has been used to impose harsh sentences on individuals that authorities deem a threat to China’s national security.

Protester Alexandra Wong dubbed "Grandma Wong" holds up signs outside China's Liaison Office in Hong Kong calling on China to free a group of Hong Kong democracy activists facing trial in China. (Image: Peter PARKS/Getty Images)

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Apple Daily

Lai was the founder of Apple Daily that’s assets were frozen and offices raided by Hong Kong authorities earlier this year. In June, Apple Daily’s headquarters in Hong Kong were swarmed by hundreds of Hong Kong police officers with authorities arresting several executives including its editor-in-chief in what was largely panned as a “blatant attack” on its editorial team. Five directors of the pro-democracy paper were taken into custody at the time and were accused of “collusion with a foreign country or with external elements to endanger national security,” Apple Daily reported at the time. The primary tool utilized by authorities is the contentious National Security Law (NSL) which was imposed on Hong Kong in June 2020. According to Chinese authorities the law is intended to safeguard national security and ensure social stability however was immediately wielded as a potent weapon against prodemocracy activists in Hong Kong.

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Fitch: China’s Evergrande Finally Defaults On Debt By Ashok Ramprasad Vision Times

n Monday, Dec. 13, Jimmy Lai, founder of the nowdefunct pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily, along with seven others was sentenced by a Hong Kong court to 13 months in prison for urging participation in last year’s banned Tiananmen vigil. The Hong Kong District Court handed out similar sentences to all the convicted with sentences of up to 14 months. Lai, 73, was already serving a sentence for taking part in prodemocracy protests. In total, Lai is expected to serve 20 months.

Chow Hang-tung.(Image: Getty Images)

DEC 17 - DEC 23, 2021 |

n Dec. 9, the U.S. credit rating agency Fitch downgraded the company and affiliates to “restricted default.” The designation implies that the company has officially defaulted but has not yet commenced any bankruptcy filings, liquidation, or other processes that would end its operations. The rating firm’s deduction was prompted after Evergrande did not respond to a request made by Fitch for verifying whether coupon payments worth $82.5 million were made or not. The 30-day grace period for the payment had expired on Dec. 6. Fitch said it assumed that they were not paid. With the Chinese government earlier imposing curbs to prevent excessive borrowing and speculation in the real estate sector, Evergrande and other property developers are struggling to complete projects and repay contractors, banks, and investors. Evergrande’s total liabilities are over $300 billion, but Beijing has shown reluctance to bail out the company. As a result, the world’s most indebted developer could be forced to undergo restructuring amid fears that the default could trigger a bigger crisis in China’s property market. Twenty-five years after it was founded by Hui Ka Yan, the downgrade potentially marks the beginning of the end for Evergrande, once an exemplar of China’s real estate boom. The financial situation of the company is likely to lead to a prolonged conflict over who receives payment from what is left. The People’s Bank of China (PBoC) has said that the crisis at Evergrande was caused by its “own poor management” and “reckless expansion.” Yi Gang, the central bank governor, recently said that while a bailout wasn’t being considered, the company would undergo a typical reorganization. In a stock exchange filing On Dec. 3, Evergrande declared that it might not be able to meet its financial obligations and was willing to “actively engage” with its offshore creditors as it moves ahead with restructuring its debt. Creditors have demanded the company to pay about $260 million.

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In regards to repaying Evergrande’s debts, the Chinese government is expected to prioritize employees, homeowners, and creditors who have provided funds through domestic wealth management products. As a result, offshore bondholders are last in the queue for repayment. Bondholders who hold $19.2 billion worth of Evergrande dollar notes are staring at a very real possibility of a drastic reduction in the value of their holdings. Beijing has announced that it will dispatch a working group to supervise risk management, improve internal controls, and sustain normal operations at Evergrande. To manage the company’s restructuring, a new seven-member “risk management committee” has been set up. It consists of officials from China Cinda Asset Management Co., the country’s largest bad-debt manager, and senior managers from Guangdong state-owned entities. Two members from Evergrande, including founder Hui, and another individual from a law firm are also included. (Getty Images)

Evergrande Group Founder Xu Jiayin

Fitch also declared that Kaisa Group, a smaller property company that has also plunged into massive debt, missed on a $400-million offshore bonds repayment. Kaisa’s ratings too have fallen to “restricted default.” In an interview with Reuters, Robin Usson, credit analyst at Federated Hermes, said that the defaults of Evergrande and developer Kaisa are just a prelude. The next step is China’s Property downturn with the systemic risk being gradually replaced by idiosyncratic risk. “It will be interesting to see the role played by SOEs (state-owned enterprises) in the restructuring process, the level of ‘control’ exerted by the government over this ‘marketed-oriented approach,’” he said.

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WORLD

A6 | DEC 17 - DEC 23, 2021

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New Zealand Vows to Ban Cigarettes for Future Generations Starting in 2022 New Zealand's strategy

By Victor Westerkamp Vision Times

ew Zealand has vowed to make the country tobacco-free by implementing a new regulation that forbids people born after 2008 from ever obtaining cigarettes legally. The law still needs to pass several legislative rounds but since the ruling Labor Party holds a singleparty majority in parliament the new law will probably take effect by next year. The New Zealand Ministry of Health estimates that smoking generates around 4,500 to 5,000 casualties per year or 15 percent of all deaths in New Zealand.

Minister Dr. Ayesha Verrall speaks during a media opportunity at Mainfreight on October 14, 2021, in Wellington, New Zealand. Verrall has vowed to ban the sale of tobacco to the next generation in an attempt to phase out smoking eventually. (Image: HAGEN HOPKINS/Getty Images)

“Smoking is still the leading cause of preventable death in New Zealand and causes 1 in 4 cancers,” Dr. Ayesha Verrall, New Zealand’s Food Safety Minister and sponsor of the law argued adding that, “Smoking-related harm is particularly prevalent in our Maori, Pacific, and low-income communities,” the Washington Examiner reported. “You meet, every day, someone facing the misery caused by tobacco,” Verrall told The Associated Press (AP). “The most horrible ways people die. Being short of breath, caused by tobacco.” But not for long according to Varrell, who explained that the age barrier will be raised each year by

“It will help people quit or switch to less harmful products, and make it much less likely that young people get addicted to nicotine.” Prof Janet Hook, University of Otago

one year, theoretically eradicating tobacco from New Zealand eighty years from now. “We want to make sure young people never start smoking so we will make it an offense to sell or supply smoked tobacco products to new cohorts of youth. People aged 14 when the law comes into effect will never be able to legally purchase tobacco,” Verrall told Deseret News. But first, the goal is to reduce the number of smokers to 5 percent of New Zealand’s population by 2025. “It will help people quit or switch to less harmful products, and make it much less likely that young people get addicted to nicotine.” Prof Janet Hook, University of Otago

The IMF conducted a semi-secretive cyberattack simulation on the global financial system the same day as the Apache Log4j exploit was made public.

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IMF Ran a Financial System Cyberattack Simulation the Same Day as Apache Log4j Exploit Exposed By Neil Campbell Vision Times

he International Monetary Fund (IMF) organized and conducted a cyberattack training simulation targeting global financial infrastructure the same day as the new Apache log4j (Log4Shell) exploit became public. Ten countries, including Israel, Germany, the United States, and France participated in the event.

Israel led the event

In a Dec. 9 exclusive report by Reuters, “The simulated ‘war game’, as Israel’s Finance Ministry called it and planned over the past year, evolved over 10 days, with sensitive data emerging on the Dark Web. The simulation also used fake news reports that in the scenario caused chaos in global markets and a run on banks.” “An attempt to increase cooperation that could help to minimise any potential damage to financial markets and banks.”The event is described www.visiontimes.com

The event was titled “Collective Strength” and also included the UAE, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, the Netherlands, and Thailand. Little details about the simulation appear to be available. However, the IMF website does hold minutes of opening remarks given by Deputy Managing Director Bo Li, a man who formerly held the position of Deputy Governor of the Chinese Communist Party’s People’s Bank of China (PBOC), at a 2021 Cybersecurity Workshop initiated on Dec. 6. Li’s comments spoke of topics such as “the impact of technology shifting away from improving efficiency and moving toward enabling the transformation of business operations and social interaction.” In the “potential next steps” section of the speech, Li’s narrative turned markedly globalist, “As with other global challenges, a collective effort will be critical. Both public- and private-sectors will need to come together to tackle common problems, such as data recovery. They will also need

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to work together and utilize new and transformational technologies and data to strengthen our overall cyber resilience.”

An attempt to increase cooperation that could help to minimise any potential damage to financial markets and banks. The event is described

Apache log4j exploit exposed

The same day on Dec. 9, a severe,

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critical exploit against the Apache log4j function, extensively used in many Java-based applications, was made public. The exploit is so critical and affects so many systems that it led to entities as large as the Government of Quebec and the Canada Revenue Agency taking themselves entirely offline as a preemptive measure. CNET quoted one cyber security firm as stating it had “detected over 800,000 attempted exploits of the bug in the first 72 hours after it became public.” The Government of Switzerland reported the vulnerability had not affected critical infrastructure yet, but was being used to deploy mass-malware to convert normal systems into nodes of botnets that conduct Distributed Denial of Service attacks or quietly mine cryptocurrencies for their creators.

The Internet chaos preparations in other organizations

In July, the WEF conducted a

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cyberattack simulation of its own dubbed Cyber Polygon 2021 with a similar purpose, but focused on disruptions of the digital supply chain. Names as enormous as Russia’s state-owned Sberbank, Interpol, IBM, ICANN, and Visa all participated. The Scenario Page of the training exercise described itself as, “An outbreak of a novel zoonotic coronavirus transmitted from bats to pigs to people that eventually becomes efficiently transmissible from person to person, leading to a severe pandemic. The pathogen and the disease it causes are modeled largely on SARS, but it is more transmissible in the community setting by people with mild symptoms.” A highlight video of the exercise, published by event organizers, is still publicly available online and is shocking in its likeness to how international media and government have handled COVID-19 in the last two years.

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WORLD

VISION TIMES

DEC 17 - DEC 23, 2021 |

Omicron Severely Escapes AstraZeneca and Pfizer Vaccines: Oxford Study Continued from A1

North and South Korea Agree ‘In Principle’ to End Korean War

Seoul Will Not Boycott Beijing Olympics

A South Korean soldier stands next to the loudspeakers near the border area between South Korea and North Korea on January 8, 2016 in Yeoncheon, South Korea.

By Alina Wang Vision Times

orth and South Korea, along with the U.S. and China, have agreed on a “fundamental and principal level” to officially declare an end to the Korean war after nearly seventy years of strife in the Korean peninsula. The Korean War, which took place in 1950-53, ended with an armistice between both sides instead of a peace treaty. This has meant that the two nations have officially remained in a state of war for more than seven decades. South Korean President Moon Jae-in announced on Dec. 13 in Australia that the ongoing hostility between the two nations was “unstable” and a formal peace declaration could open the door for talks with Pyongyang on its nuclear weapons program.

A North Korean soldier stands guard as the border town reopens following North Korea's attack on Yeonpyeong in late November, on December 8, 2010 in Panmunjom, South Korea. (Image:Chung SungJun/Getty Images)

Pyongyang: ‘Rising tension due to US hostility’

Despite the “in principle” agreement however, Moon said that further advancement on the issue was being held back by North Korea’s continued objections to “rising tension due to U.S. hostility.” Because of this issue, Moon said all parties involved have not been able to formally sit down and discuss details on the declaration. Moon also told reporters in Canberra, where he is on a 4 day visit, that his government is not considering a diplomatic boycott of the upcoming Beijing Winter Olympics. The global sporting event, which is scheduled to take place in February 2022, is facing growing criticism and diplomatic boycotts by several countries in the West who have accused the Chiwww.visiontimes.com

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(Image: Korea PoolDonga Daily via Getty Images)

North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un (L) shakes hands with South Korea's President Moon Jae-in (R) at the Military Demarcation Line that divides their countries ahead of their summit at the truce village of Panmunjom on April 27, 2018. (ImageKOREA SUMMIT PRESS POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

nese government of large scale human rights violations. “We have not received any recommendations to participate in [the boycott] from any country, including the U.S., and the Korean government is not considering it,” Moon confirmed. The U.S., U.K, Canada and Australia have all announced that they will not be sending any diplomatic or official representation to the Games. Traditionally, high-level delegations are sent to each Olympic games. For the Summer Olympics held in Tokyo this year, first lady Jill Biden embarked on her first international solo trip leading an American contingent, while second gentleman Doug Emhoff also led a delegation to the Paralympic Games in August.

the war by calling it a “smokescreen to cover up hostile U.S. policy against Pyongyang.” At the time, North Korea’s Vice Foreign Minister Ri Thae Song said a peace declaration would not help ease tensions, pointing to an increase in American troop presence and weapon deployments in the region. Talks for denuclearization in an increasing arms race have remained at a standstill since the U.S.-North Korea summit held in Hanoi in 2019 concluded without an agreement. “South Korea is in a very difficult position. It just can’t go all-in on its alliance with the US because there is so much at stake when it comes to China.” Shin Kak-soo, South Korea’s former ambassador to Japan

he 43 subjects were “seronegative individuals,” [no natural exposure] and all were takers of consecutive doses of either the AstraZeneca adenovirus vector double stranded DNA or PfizerBioNTech messenger RNA gene therapy injections. 22 individuals took the AstraZeneca injection and 21 accepted the Pfizer-BioNTech injection. Serum samples taken by the Com-COV2 study, used by the Oxford preprint, were obtained only four weeks after the administration of the second dose, and the second dose was administered an average of 9 weeks after the first dose. The team performed their neutralization assay “using an isolate of Omicron obtained from an infected case in the UK,” and compared the resulting neutralization titres against the Victoria, Beta, and Delta strains. The Victoria variant is described as “an early pandemic SARSCoV-2 strain” by the researchers, who also note that Delta is considered responsible for 99 percent of all pre-Omicron cases globally. In the experiment’s results, Oxford/CAMS scientists found the 22 takers of the AstraZeneca flavor of injection fared substantially worse than those who took the Pfizer-BioNTech offering, with neutralizing titres having “dropped to below the detectable threshold in all but one participant.” Meanwhile, although “median neutralizing titres” in the 21 Pfizer-BioNTech recipients fared better, results were still markedly poor. Titres dropped 29.8 fold from 1609 against the Victoria variant to 54 against Omicron. The data of the study suggest Omicron is more antigenically distant from the original SARSCoV2 vaccine strain than the previously most distant strains Beta and Delta. “Reaching the unvaccinated with current vaccines remains a priority in order to reduce transmission levels and reduce the potential for severe disease in the immunologically naïve.”The team concluded.

Joint efforts required for the denuclearization of North Korea

Moon said he hopes the Beijing games will be seen as a means of opening up a continuous dialogue with Pyongyang. ABC reported that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and other top officials may also attend the upcoming Games. “South Korea regards the alliance with the U.S. as the cornerstone of diplomacy and security, but economically, relations with China are also very important,” Moon said, adding that, “China’s constructive efforts are required for peace and stability in the Korean Peninsula and the denuclearization of North Korea.” In September, North Korean officials sternly rejected Moon’s calls for an official declaration to end ADVERTISING INQUIRIES

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HISTORY

A8 | DEC 17 - DEC 23, 2021

First A.T.S. married in berlin. (Image: iwm)

Remembering Veterans, Both Living and Lost By Ila Bonczek

VISION TIMES

Admiral brind's wren daughter married in london. 22 january 1943, admiralty house.. (Image: iwm)

Admiral brind's wren daughter married in london. 22 january 1943, admiralty house. (Image: iwm)

colombo naval wedding. 10 october 1945, christ church, colombo, ceylon. an officer of HMS caradoc, sub lieut g h derre, rnr, of netherton, worcestershire, married leading wren e a drakes of norncastle, lincolnshire. (Image: iwm)

o one with a conscience likes war. The killing, the destruction, and the immeasurable suffering are all deplorable; yet there are certain things that humans are willing to fight, and even die for, like human rights and liberty. America has long been a symbol of freedom, yet it came at the price of many lives in the American Revolution (1775 – 1783). An estimated 7000 American, 10,000 French, 5000 Spanish, 6,000 British, and 1,800 Germain soldiers were lost in battle, yet up to ten times as many succumbed to disease under poor conditions. The Civil War of 1861-1865, too, was a war for freedom; with the country torn by slavery. This war claimed more American lives than any other conflict, with a casualty total of 623,026. An estimated 407,000 U.S. military casualties occurred in World War II, in which 16 million Americans served. Veterans serving in the Vietnam War number 5.9 million, while 7.8 million served in the Gulf War era. Veteran’s Day is a day to remember all those who have served or continue to serve their country; risking, and often giving their lives to protect the interests of others. Initially named Armistice (Latin for standing, or still, arms) Day, the tradition of commemorating veterans began on the first anniversary of the end of World War I, November 11, 1919. Armistice Day is still a public holiday in both France and Belgium. In the UK, Australia and Canada it is now called Remembrance Day, and Veterans are honored with a moment of silence at 11am. In the U.S, the annual observance became a national holiday in 1938. President Dwight D. Eisenhower officially changed the name to Veterans Day in 1954. Since the country’s founding in 1776, the U.S. has fought in several major wars and intervened in many more, with tens of millions of Americans serving in the armed forces through the generations, including most of our presidents. Americans killed in the line of duty number well over 1 million, with most of those deaths occurring in the Civil War and WWII. The U.S. currently has around 19 million living veterans who served during at least one war. The percentage of the population with military experience today is less than 10 percent, approximately half what it was 40 years ago at 18 percent. A projected drop of 35% by 2046 will leave only 12.6 million American veterans alive. On Veterans Day and Memorial Day (which honors only the deceased veterans) each year, there is a memorial service at Arlington National Cemetery, where over 400,000 people are buried, most of whom served in the military. www.visiontimes.com

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War Weddings Romance Amidst Chaos

orld War II was the biggest and deadliest war in history, yet in the midst of chaos, couples around the world still managed to fall in love and found ways to celebrate their relationships. Despite the food rationing and tense atmosphere, proposals and weddings went on as usual. In fact, there was a sudden increase in the number of weddings, as many couples were anxious to formalize their relationships in the face of an uncertain future. In 1942 alone, 1.8 million weddings took place, and two-thirds of the grooms were newly enlisted soldiers in the military. During the war, draft notices were frequently given with little time for preparation, so wedding plans had to be made quickly to accommodate the groom preparing for service, or home only on brief leaves. There were no Bahamas or romantic cruise ship honeymoons. If time even allowed

for that luxury, it was spent close to home.

By Jessica Chen

Many weddings during the war were very simple and modest. Fancy imported flowers were rare, so brides and their maids were adorned with common flowers found locally, such as lilies, carnations, and chrysanthemums. Even after World War II, Syd and Enid did not want a white wedding as there was still post-war rationing. Syd mentioned that “If you went on a honeymoon you had to show the landlady your ration book.”

Syd and Enid met at a church service in Liverpool when they were 20 years old, and got married in the same building on March 31, 1951. They recently celebrated 70 years of marriage. In comparing their ceremony to the lavish and meticulously planned weddings of modern times, Enid said: “We didn’t think about things like that back in those days. After we met at church nobody really proposed to anybody, we just took it for granted we would get married.”

In terms of cakes, people had to find creative ways to replace the rationed ingredients, including sugar, which was rationed all the way until September 1953. Butter-free cakes that used nutmeg and cinnamon for flavoring became popular. In order to

Wartime shortages necessitated recycling or reusing many goods, sometimes including the parachutes that soldiers brought home as souvenirs. The bride’s resourceful aunt simply cut around the bullet holes to make this dress. (Image: national museum of American history /Flickr)

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HISTORY

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All naval wedding in old delhi. 17 november 1943, st james church.(Image: iwm)

Haywards heath girl marries in trieste. (Image: iwm)

DEC 17 - DEC 23, 2021 |

Mr. & Mrs. Barrington and Wedding Party, about 1940-1945 (Image: getarchive)

Couples married during World War II had to keep things simple, but that didn’t stop them from having a beautiful wedding day and a wonderful marriage. (Image: Brevort /Flickr)

This newlywed couple, Cedelia Wrazen and Bronislaus Nowak, said they had a modest wedding due to food rationing. Both work at a company in Buffalo, New York, making condensers for the Navy. Photo by Marjory Collins, from Library of Congress.(Image: Emily Lee/shu)

royal marine of hms protector weds falkland island nurse. march 1963, port stanley, falkland islands. royal marine philip bitcheno, of ilford, essex, married his fiancee una, a falkland island nurse at the tabernacle in port stanley. (Image: iwm)

have enough food and drinks to serve at a reception, ration coupons were often pooled. If that was not possible, some couples would just dine at a restaurant after their ceremony. During the war and post-war periods, dresses were usually simple in shape with few ruf-

All naval wedding in old delhi. 17 november 1943, st james church, old delhi. lieutenant commander micheal haworth, dsc, rn was married to 3rd officer cynthia noble, wrns. both are serving on the staff of admiral sir james somerville, commander in chief, easten fleet. the bride was given away by rear admiral g j a miles, cb. (Image: iwm) www.visiontimes.com

fles, in order to save on fabric. In Enid’s case, she wore a suit, hat, and a string of pearls on her wedding day. The groom would often wear his military uniform in wedding photos rather than spend extra money on a suit. Bridal gowns made from parachute silk also became a trend during the war and continued after the war ended. Military parachutes were often made of nylon or silk because of their fiber strength. Women would keep the cream-colored parachutes that saved their fiancés’ lives as mementos and make them into bridal gowns. This was not only an excellent way to recycle scarce resources but was also a way to honor the men’s service. One man even offered his parachute in his proposal to his girlfriend, as it provided material for her gown. Even the granddaughter of former US President Theodore Roosevelt, Theodora Roosevelt, followed wartime austerity at her wedding. In ordinary times,

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it might have been an important society wedding, but The New York Times reported that there were no attendants at the couple’s ceremony and it was only observed by immediate relatives. Instead of a typical wedding gown, the bride wore “a brown faille suit, and straw hat with brown veiling.” Despite the death and destruction throughout World War II, life went on, love prevailed, and couples married. Even though the ceremonies had to be simple and inexpensive, they still became treasured memories of the happiest of days. Few would disagree that the most important part of a wedding is the people, not the dresses or the flowers. When bridal gowns are made from parachutes, it marks a determination in humankind to make the most of a bad situation. Those who can maintain resilience and a loving heart, in good times and in bad, will be able to survive through wars and (70 years of) marriage.

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All naval wedding in old delhi. 17 november 1943, st james church, old delhi. lieutenant commander micheal haworth, dsc, rn was married to 3rd officer cynthia noble, wrns. (Image: iwm)

The polish navy in britain, 1939-1947. (Image: Brevort /Flickr) ad.ny@visiontimes.com

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CULTURE

A10 | DEC 17 - DEC 23, 2021

VISION TIMES

‘Men Respectful, Women Humble’: The Wisdom in a Tr a d i t i o n a l C h i n e s e Id i o m Harmony in balance

By Sunny Chao and Leo Timm

much-maligned ancient Chinese saying, nan zun nü bei (男尊女卑), is often taken to mean “male superior, female inferior.” However, modern Chinese language and interpretation has obfuscated the meaning of the words, causing confusion about how traditional Chinese culture viewed the relationship between men and women. On the surface, the character zun (尊) means respect or exaltation, while bei (卑) implies lowliness and humility. Given the way the two characters are used to form words in modern Chinese, this has made the old saying seem like a slight against women. Especially in today’s China, which underwent radical changes during and following the communist revolution, the authentic connotations and wisdom behind the idiom have been further misunderstood.

The truth behind a ‘sexist’ phrase

The relationship between husband and wife in traditional Chinese culture is based on the harmony between yin and yang — with yang representing that which is bright or explicit, while yin embodies that which is hidden or implicit. Yin and yang can be regarded as the basic philosophical concept in much of Chinese culture, such as Taiji, the Book of Changes (the Yi Jing), and the methods used in traditional Chinese medicine or feng shui. According to the principle of yin and yang, masculinity embodies yang strength, which is tempered and balanced out by the yin nature in femininity. Without equal importance between the opposites, harmony would be lost. Therefore, while women were not generally expected to focus on competing with men in public life or work, traditional Chinese gender norms saw women as complimentary, not inferior, to men. Despite their modern meanings, the two characters zun and bei originate from the Book of Changes, where they described the balance between yin and yang. Due to the contrasts between male and female, they are generally suitable for different roles in the family and society. When men and women abide by their natural predispositions, humanity will thrive. The phrase nan zun nü bei — “men respectful and women humble” — in fact signifies complementary harmony between the sexes, not the abasement of women before men. Zun and bei refer to a polarity; heaven above and earth below. The Book of Changes states, “As the heaven above is dignified and the earth is below is humble, the positions of the heaven and earth, qian and kun (乾坤), are thus determined. In the positioning of low and high, the humble and the dignified each have their own place…. Men inherit the way of qian [heaven] and women bear the way of kun [earth].”

According to the Book of Changes and other works of Chinese Daoist philosophy, humanity follows the patterns of heaven and earth to prosper; deviating from the natural way brings misery and disaster. Confucius spoke of the jun zi (君子) or “gentleman” who attained a high level of moral refinement. According to the Book of Changes, “the heavens are in motion ceaselessly; the jun zi exert themselves constantly.” “The nature of the earth is generous and tolerant; the jun zi bears everything with virtue.” Women, likewise, aspire to the moral ideal of the shu nü (淑女) — a woman who is dignified, modest, respectful, and persevering. This was exemplified by the three queens Tai Jiang, Tai Ren, and Tai Si, the wives of three successive kings 3,000 years ago. The “three Tais” aided their virtuous husbands in establishing the foundations of the 800-year-long Zhou Dynasty (1046 – 256 B.C.). Tai Si, described in the Classic of Poetry as an archetypal shu nü and a good fit for her husband King Wen of Zhou, busied herself with the upbringing of the royal couple’s 10 princes and management of the harem. According to the Records of Exemplary Women (列女傳), this allowed the king to focus on his governance and civilize the country. Tai Si is honored as wen mu (文母), the “cultured mother,” and it is said of the royal couple that “King Wen governed externally while Wen Mu governed the interior.” When men are upright and noble and women are humble and tolerant, the family will naturally be harmonious. A society that works according to this principle will respect and value women.

The phrase ‘men respectful and women humble’ in fact signifies complementary harmony between the sexes.

Traditional wisdom discarded

Before and after coming to power, the Chinese communists advocated the “liberation” of women. Mao Zedong, founder of Communist China, proclaimed that “women hold up half the sky.” While often seen as a statement supporting women’s rights and equality, this attitude in fact attempted to erase the differences, and therefore the balance, between men and women. During the Cultural Revolution and other communist campaigns, Chinese women were shunned or punished for dressing fashionably; female role models depicted in “revolutionary” art were tough and crude. The damage of such indoctrination runs deep. The Chinese Communist Party, far from “liberating” women, replaced traditional family virtues with a culture of struggle, pitting men and women against each other and throwing society into chaos. In today’s China, divorce and infidelity are rampant — the country is estimated to have 20 to 30 million sex workers. High-ranking officials are known for their numerous mistresses and debauched lifestyles. Marriages and children are rapidly becoming less common, with dim prospects for China’s demographic future.

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LIFESTYLE

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Nut Cookies:

AN ORIGINAL RECIPE FOR A

LOW CARB

LOW SUGAR FULL- FL AVOR

T R E AT

By Ila Bonczek

ut cookies are a nutritious w a to satisfy a y sweet-tooth.

DEC 17 - DEC 23, 2021 |

A11

hether or not you have dietary restrictions yourself, you are bound to have friends who need to avoid certain foods. Refusing foods because of your diet can be embarrassing, painful, and difficult. When someone prepares food specially, with your individual concerns in mind, you feel immense gratitude, and perhaps some guilt. These nut cookies are so simple and so universally enjoyed, that the guilt revolving around the extra trouble can be tossed aside, because there really is none. Nuts, although they vary widely, are in general a super-nutritious addition to a low-carb diet. They are a good source of protein, fiber, Vitamin E and many minerals. Polyphenols found in nuts are powerful antioxidants that protect your cells from damage via oxidation and also help lower your LDL cholesterol. The monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids also seem to improve “good” cholesterol levels, lower “bad” cholesterol, and reduce triglycerides. Studies have shown that nuts can be very effective in weight loss as well, since many of the calories from fat are trapped in the nut fibers and do not get absorbed into the body. Some studies suggest that regular consumption of nuts can improve blood sugar levels, reduce blood pressure, and reduce inflammation for those with type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome. So unless you’re allergic, there’s no reason not to go nuts about nuts!

Instructions

Toss the nuts and oats into a foodprocessor or blender and grind to a coarse meal. Add salt and seasonings. Stir in the pureed fruit and softened oil. If you want to make them something a bit fancy, you can roll the dough into 1-½ inch logs, or squared-off ‘timbers’ and refrigerate until firm. Then use a sharp knife to slice the form into ¼ inch sections, making dozens of perfectly shaped cookies. If the event is more casual or you’re making them for your children, who will devour them without appreciating the fine craftsmanship, then just drop spoonfuls onto a tray and flatten with a fork. They will be bigger and coarser and just as delicious. Bake in a preheated oven at 350°F until toasty brown on the bottom. Flip the cookies and return to the oven. When both sides are lightly toasted, remove from the baking sheet to a wire rack to cool. Enjoy with a tall glass of Oatly (full fat) or a freshly brewed bowl of matcha.

Recipe

Ingredients

• 3/4 pound (2 cups) of nuts – using a variety gives the cookie a more complex flavor. I like using some combination of almonds, pecans, walnuts, cashews, hazelnuts, and Brazil nuts, but you can choose your own favorites. courtesy of the author • 3/4 cup oatmeal (choose gluten free if this is an issue). • 1/2 cup dried fruit, lightly stewed and pureed to become a sweet and sticky vegan binder for your cookies. Dates, apricots, or prunes work really well and add their own fruity flavor and fiber to the cookie. Uniformly shaped nut • 1/2 cup softened coconut oil (or butter cookies can be attained by forming a round log, or a if you’re not going for vegan) squared timber from the • 1/2 tsp. Sea salt soft dough and placing • Spices to taste. (This is where you it, wrapped, in the fridge can steer your cookie into something until firm. familiar.)

Variations –

• If you are avoiding carbs altogether, try replacing the oats with ground chia or flax seeds, mixed with an equal amount of water; and replace the fruit puree with a small amount (no more than 1/4 cup) of xylitol, a natural sugar substitute that has many beneficial properties. • For a ginger-snap flavor, use prune puree, add a touch of molasses, and spice the dough generously with cinnamon, ginger, and a hint of cloves. • Use mashed banana and mostly peanuts for a peanut butter cookie • Use mostly almond meal, and apricot puree, with a splash of almond extract for an almond cookie • Use date puree, mostly walnuts, a splash of vanilla and cocoa nibs or chocolate morsels for a chocolate chip cookie. Feel free to experiment. I often leave them spice-free because there is so much flavor in the nuts and fruit themselves that it’s a shame to mask it.

Note: If you have a delicate digestive system, you may wish to soak the nuts before baking. This process removes the phytic acid, an enzyme inhibitor meant to prevent sprouting under non-ideal conditions. These compounds readily bind with minerals, somewhat reducing the nutritional value of our food intake. To improve digestibility and mineral absorption, soak the nuts overnight in lightly salted water, rinse, and then toast them at a low temperature (225°F) to remove excess moisture before applying them in the recipe.

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LIFESTYLE

A12 | DEC 17 - DEC 23, 2021

VISION TIMES Adobe Stock/Unsplash

WINTERIZE

YOUR GARDEN IN 6 SIMPLE STEPS

PART 1

By Ila Bonczek

To ensure a healthy start to spring, take these steps to winterize your garden before the harsh weather arrives.

ith winter just around the corner, for many of us it’s time to put gardening on hold. But before you do, it is important to take measures to protect and prepare, or “winterize your garden,” in order to ensure a good growing season next year. Completing these few simple tasks can make all the difference for your plants’ health and survival through this harsh season.

Root protection

Clean up and cut back

Weeds and dead plant material should be the first to go. Many stubborn weeds may be easier to find and remove after the first killing frost. Deep rooted weeds will come out more easily in moist soil, so be prepared with a watering can and a digging fork. Search out as many weed seedlings as possible now; otherwise in the spring they will take off like a thousand rockets and be much harder to get a handle on. Annuals can be cut back to the base and composted, unless they suffered from infestation or disease, in which case they should be completely removed and destroyed. Any dead or diseased shoots from perennials should be cut back to the base. Phlox, bee balm and peonies tend to host mildew in the later months, and should be cut back. Healthy perennials can be left standing, however. This not only ensures the integrity of the crown, but the dead foliage serves as a habitat for beneficial insects, and their flower heads can provide important forage food for wildlife.

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Properly thinned raspberry plants at Avalon Farm, ready for winter. (Image: Leonora Enking via Flickr CC BY-SA 2.0)

If you are fortunate enough to have brambles, they will need selective thinning. Left to their own devices, they may easily get out of control, so limit your row width to one or two feet, depending on whether you have access from one or both sides. All second year growth should be removed, as it will no longer produce (these are the thick dead-looking stems). To ensure proper air circulation and help prevent disease, the remaining canes should be thinned to approximately one per six inches, keeping the largest, healthiestlooking shoots. Depending on the variety, this may also be a good time to prune your hydrangeas; but most shrubs, especially lilac, forsythia, and oakleaf hydrangeas should not be pruned in the fall, as this will remove their already-developing flower buds.

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The ground is going to freeze in any area with a real winter. Making sure the soil has proper moisture and a layer of protection will help insure root health for all the permanent residents of your garden. A top dressing of compost is welcome for most plants, and mulch over shallow rooted specimens is encouraged. If you’ve had a dry autumn, be sure to give your garden a good drink before turning off the hose or taking down the water-barrel. The question of leaf raking is up for debate. Many recommend removing leaves as quickly and thoroughly as possible to avoid the risk of fungal infestations within the moist plant matter; while others see leaves as a viable substitute for mulch. My suggestion is, as with many things, “take the middle road.” Rake the first couple fallings to prevent the accumulation of a thick layer of wet leaves which could be detrimental to your garden and suffocate any lawn, but allow the last falling to provide a loose layer of protection which will readily decompose and act as a

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fertilizer in the spring. Properly composted, leaves make a rich humus matter that adds to soil structure and fertility. Mulch, too, is a bit tricky. In climates that see frequent freeze-thaw cycles (USDA Zones 7 and 8), a couple inches of mulch will prevent roots from becoming exposed and damaged; but unnecessary mulching can indirectly cause damage, as it locks in moisture, inviting mold and fungal diseases. Mulching perennials in cold climates is likely to benefit them, especially if they are newly planted or tender. When mulching shrubs and trees, however, avoid contact with the stems. The bark itself is protection, but it can be compromised if piled with mulch. Shredded leaves, bark chips, pine needles and straw are all good choices for mulch material. Wood chip mulch can temporarily deplete the soil of nitrogen, and should be reserved for top dressing over other materials.

To be continued

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