Vision Times Newspaper VOL.58 FEB 11,2021 by Vision Times -Bringing you Truth, Inspiration, Hope

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VOL.058 FEB 11 - FEB 17 , 2022

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Musk’s Neuralink Brain Chip Tech Rumored to Be Available for Humans This Year

Animal Rights Group Exposes NIH Cocaine Experiments on Beagle Puppies (Image:MichaelSvoboda/Getty Images)

By Victor Westerkamp Vision Times

hite Coat Waste Project (WCW) exposed the findings on its website on Jan. 30 of two studies conducted on beagle puppies on behalf of the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), which is part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). According to its website, WCW is a watchdog group based in Washington, D.C. that objects to taxpayers paying over $20 billion every year for “wasteful and cruel experiments on animals.” Continued on A2

euralink CEO Elon Musk has high hopes his brain implant chip technology will go live in humans this year, but scientists remain skeptical while his competitors vie for smarter wireless solutions. According to Musk, Neuralink’s Brain Computer Interface (BCI) engineering will be available for use in humans if the FDA approves of it, Musk said during a Wall Street Journal CEO summit in December of last year. Continued on A3

Harry How/Getty Images

Vitamin D Effective for COVID-19: Meta-Analysis

US-Born Skier Eileen Gu Competes for Beijing, Wins Gold Medal

California native outspoken on progressive issues, but silent on human rights in China

(Image:Los Muertos/Getty Images)

By Steven Li, MD Vision Times

n Jan. 17, the Expert Review of Anti-infective Therapy journal conclusively found that COVID-19 patients supplemented with vitamin D “demonstrate fewer rates of ICU [intensive care unit] admission, mortality events, and RT-PCR positivity.” Contributors to the study spanned multiple professional departments in India. They performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of six randomized controlled trials (RCTs) with 551 COVID-19 patients.

By Alina Wang Vision Times

nother American-born athlete is making headlines after deciding to compete for the People’s Republic of China in the Winter Olympics. Freestyle skier Eileen Gu won her first gold medal in the big air competition on Feb. 8, garnering much praise across social media and with some users even celebrating her as a hero. Many, however, have questioned

Continued on A7

the 18-year-old’s decision to compete on behalf of a regime that even today is widely condemned for its crushing brutality against political dissidents, religious believers, and ordinary Chinese citizens. According to Chinese state-run media, the country’s largest social networking platform Sina Weibo, found its servers temporarily overloaded after millions of users took to the Internet to sing their praises for the young athlete. Of the top 10 trending topics on the site, five were dedicated to adoration for the San Francisco native. Continued on A4

(Image: Jean Catuffe/Getty Images)

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Uyghur Olympian Representing China ‘Vanishes’ After Carrying Olympic Torch

By Alina Wang Vision Times

Gold medallist Eileen Gu of Team China celebrates during the Women's Freestyle Skiing Freeski Big Air medal ceremony on Day 4 of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games at Beijing Medal Plaza on February 08, 2022 in Beijing, China.

n ethnic Uyghur Olympic skier representing China has reportedly “disappeared” after carrying the Olympic torch for the host nation during its opening ceremony on Feb. 4. Dinigeer Yilamujiang, became an overnight sensation after much anticipation for her competitive debut resulted in a lackluster 43rd place finish during the cross-country skiathon. Continued on A4

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NATION Animal Rights Group Exposes NIH Cocaine Experiments on Beagle Puppies A2 | FEB 11 - FEB 18, 2022

VISION TIMES

Continued from FRONT

Experiments linked to the FDA

CW uncovered two studies. One, which ran from September of 2020 to September of 2021, involved seven 6-month old puppies. The other ran from March of 2020 to March of 2021 involving another six beagles.

Continuously drugged

In both instances, the pups were strapped with a jacket that allowed researchers to inject the animals intravenously via oral gavage with narcotics, mainly cocaine, along with an “experimental compound” to see how the dogs would react, if they would display “adverse reactions,” and how the drugs would interact with one another. Furthermore, researchers operated on the beagles to implant a “telemetry unit” to monitor several physiological processes during experiments that lasted for months on end. The tests were filmed for reviewing purposes. Why the experiment had to be conducted twice—or better still, why it had to be done in the first place—remains unknown. In the end, after all the experiments had concluded, the cokehounds would either be “recycled,” that is, used for other equally torturous experiments, or “euthanized,” stated the documents.

(Image: MichaelSvoboda/Getty Images) (Image: MichaelSvoboda/Getty Images)

An animal rights group used the Freedom of Information Act to uncover a set of experiments costing $2.3 million involving young dogs being injected with cocaine, an act the group deemed both “cruel” and “wasteful.”

According to the WCW, verbiage in the reports noted the findings “may be submitted by NIDA to the FDA”—even though, as the group remarked, the “FDA has said that it does not require drugs to be tested in dogs.” The tests were contracted to SRI International, the infamous research institution that spent $1.68 million last year at the behest of NIAID Director Anthony Fauci to inject or force feed 44 beagle puppies with experimental drugs while debarking the animals by removing their vocal cords, the Daily Caller reported based on a previous WCW investigation. According to documents also obtained through FOIA, “Fauci’s NIH division paid to have the puppies’ vocal cords cut out so they couldn’t bark in the lab while they were being abused,” WCW attested. In a third NIH-funded $800,000 study, the animals were infested with infected flies to target them with parasites, the group reported. SRI International, in turn, transferred the order to Charles River Laboratories, the notorious animal lab test institution that houses the monkeys of Morgan Island, the group attested.

Delta CEO Wants AG Garland and the DOJ to Place Anti-maskers on No-Fly List By Victor Westerkamp Vision Times

elta Airlines CEO Ed Bastian implored the DOJ to mobilize its power to ban rebellious commuters by creating a national no-f ly list, eliciting concerns the criminalization of those non-compliant with pandemic restrictions will become the new normal. “We are requesting you support our efforts with respect to the much-needed step of putting any person convicted of an onboard disruption on a national, comprehensive, unruly passenger ‘no-fly’ list that would bar that person from traveling on any commercial air carrier,” Bastian stated in a Feb. 3 letter addressed to Attorney General Merrick Garland. “This action will help prevent future incidents and serve as a strong symbol of the consequences of not complying with crew member instructions on commercial aircraft,” Bastian stated. The letter appeared in a Feb. 5 report by The Epoch Times.

broader—yet finer-mazed—web to label disobedient travelers, ban them from their flights, and levy law enforcement against them. Bastian reported to Garland that Delta placed “nearly 1,900 people on Delta’s ‘no-fly’ list for refusing to comply with masking requirements and submitting more than 900 banned names to the TSA to pursue civil penalties.” Furthermore, the CEO declared that “any disruption or act of violence on our planes and at our airports warrants full and public prosecution of the offenders, with zero tolerance for any behavior that interferes with flight safety.” Delta stated it had referred more than 36 obstinate voyag-

ers to the FBI for possible criminal investigations. Another creed Delta, along with its industry partners, are advocating for would be beefing up security measures at several airports “as a result of our ongoing partnerships with local law enforcement agencies across the country,” the letter stated.

Repeating history

Bastian’s letter appears to be an analog of an action the National School Boards Association (NSBA) took in September of 2021 when the organization wrote to AG Garland asking the federal government to begin regarding parents who speak out at school board meetings on the same level as domestic terrorists.

“ Delta placed nearly 1,900 people on Delta’s ‘no-fly’ list for refusing to comply with masking requirements and submitting more than 900 banned names to the TSA to pursue civil penalties.” Ed Bastian, Delta Airlines CEO

Zero tolerance

Prior to the pandemic, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) only bars flyers that are deemed to pose a terrorism threat to the aircraft, staff, or other passengers. But if Bastian’s proposal comes to pass, then both airlines and federal regulators would deploy a much www.visiontimes.com

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The Association asked Garland to deploy federal law enforcement and the PATRIOT Act because of alleged “attacks against school board members and educators for approving policies for masks” and “physical threats because of propaganda purporting the false inclusion of critical race theory within classroom instruction and curricula.” In response, Garland issued a Memorandum directing statelevel Attorneys General and the Federal Bureau of Investigation to begin a joint, nationwide effort to “convene meetings with federal, state, local, Tribal, and territorial leaders in each federal judicial district.” The meetings were to counter what the AG defined earlier in the issuance as a “disturbing spike in harassment, intimidation, and threats of violence against school administrators, board members, teachers, and staff who participate in the vital work of running our nation’s public schools.” The NSBA was forced to walk back its actions after both receiving tremendous backlash from dozens of state-level school board associations and when FOIA requests revealed that the NSBA had actually colluded with the Biden administration’s White House to draft the letter as a public relations stunt to create a pretext for additional censorship. Grounded by one, grounded by all? A master no-fly list for unruly passengers may be in the wings. (Image: MichaelSvoboda/Getty Images)

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NATION

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FEB 11 - FEB 18, 2022 |

Unions Lauded Lockdowns While Raking Tens of Millions in Ineligible COVID Relief Funds: Report By Victor Westerkamp Vision Times

S Musk’s Neuralink Brain Chip Tech Rumored to Be Available for Humans This Year Continued from FRONT

changes to our health care systems.”

“W

e hope to have this in our first humans, which will be people that have severe spinal cord injuries like tetraplegics, quadriplegics, next year, pending FDA [Food and Drug Administration] approval,” Musk told his online audience, The Epoch Times reported. The application of BCI is when a surgically implanted chip (or “link’ in Musk’s terms) connects to the brain’s neurons and translates brainwave patterns and pulses into digital information by means of a computer. In theory, artificial intelligence (AI) generated data can be downloaded from the cloud, be fed back into the brain and will, in turn, manifest as thoughts, senses, or memories. Some fantasize that this process eventually may lead to monkeys beating chess grandmasters in the future or paralyzed people being able to feed themselves with the aid of a bionic arm. “I think we have a chance with Neuralink to restore full-body functionality to someone who has a spinal cord injury,” Musk added, according to ET. “Neuralink’s working well in monkeys, and we’re actually doing just a lot of testing and just confirming that it’s very safe and reliable and the Neuralink device can be removed safely.” And there are telling signs that the company is ready for its first set of trials in humans. Recently the outfit posted an advertisement on a job site announcing they were seeking to employ a clinical trial director at company’s headquarters in Fremont, California. “As the clinical trial director, you’ll work closely with some of the most innovative doctors and top engineers, as well as working with Neuralink’s first clinical trial participants,” the advertisement read. www.visiontimes.com

Too offensive

(Image: Adobestock)

“I think we have a chance with Neuralink to restore full-body functionality to someone who has a spinal cord injury.” Elon Musk

“You will lead and help build the team responsible for enabling Neuralink’s clinical research activities and developing the regulatory interactions that come with a fast-paced and ever-evolving environment,” it continued. Furthermore, the candidate must be “mission-driven,” be “able to meet tight deadlines with accuracy and efficiency,” and possess an “understanding of the clinical trial process from beginning to end.”

Too chaotic

However, not everyone is as thrilled as Musk is about BCI and humankind. A recent and extensive article published in Fortune magazine asserted that Musk’s brainchild is plagued by a huge walkout of personnel, stagnating production processes—and a meg-

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alomaniac CEO. “There was this top-down dissatisfaction with the pace of progress even though we were moving at unprecedented speeds,” an unidentified former employee at Neuralink shared with Fortune, adding, “Still Elon was not satisfied.”

Too ambitious

According to others, Musk has been demonstrably too optimistic and creates false hopes Neuralink will never be able to deliver on. Several analysts referenced in the article think this way. The outlet also quoted neuroscientist James Wu who took to Twitter, stating: “Neur*link [sic] is pouring funding only into implants that realistically will never be used by the average patient with disabilities in the absence of structural

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Another concern, experts pointed out, is the potential the technology may have malignant consequences. Especially in light of developments such as the Chinese Communist Party’s pursuit of an agenda to fortify its combative powers by creating AI-engineered super soldiers. Li Peng, for instance, a highprofile expert at a subsidiary of the notorious Chinese Academy of Military Medical Sciences, alerted in an article in 2017 to the adaptability of brain sciences for military purposes. “The study into brain science was born out of a vision for how the future warfare would evolve,” Peng said. He added that this discipline has “an extremely strong military characteristic” in China, and is believed to be key in safeguarding a “strategic high ground” for every country. Furthermore, Epoch Times referred to a Chinese militaryrun newspaper issued in March of 2021 that praised AI development “integrating human and machine” to create super-soldiers as an essential in winning future wars.

Too invasive

Others point at the ethical side of the coin, stating that neurobrain study is a highly invasive bailiwick by nature and may take over the last haven of privacy: the human mind. “The brain is the most sacred place—the most important place for privacy and the creation of self,” Nita Farahany, a law professor at Duke University, told Fortune. “Once that becomes accessible to companies and governments and everyone else, that is a concerning if not terrifying thought.” ad.ny@visiontimes.com

ince March of 2020, 226 trade unions received $36.7 million in forgivable Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID19) relief loans from the Small Business Administration (SBA) based on a non-profit tax status that they didn’t have. The monies were disbursed by the SBA as part of the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) launched the same month to help small companies and charitable organizations to keep their businesses open during the first wave of lockdowns, stated the Washington Free Beacon based on a report collected by Freedom Foundation. Non-profit organizations are registered with a 501(c)(3) tax status, which exempts them from federal income tax because donations received are tax-deductible for donors, according to Investopedia.

Leaking coffers

But many who applied, specifically labor unions who do not enjoy the same tax benefits, nonetheless received hundreds of thousands, or even millions of dollars. According to the Beacon, during the first wave of SBA payouts under the Trump administration, the discrepancy was noted by some high level officials, but no immediate action was taken to counter the problem. Eventually, when the Biden administration passed one of its first socialist-style spending bills, the American Rescue Plan in March of 2021, PPP regulations were altered, allowing unions to qualify.

Guard dogs

When the Freedom Foundation picked up on the news and launched an investigation via the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), it found that the U.S. government gave away $36.7 million in forgivable COVID-19 relief loans to entities, which at that time did not qualify for the subsidies. Freedom Foundation describes itself on its website as an antiunion corruption entity “taking on government union bosses and defunding their radical unconstitutional agenda everywhere.” The Foundation’s report stated that the SBA had forgiven a staggering $790 billion in PPP loans to small businesses and nonprofits so long as they could prove they used the funds to retain their personnel and stay operational during the pandemic.

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CHINA

A4 | FEB 11 - FEB 18, 2022 (Image: Lintao Zhang/Getty Images)

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US-Born Skier Eileen Gu Competes for Beijing, Wins Gold Medal Continued from FRONT

G Uyghur Olympian Representing China ‘Vanishes’ After Carrying Olympic Torch Continued from FRONT

he 20-year-old — whose name is a Mandarin version of its Uyghur original Dilnigar Ilhamjan — is an athlete from the Altay Prefecture in northern Xinjiang, the region home to the Uyghur people. The ethnic minority has been the subject of much scrutiny after accounts of forced sterilizations, genocide and other atrocities were reported. In addition, the Chinese regime has been accused of widespread human rights violations targeting not just Uyghurs, but also Chinese Christians, Tibetan Buddhists and adherents of the Falun Gong spiritual practice – many of whom have been subjected to torture, abuse and imprisonment for decades. According to findings from the U.N., over one million Uyghur Muslims remain jailed in concentration camps across remote parts of western China. There are a total of around 12 million Uyghurs living in China. The decision to pair Yilamujiang with Zhao Jiawen for the opening ceremony was interpreted by many as the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)’s way of sending a “political message” to concerned human rights groups at home and abroad. Zhao, an alpine skier from Shanghai, is Han Chinese, the ethnic group that makes up 90 percent of the country’s 1.4 billion people.

Prior to her race on Saturday (Feb. 5), Yilamujiang was touted as a local celebrity and a symbol of “national unity” after state-run media featured her in pictures and videos alongside her family in Xinjiang. After a disappointing performance however, Yilamujiang slipped away with three other Chinese athletes through a “mixed zone” – an area which allows athletes to pass through without having to answer questions from reporters.

Whistleblowers have been known to “disappear” in the country after going public with any allegations that could tarnish the CCP’s image or undermine its authoritarian rule. Her Olympic debut has barely been mentioned in Chinese media since. However, an interview featuring the young athlete had “reportedly been taped prior to her race” and was released on China’s state run broadcaster today. “That moment will encourage me every day for the rest of my life,” she told Xinhua news. “I was so excited when

I found out we were going to place the torch. It’s a huge honor for me!” In a video posted by Communist Party-run Xinjiang Daily, Yilamujiang’s mother also praised Beijing for allowing her daughter to represent the country. “Thanks to the country for giving my daughter such an important mission,” she said in the video. ‘Highly controlled interviews’ reminiscent of propaganda exercises Yilamujiang’s apparent disappearance is reminiscent of Peng Shuai, a Chinese tennis player who created a stir across social media and went missing late last year for over two weeks. Peng alleged in a lengthy Weibo post (China’s equivalent of Twitter) that she had been forced into sexual relations with former top official Zhang Gaoli. While speaking to France’s L’Equipe newspaper in a recent interview, Peng said there were “enormous misunderstandings” in regards to her post about Zhang and said she had never been a victim of sexual abuse. “I never said that anyone made me submit to a sexual assault,” the newspaper quoted Peng as saying. “My private life should not be brought up in sports or politics.” According to observers at the scene, Peng’s interview was conducted under “highly controlled circumstances.” Stephen McDonell, a BBC reporter covering the Beijing Olympics, compared it to a propaganda exercise, adding that it “left more questions than answers.”

u was born in California to an American father and Chinese mother, who raised her as a single parent. She is also a model and has featured on various billboards and even the cover of Chinese Vogue after she decided to compete for the PRC. It’s unclear if Gu gave up her U.S. citizenship to compete in the 2022 Winter Games. According to Chinese law, a PRC national cannot hold dual citizenship, though this is often ignored by both the authorities and de facto dual citizens. Gu herself has dodged the issue when it’s brought up in interviews.

‘Returned’ to China

Gu managed to land a double cork 1620 — a move in which skiers spin four and a half times while rotating twice off-axis while 20-some feet in the air. After her win, Gu told reporters that it was the“ happiest moment, day, whatever – of my life,” according to the Olympics website. “It’s very exciting. She’s of Chinese origin and has returned to China. I feel so proud of her,” said Beijing resident Jiang Yu on Weibo. The positive responses to Gu’s victory came in stark contrast to the reception received by another American-born athlete competing for China. Figure skater Zhu Yi came under attack on social media after she fell twice during the women’s free program, before taking another fall and crashing into a wall during her free-skating routine. Zhu finished last in the short program and knocked China from third to fifth place in the competition. The figure skating segment went on to be won by the Russian team, with the U.S. taking silver and Japan bronze. The 19-year-old athlete, who was born in Los Angeles to Chinese parents and won a U.S. national title in 2018, had changed her name from Beverly Zhu to Zhu Yi in order to compete for China but faced much criticism for not being able to speak Chinese fluently. “There’s no next time,” wrote

one Weibo user, under a video of Zhu crying at the end of her performance. “How shameful.” The comment was liked more than 45,000 times. “Go back to America,” read another comment accompanied by a U.S. flag emoji.

‘Score greater glory for the Party’

While widely showcased as a winner for China, Eileen Gu has stirred controversy in her homeland, with many criticizing her decision to compete for Beijing despite the vast human rights abuses committed by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

The positive responses to Gu’s victory came in stark contrast to the reception received by another Americanborn athlete competing for China. Gu’s silence on the CCP’s abuses contrasts with her outspokenness on progressive causes in the U.S., such as gender issues and Black Lives Matter. The New York Times observed that Gu and her mother avoid all subjects that could displease Beijing. When human rights in China were mentioned during an interview with her in Colorado last December, she became visibly uncomfortable and ended the exchange by saying that the subject was “divisive.” “There’s no need to be divisive. I think everything I do, it’s all about inclusivity. And it’s all about making everybody feel as connected as possible,” she said at the time. A Feb. 8 letter from China’s Winter Sports Administrative Center congratulated Gu and her teammates for China’s first gold on snow, saying that their “future is bright.” “Score greater glory for the Party and the people,” the letter reads.

Australian Citizen Denied Access to Consular Services After Being Arrested in Hong Kong By Alina Wang Vision Times

he unidentified man remains behind bars after being arrested almost a year ago. Because China does not recognize dual citizenship, the man, who was born in Hong Kong, is being treated as a Chinese national and will “stand trial in accordance with the laws of China.” After repeated requests that the man be returned to Australia to stand trial, the Australian government — which has had an increasingly strained relationship with Beijing — expressed concerns about “the erosion of basic freedoms and autonomy in Hong Kong.” Hong Kong police said in a statement that authorities in Hong Kong notified the Australwww.visiontimes.com

ian embassy after the individual was arrested on Feb. 28, 2021 and advised him that he was to be charged for “conspiring to subvert state power” and was required to attend West Kowloon magistrates’ court on March 1, 2021. He was again placed under arrest during this court hearing.

After 11 months: ‘The individual remains in detention’

“Officials from our consulate general have attended the subsequent court hearings,” a spokesperson for The Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (Dfat) said on Feb. 7. “However, we have been denied consular access despite multiple attempts and the individual remains in detention because he is deemed to be a Chinese citizen under China’s citizenship laws, which do not recognise dual

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nationality.” Australia’s bilateral consular agreement with China, including Hong Kong, only allows access to Australian citizens who entered on an Australian passport. Dfat added that officials were in “in regular contact” with the detained man’s lawyers and would “continue to attend future court hearings”, the spokesperson said. “Australia and many other countries have expressed concern about the erosion of basic freedoms and autonomy in Hong Kong and have called on Hong Kong and Chinese authorities to abide by their human rights obligations,” the department added. “The Hong Kong National Security Law could be interpreted broadly and therefore result in detention that is arbitrary or lacks transparency as well as the removal of basic individual rights.”

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National security law wreaks havoc on Hong Kong’s civil liberties

Beijing imposed the far-reaching national security law in Hong Kong in June 2020 in response to months of pro-democracy protests in 2019, sparking accusations from activists and human rights groups that China was attacking rights and freedoms it previously guaranteed as part of Hong Kong’s handover from Great Britain in 1997. In addition, the national security law mandates a maximum of life imprisonment for speaking out against the Chinese regime or other expressions “deemed dangerous.” Experts believe the law contradicted the 1984 Sino-British Joint Declaration – whereby China promised to guarantee Hong Kong’s civil liberties for at least 50 years after the UK returned the ad.ny@visiontimes.com

city back to Chinese sovereignty. Since this law was enacted, more than 160 people have been arrested, including activists and journalists from pro-democracy news outlets. South Australian senator Rex Patrick, who first inquired about the matter with Australia’s senate in October, said he held “grave concerns for this individual, along with the others being held in arbitrary detention by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).” “His arrest highlights the plight of the more than 100 Hongkongers that have been arrested and charged since the CCP’s repression of Hong Kong began,” Patrick said. Elaine Pearson, director of Human Rights Watch in Australia, also said this latest case was “worrying” as the Chinese regime attempts to exert its authoritarian control over Hong Kong.

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CHINA

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US-born Figure Skater Zhu Yi Under Attack on Social Media After Taking Fall in Beijing Olympics By Alina Wang Vision Times

hu Yi, a 19-year-old figure skater competing for China, took a hard fall over the weekend while skating for the women’s free program, knocking the hosting country from third place to fifth. She has been widely criticized by her compatriots. Zhu, who was born in California but gave up her U.S. citizenship to become a People’s Republic of China (PRC) national and compete in the Chinese team, first fell while doing her first combination attempt before stumbling during a triple loop at the end of her routine. The mistakes placed Zhu in last place with a score of 47.03 and garnered heavy criticism across social media, with many users claiming other more seasoned athletes should have been selected to represent China.

Multiple exposures were combined in camera to produce this image. Zhu Yi of Team China skates during the Women Single Skating Free Skating Team Event on day three of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games at Capital Indoor Stadium on February 07, 2022 in Beijing, China. (Image: S Amin Mohammad Jamali via Getty Images)

On Monday morning, she fell again in the women’s free-skating event, crashing into a wall, and was visibly upset as she covered her face and tried to hold back tears. “I’m upset and a little embarrassed,” Zhu said after her first skate on Saturday, Reuters reported.

‘Such a disgrace’

Chen is a well known figure skater born in Beijing and a three-time Chinese national medalist. She also competed in five International Skating (ISU) championships over her professional career. By Sunday afternoon (Feb. 6), the hashtag #ZhuYiFellOver had received over 230 million views before being removed from the social media platform. A second tag, #ZhuYiMessedUp, remained on the site with just around 80 million views. “I suspect that she [Zhu] was participating in a wrestling competition, and she was live broadcasting wrestling falls,” another user chimed in. Born in Los Angeles to a Chinese immigrant family, Zhu chose to compete for China in 2018 and renounced her American citizenship to do so. She also changed her name from Beverly Zhu to Zhu Yi but faced a lot of criticism for not being able to speak Chinese fluently. Zhu will now prepare to compete in the women’s singles competition, which is scheduled to air on Feb. 15.

Natalia Maliszewska

Foreign Athletes at Beijing Olympics

Dubbed the ‘genocide games’

The Beijing Olympics have faced severe backlash due to the world’s condemnation of Communist China’s human rights abuses. Particularly, the abuse experienced by Uyghur Muslims, an ethnic minority from Xinjiang, has been the subject of much scrutiny after accounts of forced sterilizations, genocide and other atrocities were reported. Nearly 250 non-government organizations have issued a joint statement, calling on democratic nations to diplomatically boycott Beijing’s Olympic Games. Sophie Richardson, China director at Human Rights Watch, insisted that the Winter Olympics cannot be a “force for good” as claimed by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) given the fact that the Chinese government is committing “grave crimes” that violate international law. The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has a long track record of targeting religious faiths and minorities for violent assimilation to its atheist ideology. In addition to Uyghurs, the Party has also targeted Tibetan Buddhists, Chinese Christians and adherents of the Falun Gong spiritual practice, many of whom have suffered persecution for decades. The U.S., U.K., and Canada have announced that they will be holding a diplomatic boycott of the Olympics over these allegations. The boycotts only prevented diplomats, and not athletes, from partaking in the Games.

Not Getting Enough Food to Compete Properly: Reports By Leo Timm Vision Times

oreign athletes in Beijing for the 2022 Winter Olympics have complained of bad conditions while quarantined under the Chinese authorities’ high-intensity COVID-19 measures — giving the elite sportists a glimpse of the treatment many Chinese have endured amidst the regime’s attempts to win a “people’s war” against the pandemic. All foreigners present for the Games are segregated from the general population, being restricted to a “closed loop” Olympic village except when training, competing, or when they leave China. Athletes report being driven desperate by poor food and accommodations, as well as quarantine for seemingly no reason. Those not in isolation say the Olympic events themselves are poorly organized.

“For some reason, [China] won’t respect his human rights and that’s not a great situation,” Jukka Jalonen, head coach of the Finnish men’s ice hockey team

Driven to tears

Natalia Maliszewska, a speed skater from Poland, tested positive for COVID-19 at the Beijing airport and was put into isolated quarantine. One of some 350 foreigners isolated in the first few days around the start of the Games, she missed her event — the 500meter short track event on Saturday, Feb. 5. “Since a week I have been living in fear and these changes in mood,” she said, as reported by The Guardian. “I cry until I have no more tears and make not only the people around me worry but myself too.” Maliszewska, who had no symptoms, was eventually let out of quarantine and into the Olympic village after testing negative twice within 24 hours. But then she was woken suddenly at 3 a.m. one morning and put back into isolation due to a “mistake.” Participants from China’s geopolitical partners do not seem exempt from the “mistake.” “I cry every day,” Valeria Vasnetsova, a Russian biathlon competitor isolated in a quarantine hotel, wrote in an Instagram post.

Zhu Yi of Team China reacts during the Women Single Skating Free Skating Team Event on day three of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games at Capital Indoor Stadium on February 07, 2022 in Beijing, China. (Image: Matthew Stockman via Getty Images)

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( Getty Images)

“I guess I felt a lot of pressure because I know everybody in China was pretty surprised with the selection for ladies’ singles and I just really wanted to show them what I was able to do, but unfortunately I didn’t,” she told reporters, as she wiped away tears. Users on Weibo, China’s version of Twitter, did not hold back, questioning why Zhu was selected over other athletes. “This is such a disgrace,” one comment that received over 11,000 likes said. “Chen Hongyi is far better than her. I don’t know why someone like this was allowed to represent China,” another user wrote.

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“Today I ate all the fat they serve instead of meat because I was very hungry,” she wrote, saying that she was losing weight because the food was unpalatable. “My stomach hurts, I’m very pale, and I Valeria Vasnetsova ( Getty Images) have huge black circles around my eyes. I want all this to end,” she wrote. According to Vasnetsova, athletes seemed to receive particularly bad food, as her team’s doctor who also tested positive was getting fresh fruit, salad, and prawns while she received only pasta, charred or fatty meat, and no vegetables.

‘We have to find a way to change this’

Other athletes reported not receiving nearly enough food to keep them in competitive condition, as well as being in talks with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and Beijing organizers over the “unacceptable” accommodations. On Feb. 5, German team chief Dirk Schimmelpfennig told reporters that the hotel rooms were “unacceptable, so we have to find a way to change this.” The Olympic village is located in Zhangjiakou, a city on the edge of China’s Inner Mongolia region and a two-hour drive from Beijing proper. “These hotels were not shown to us in advance, and we have the situation that the athletes rightly ask for improvement,” he said. Beijing promised a “streamlined, safe and most splendid Games.” Instead, aside from the poor conditions, the Olympic atmosphere is marred by widespread accusations surrounding the Chinese Communist Party’s massive human rights abuses and draconian approach to combating the spread of SARS-CoV-2 — the virus that causes COVID-19 — that has taken a heavy toll on the Chinese people and economy. Marko Anttila, a ninth-round pick of the Chicago Blackhawks in the 2004 NHL draft, was “not getting good food” and was under tremendous mental stress, according to Jukka Jalonen, head coach of the Finnish men’s ice hockey team. “For some reason, [China] won’t respect his human rights and that’s not a great situation,” Jalonen said in a press conference via Zoom on Feb. 6. “Marko is a strong guy, mentally. He is not depressed, but he’s pretty down. A couple of times a day he gets cold and tasteless spaghetti bolognese.” 703-868-1509

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Ottawa Mayor Thanks GoFundMe for Seizing $8 Million in Donations Meant for Freedom Convoy Protestors By Leo Timm Vision Times

“It’s a constitutional freedom to protest peacefully.” John Carpay, president of the Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms (JCCF)

he mayor of Canada’s capital, Jim Watson, has publicly thanked crowdfunding site GoFundMe for withholding CAD$10 million donated in support of the Freedom Convoy demonstration currently in Ottawa. “I want to sincerely thank the team at @gofundme for listening to the plea made by the City and the Ottawa Police to no longer provide funds to the convoy organizers,” Watson wrote in a Feb. 4 tweet. Despite the Freedom Convoy being organized around the trucking profession, Canadian authorities and mainstream mass media have accused the movement — which according to some estimates has gathered tens of thousands of participants — of being a violent and white supremacist “occupation,” rather than a legitimate exercise of public assembly. The Freedom Convoy, which began as a protest against the Canadian federal government’s COVID-19 vaccination mandate for truckers crossing the border to the U.S., snowballed into a much larger movement, with thousands of vehicles descending on Ottawa at the end of January. GoFundMe earlier allowed CAD$1 million to be provided to the protesters, which translated into supplies and food. But on Feb. 4, the crowdfunding site froze CAD$10 million (about US$8 million) and said the money would be redirected to “established charities verified by GoFundMe.” “Following a review of relevant facts and multiple discussions with local law enforcement and city officials, this fundraiser is now in violation of our Terms of Service (Term 8, which prohibits the promotion of violence and harassment) and has been removed from the platform,” the GoFundMe site says.

Canadian Provinces Begin Relenting on Mandates Amidst Ongoing Freedom Convoy Protests By Neil Campbell Vision Times

wo Canadian provinces announced on Feb. 8 that government-mandated vaccine passports would either quickly or immediately come to an end. Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe, a Conservative, was the first to break the news that his province would end the practice of requiring citizens to show their papers to enter public businesses such as bars, restaurants, theaters, and other events starting on Feb. 14, and that mask mandates would

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Curbing public assembly

Many trucks and other vehicles remained parked around Parliament Hill, the seat of Canadian government, as the protest entered its second week. The protesters and organizers say they will stay until the government lifts its pandemic restrictions. Mayor Watson applauded GoFundMe’s decision as a means of dispersing the protests. “I’m hopeful that limiting their access to … funding and resources will restrict their ability to remain in Ottawa,” he said in the Feb. 4 tweet. While the authorities and media have accused the Freedom Con-

cease starting March 1. According to the Canadian Press, Moe, who had expressed his support for the Freedom Convoy truckers occupation protest of Canada’s capital, Ottawa, stated that health papers had created a society with “two classes of citizens.” Moe added that he now feels the benefits of vaccine passports to theoretically battle SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) “no longer outweighs the costs,” and that governments should respect citizens’ bodily autonomy rights to decline vaccination if they choose to, free of coercion. During an evening press conference the same day, Alberta Premier Jason Kenney, also a Conservative, announced his province would scrap vaccine passports effective midnight and would also end mandatory mask edicts on March 1. Kenney, who is facing a lesserknown annex of the Freedom Convoy protest in the form of a ADVERTISING INQUIRIES

TOP : A protester walks in front of parked trucks as demonstrators continue to protest the vaccine mandates implemented on February 8, 2022 . MIDDLE : Police march towards Wellington Street on February 5, 2022 in Ottawa, Canada.

Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson. (Getty Images)

voy of violence and disorder, such claims are contradicted by Canadian police officers, locals, and observers. One incident that saw some truckers enter a homeless shelter and take plates without permission ended with the movement organ-

blockade at the Alberta-Montana Canada-U.S. border in Coutts that recently saw farmers roll in heavy machinery in support of truckers after demands were unaddressed the day prior, stated that Alberta’s vaccine passport program has “outlived its useful purpose.” The Premier’s speech also demonstrated sobriety about the Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2 not being the end of the pandemic, “None of this is an end to COVID19. New variants will arrive, and we will still see times when cases are higher in the province.” “We will likely also see times when there is additional pressure on the hospitals. But restrictions, mandates and those kinds of interventions will not and must not become a permanent feature of our lives.” He continued, “We are well-positioned to live with this virus, as we do with many other infectious diseases.” Kenney drew a line in the sand in January against mandatory vaccination edicts after Cana212-730-6963

izers providing cooked food for the homeless. Despite a few arrests made since the protesters arrived in Ottawa, police reports of crime have in fact decreased, according to Blackrock’s Reporter, while police have noted no injuries or riots in connection with the Freedom Convoy. Daniel Bulford, a retired officer of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, said at a Feb. 3 press conference that he had “very reliable information” that the several violent incidents were “not associated” with the movement. Carpay, whose organization is providing legal representation for the Convoy organizers, said that there is no evidence linking the movement to violence or criminal activity. “I would like to see what evidence there is,” he said. “That’s political spin.” “They’re not obstructing the daily lives of people in Ottawa, and they’re committed to peace and non-violence,” he said. Supporters of the Convoy are now using alternate means to get money to the truckers in Ottawa, with hundreds of thousands raised in the hours following the GoFundMe ban.

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Two Canadian Provinces governed by Conservative administrations nixed vaccine passports and mandatory mask policies on Feb. 8.

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da’s francophone province, Quebec, announced it would employ a financial penalty against its remaining 11 percent unvaccinated population. Premier Francois Legault was forced to walk back the initiative only twenty days later. Although Legault also announced on Feb. 8 that his administration would begin the removal of capacity restrictions on private indoor restaurants, he remained committed to keeping health papers and mask mandates in force until midMarch, at a minimum.

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Vitamin D Effective for COVID-19: Meta-Analysis Continued from FRONT

Recommended dosage

There is no clear consensus about how much vitamin D3 an individual should treat COVID-19. But recommendations for vitamin D3 dosing can be found on the “Prophylaxis & Early Outpatient Treatment Protocol for COVID-19” page on the Front Line COVID-19 Critical Care (FLCCC) Alliance website.

Significant results

Immunity and COVID-19

According to the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH), Vitamin D is “critical for bone and mineral metabolism” and has the “potential to modulate innate and adaptive immune responses.” A receptor for vitamin D is expressed on B cells, T cells, and antigen-presenting cells, which are immune cells that can “synthesize active Vitamin D metabolite.” Vitamin D deficiency is common in the United States, especially in Hispanic and black individuals, as well as the obese and those with high blood pressure. These same demographics also suffer worse outcomes with COVID-19. The NIH states that there is “insufficient evidence to recommend either for or against the use of vitamin D for the prevention or treatment of COVID-19.” However, its guidance is only based on a handful of studies up through April 21, 2021. It does not include subsequent randomized controlled trials. Emerging evidence shows vitamin D can “affect SARS-CoV-2 gene expression and alleviate infection upon binding to the vitamin D response element.” It may also regulate the renin-angiotensin system and angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), a receptor known to mediate SARS-CoV-2 viral infections.

The Indian authors conducted the systematic review and meta-analysis by reviewing 755 articles. All participants were aged 18 or older with a mean age between 36 and 56 years. The vitamin D treatment group was compared against a placebo group in two studies, a nonvitamin control group in three studies, and a “standard treatment comparator group” in one study.

FLCCC is a non-profit organization “dedicated to developing highly effective treatment protocols to prevent the transmission of COVID-19 and to improve the outcomes for patients ill with the disease.” The group is composed of several accomplished physicians with thousands of peerreviewed publications.

Based on a meta-analysis of pooled data from all of the studies, COVID-19 patients supplemented with vitamin D were shown to have reduced overall risk for all outcomes. The “collective overall evidence on severity, ICU care, mortality, sero and RT-PCR positivity events reported in all trials indicated that COVID-19 patients treated with vitamin D showed lower rates of these outcomes relative to patients receiving no-vitamin D/standard/placebo.”

Recommended vitamin D3 doses for COVID19 can either be based on known vitamin D levels in the blood or on body mass index (BMI), a measure of body fat based on height and weight. The doses can be given daily or once a week. For example, a nonobese person with a BMI between 20 and 29 can take 5,000 to 7,000 international units of vitamin D3 daily or 50,000 international units once a week.

The authors of the Indian study implore other researchers to conduct larger RCTs with improved designs and larger sample sizes to better assess COVID-19 related outcomes. The analyzed studies were heterogeneous, with different doses of vitamin D, the timing of doses, and different control groups. Importantly, none of the studies “reported any adverse events due to vitamin supplementation.”

UK Protests China’s Support for Argentine Claim to Falkland Islands By Alina Wang Vision Times

tions between China and Great Britain.

Argentina reaffirms loyalty to Beijing

elations between Asia’s leading power and the U.K have remained strained since China’s stagnating economy and relentless new outbreaks of COVID-19 have found it looking to increase its influence in the West. In a recent development, tensions are boiling over after Beijing has reportedly pressed London to respond to Argentina’s demand that it relinquish control of the Falkland islands, known as Las Malvinas in Spanish. The People’s Republic of China (PRC) embassy in Britain reiterated Beijing’s stance on Feb. 6, a day after a furious response from London to a joint statement from Chinese leader Xi Jinping and his Argentinian counterpart Alberto Fernandez calling for Argentina to be given “full exercise of sovereignty” over the islands. Xi and Fernandez raised the Falklands issue during a meeting in Beijing over the weekend and spoke about their “deep friendship,” stirring already tense relawww.visiontimes.com

The Chinese regime has clashed with countries in the West over recent diplomatic boycotts of its Winter Olympics due to China’s human rights record, as well as the AUKUS deal – an initiative that would enable Australia to acquire nuclear submarines. Beijing has also rejected London’s criticism of its handling of Hong Kong affairs, which it regards as an internal matter. The joint statement also highlighted that Argentina “reaffirms its adherence to the one-China principle,” a reference to Beijing’s claim over the self-ruling democracy of Taiwan. “China and Argentina agree to carry on with close communication and coordination in international affairs, and safeguard the overall interests of the two countries and other developing countries,” the statement read. Argentina is the latest country in Latin America to bolster ties with Beijing. Late last year, Nicaragua offi-

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cially cut diplomatic ties with Taiwan in favor of recognizing Beijing as the official representative of China. On Dec. 9, 2021, the Nicaraguan government said in a statement that “There is only one China,” referring to the country’s “OneChina” policy and announced the formal cut from the island. “The People’s Republic of China is the only legitimate government that represents all of China, and Taiwan is an inalienable part of the Chinese territory,” the statement from Nicaragua’s government read, adding that bilateral relations between the two nations would be immediately halted.

UK: Falklands remain ‘part of British family’

In response to the growing influence of the Chinese regime in South and Central America, British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss responded via Twitter on Feb. 7 that the U.K “completely rejects any questions over sovereignty of the Falklands,” adding that “the [islands] remain part of the British family.” The government of Argentina believes the Falklands were ille-

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Argentinian President Alberto Fernandez speaks during a joint press conference following his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin in Moscow on February 3, 2022. (Image: SERGEI KARPUKHIN/Getty Images)

gally taken from them in 1833 and invaded the British colony in 1982. The United Kingdom responded by deploying troops to the region resulting in Argentina losing the two-month war for the South Atlantic archipelago. The conflict claimed the lives of 649 Argentine military personnel and civilians, as well as 255 British soldiers. However, Argentina still claims the islands today. In response to Argentina’s claim, London says the Falklands are a “self-governing entity under the protection of the British monarchy” and sternly rejected the Argentine government’s calls for sovereignty. During their meeting, Xi and Fernandez also pledged closer economic cooperation and signed a memorandum of understanding ad.ny@visiontimes.com

on Argentina joining the “Belt and Road Initiative” – Xi’s signature project aimed at building new infrastructure and expanding China’s economic influence across the globe. China has overtaken Brazil as Argentina’s main commercial partner, and if talks with Beijing remain on track, the second largest country in South America could become the first of four major economies in the region to join the initiative. “Belt and Road Initiative integration won’t be a paradigm shift but rather a continuation of broader trends of growing Argentina-China engagement,” said Pepe Zhang, director and fellow researcher at the Atlantic Council’s Adrienne Arsht Latin America Center.

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VIEWPOINTS Taiwan Buys Lithuanian Rum in Appreciation of the Baltic Country’s Support

A8 | FEB 11 - FEB 18, 2022

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By Natalie Nesbitt Vision Times Commentary

People take part in a human chain protest in support of the Hong Kong Way, a recreation of a pro-democracy "Baltic Way" protest against Soviet rule three decades ago, in Vilnius, Lithuania on August 23, 2019. (Image:PETRAS MALUKAS/AFP via

after a government report revealed Chinese mobiles had built-in spyware to censor terms such as “free Tibet,” “long live Taiwan,” “independence,” or “democracy movement.” Lithuania stands for sovereignty and independence and has invited Taiwan to open a de facto embassy in the Lithuanian capital, Vilnius. While the U.S. and Europe only refer to Taiwan using the name of its capital Taipei, the Lithuania office directly says “Taiwan.” Taiwan foreign ministry spokesperson Joanne Ou praised Lithuania’s “firm will to defend the concept of national dignity and freedom.” Lithuania will also open a trade representative office in Taiwan, formally known as the Republic of China (ROC), to develop relations with Taipei. PRC foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian reacted with “Lithuania stands on the opposite side of universal principles which will never end well.Those who insist on acting in collusion with Taiwan secessionist forces will eventually be swept into the garbage bin of history.”

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(Image: SAM YEH/AFP via Getty Images)

CNA

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An assistant professor at the Prague University of Economics and Business, Jeremy Garlick, believes the PRC is pursuing a ‘divide and conquer’ strategy designed to benefit Beijing at Europe’s expense. Some countries in Europe and the United States consider the 17 + 1 to be a strategic intrusion of the PRC into Europe. It appears that the EU frowns upon Chinese investments in the CEE, which may be used as a divide and rule policy toward the EU. They point to Beijing’s increased influence over some countries, such as Greece and Hungary, who have heavily invested and blocked EU resolutions regarding China. Being the first state to free itself from the then-Soviet Union, Lithuania has taken a similar approach to the PRC. However, this has angered Beijing. The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) refers to such behaviour as ‘divisive’ and has accused Lithuania of being on an ‘anti-China crusade’; Lithuania has raised criticism of the Xinjiang genocide and slammed the Hong Kong crackdown. The Lithuanian Defence military also encouraged their citizens to throw away Chinese smartphones www.visiontimes.com

CNA

Divide and conquer

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ommunist China has a small yet formidable freethinking, rum- making enemy that is neither a superpower nor armed with nuclear weapons. It’s a tiny Baltic country with a population of 2.8 million, called Lithuania. The Lithuanian government recently made some bold moves that Beijing reacted badly towards. One is withdrawing from the 17 +1 forum. The 17+1 initiative is a Beijingled framework founded in 2012. However, according to a report by the Diplomat, it is “very hard to define the 17+1 mechanism… China has never clearly articulated its purpose, preferring loose concepts that can easily be promoted.” On the surface, it appears that its aim is to expand cooperation between the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and the Central and Eastern European (CEE) countries through investments and trade developments with a focus on infrastructure projects such as bridges, motorways, railway lines and the modernisation of ports. Some view this as an extension of Beijing’s Belt and Road initiative. The 17 +1 mechanism comprises 12 EU member states and five Balkan states: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Greece, Hungary, Latvia, Macedonia, Montenegro, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, minus one; Lithuania, which has withdrawn from the “China Mechanism.” In March 2021, the Lithuanian National Radio and Television (LRT) reported that the Lithuanian Parliament agreed to leave the 17+1 format. Foreign minister Gabrielius Landbergis said the cooperation between Beijing and Lithuania has brought “almost no benefits”.

Ting Yen-che, Chairman of Taiwan Tobacco and Liquor Corporation, poses with bottles of rum imported from Lithuania in Taoyuan on January 22, 2022.

(Lithuania’s) firm will to defend the concept of national dignity and freedom.” Joanne Ou, Taiwan foreign ministry spokesperson

Lithuania dropped from mainland customs registry

Beijing has expelled the Lithuanian ambassador in retaliation and is now boycotting Lithuanian products stuck at mainland Chinese customs after being removed from the PRC customs registry. Vidmantas Janulevičius, president of the Lithuanian Confederation of Industrialists, stated, “Lithuania has been crossed out. It seems that there is no such country in China’s custom system”, which essentially affects Lithuanian imports. This embargo blocked 20,400 bottles of Lithuanian rum destined for mainland China. According to the South Morning China Post, the Taiwan

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Tobacco and Liquor Corp.owned by the state purchased the rum in a show of support. ‘“TTL stood up at the right time, purchased the rum and brought it to Taiwan,” the company said in a statement, adding the liquor would be sold on the market. “Lithuania supports us and we support Lithuania – TTL calls for a toast to that,” reported Aljazeera.

Standing up to Beijing’s coercion

PRC officials have warned multinationals to cut ties with Lithuania or leave the mainland market. An anti-coercion bill has since been proposed to repel ‘foreign pressure’, allowing the European Commission to impose sanctions on nonad.ny@visiontimes.com

member states, allowing the community of nations to act decisively in the face of economic aggression by non-members. This could help to address such bullying. Lithuania, a Baltic nation of 3 million, stands firm despite having a population and GDP hundreds of times smaller than that of China. Yet Lithuania’s strong moral standing and history in upholding human rights are priceless. Moreover, having the capacity to offer amnesty to oppositional leaders from neighbouring Belarus is worth its weight in gold. It’s not just Lithuania. There are many examples, such as Palau, a tiny Pacific island of 18,000 people, 460 square kilometres with a president who does not compromise on principles. He says he doesn’t even answer calls from Beijing and lets it go to voicemail. In addition, Palau has continued to uphold diplomatic relations with Taiwan since 1999. Another example is Samoa, with 200,000 people, 2,800 square kilometres. Earlier this year, their proBeijing prime minister was ousted. The new leader ended up cancelling Chinese projects worth millions of dollars. An online conference under the Belt and Road International Cooperation held in June 2020 only saw representation from Serbia, Hungary and Greece. The other members of the 17+1 initiative refused to attend the event.

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GLOBAL FOOD PRICES

NEARING RECORD HIGH Drivers of inflation

By Steven Li, MD Vision Times

ue to supply chain delays, the labor shortage, and pandemic-related disruptions, prices of foods such as meats, seafood, and produce shot up by 9 percent in 2021, according to data from IRI, a Chicago-based market research firm, reported by CNN on Jan. 31. Various products have been out of stock at different times over the past year, with the supply of soft drinks being especially limited recently.

The workforce shortage has led distributors to cut down on deliveries to grocery stores by as much as 20 to 40 percent.

A record-high 100 cargo ships were backed up along the California coast in January, unable to offset the busy ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, which unloaded 13 percent more containers in 2021 than ever before. The increased cost of workers, supplies, packaging, and transportation has exacerbated inflation, as well as the lack of workers and increased demand for goods. Doug Baker, vice president of industry relations for The Food Industry Association (FMI) told CNN, “A lot of that is actually a delayed reaction from the [issues and volatility] that the supply chain has been feeling for the last several months. They put [it] off as long as possible, and now we’re going to feel the effects of that for the next few months.”

Several employees have fallen sick with Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) or have been quarantined, decreasing the workforce in warehouses, processing facilities, and grocery stores. U.S. pork production, for example, dipped 8 percent in mid-January. The workforce shortage has led distributors to cut down on deliveries to grocery stores by as much as 20 to 40 percent. Fresh Encounter, a grocery chain based in Ohio, reported more than 40 percent of its orders had been canceled or delayed. CEO Michael Needler Jr. of Fresh Encounter told CNN, “It’s been whack-a-mole. It’s one item one day, and then a completely different segment the next. Obviously, our customers are frustrated when they can’t get their items, but hopefully we’re able to have a substitute item for them.” With regard to the labor shortage, CEO of beverage company Reed’s, Norm Synder, commented to the outlet, “You have a group of people that are all working in close proximity to one another. If one person gets sick, the protocol, because everyone’s exposed, is to shut down. So, we’ve had several instances where lines have been shut down for one or two weeks.”

Retired workers

Early retirement has come to the forefront as one of the major reasons why the labor market has not been able to recover to prepandemic levels. The number of “prime age” workers between 25 and 54 years of age has recovered to 82.1 percent in Nov. 2021, compared to 83.1 percent pre-pandemic, stated CNN in a separate Dec. 25, 2021 analysis. In contrast, the number of workers above age 66 has remained much lower at 38.4 percent in November compared to 40.3 percent pre-pandemic in February of 2020. Altogether, the labor force participation rate was 63.4 percent in January of 2020, compared to just 61.8 percent in November of 2021. Many workers over the age of 55 found themselves furloughed or laid off when the pandemic hit. When applying for new jobs, companies have favored younger and more educated individuals. Additionally, since they are in a higher risk group for COVID-19 due to older age, many decided to avoid applying for jobs with higher infection risk such as retail and food services.

Eurozone inflation

Inflation in the eurozone, a group of 19 member states of the European Union (EU) using the euro as their primary currency, spiked to 5.1 percent in the 12 months ending in Jan. 2022, according to EU statistics agency Eurostat. The figure surpassed all expectations and was the highest since record Eurozone keeping was inflation was attributed to initiated in soaring energy 1997. prices, which The main rose by 28.6 culprit was percent. attributed to soa ring energy prices, which rose by 28.6 percent. For example, gasoline prices surged in Germany, reaching a record 1.712 euros per liter, or approximately $7.31 USD per gallon. Simultaneously, economic growth in the region plateaued to 0.3 percent in the last quarter of 2021 as Omicron infections led to increased restrictions, reported AP on Feb. 2.

Early retirement has come to the forefront as one of the major reasons why the labor market has not been able to recover to prepandemic levels.

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Following Numerous Other States, Hochul to Lift Mask Mandate for NY Businesses By Todd Crawford Vision Times

n Feb. 9 New York Gov. Kathy Hochul announced that effective Thursday, Feb. 10 the state wide mask mandate for businesses will be lifted but will remain optional for counties, cities and businesses that chose to continue to implement the measure and the mandate remains in effect for schools. At a press conference Hochul said, “At this time, we say that it’s the right decision to lift this mandate for indoor businesses and let counties, cities and businesses to make their own decisions on what they want to do with respect to mask or vaccination requirement,” the New York Post reported.

The announcement comes as New York state emerges from a deadly wave of Omicron cases. As of Feb. 7 the state has recorded 4,281 new cases of COVID-19 after testing a total of 99,004 people. New York City is expected to keep the mandate in place and it is still recommending that people wear masks, The Post reported. The mandate was put in place on Dec. 10 last year which ordered Empire State businesses without vaccination requirements to force workers, customers and visitors to wear masks in the majority of public indoor settings, including grocery stores, shops and offices. Hochul is facing mounting pressure to lift the school mask mandate as well. She has said that she will be assessing the situation and will consider lifting the mandate

Governor of New York State Kathy Hochul removes her protective mask during a press conference regarding the expiration of the state's indoor mask mandate in New York on Feb. 9, 2022. New York is the latest Democrat-run state to announce it was lifting its indoor mask mandates for businesses. (Image: TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP via Getty Images)

after the first week of March, following the return of students to classrooms after the mid-winter break. New York City Mayor, Eric Adams, said earlier this week that the daily positivity rate in New York public schools was below 1 percent. Hochul’s announcement comes as The Centers for Disease ConAFP via Getty Images

trol and Prevention (CDC) voices concerns about potential surges in cases of COVID-19. Currently the U.S. is recording over 270,000 new daily cases of COVID-19 primarily driven by the milder Omicron variant. CDC Director Rochelle Walensky has said that “now is not the moment” for states to drop mask mandates. Walensky said, “I know people are interested in taking masks off. I too am interested. That would be one marker that we have much of the pandemic behind us,” the International Business Times reported. Walensky has asserted that the CDC will leave current guidelines around masking unchanged and stands with schools that are endorsing mask mandates. “We have and continue to recommend masking in areas of high and substantial transmission, that is essentially everywhere in the country in public indoor settings,” she said. According to CDC data, people in more than 3,200 counties — 99 percent of the country — should continue to wear masks “regard-

less of their vaccination status” NBC news reported. The CDC is suggesting that people continue to wear masks when new case rates are higher than 50 cases per 100,000 people.

The U.S. is recording over 270,000 new daily cases of COVID-19 primarily driven by the milder Omicron variant. Hochul’s announcement also follows California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s announcement that California’s mask mandate will be lifted for vaccinated individuals beginning on Feb. 15. New Jersey, Delaware, Oregon and Connecticut have all announced that as of Monday, Feb. 14 masks will no longer be required in schools.

Kids Perform Propaganda Discriminating Against Unvaccinated Peers at Manhattan School Holiday Show By Neil Campbell Vision Times

uring a holiday show, students at a Manhattan-area school carried handmade signs saying “Pfizer” and “Moderna” while singing a cover of the 1980s song Safety Dance modified to include lyrics discriminating against the 20 percent of students who have yet to accept a Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) novel gene therapy injection. A mother alleges not only that a second skit during the event depicted children ridiculing other children posed as protestors against vaccine mandates, but that a third answered the question of “What is the meaning of Christmas?” by reciting the chaotic second verse of Alan Ginsberg’s Howl, a poem written in devotion to the devil Moloch. A photo of the event showing fully masked children carrying www.visiontimes.com

the signs emerged on Feb. 4 from the Twitter account of a woman named Antigone Michaelides, who appears to be an interior designer in the New York City area. Michaelides titled the post “Upper West Side Story” and stated, “My son’s middle school holiday show featured a song where the kids, holding ‘Pfizer’ and ‘Moderna’ signs, were singing ‘if you’re not vaxxed you’re no friend of mine’ to the tune of ‘Safety Dance.’” “1 in 5 kids at that school are unvaxxed,” she added. At the time, the account gave little details of where or when the performance occurred, only hinting it took place in the New York area based on the heading of the tweet. Safety Dance was a 1980s synth pop classic by the group Men Without Hats, which carried lyrics promoting the abandoning of friends who weren’t cool enough to dance:

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We can dance if we want to We can leave your friends behind ‘Cause your friends don’t dance And if they don’t dance Well, they’re no friends of mine

JOSEPH PREZIOSO AFP via Getty Images

Turning children against each other

Masked children hold mock Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines during an alleged vaccine-status discrimination skit during the TACS holiday show conducted by Center School MS243 in Manhattan School District 3. The event was gated by vaccine passports and required full masking to attend. One concerned parent questioned the rationality of the performance, stating three participants and 20 percent of students at the school are unvaccinated. (Image: Twitter screenshot)

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On Feb. 7, more details were provided when Michaelides updated her tweet to include an email she and her husband sent to the Superintendent of Manhattan School District 3. In the email, the designer revealed the school was Center School MS243, which conducted the TACS holiday show in December of 2021. A post on the MS243 website dated Dec. 9 stated TACS would be the first live show the school had performed since 2019, and stated that, “Masked and vaccinated people will be there to cheer the cast on.” A Dec. 3 post on the site advertising tickets for the show stated that attendance was limited to ad.ny@visiontimes.com

100 people, and that “ANYONE THAT WANTS TO COME MUST BE VACCINATED AND REMAIN MASKED THROUGHOUT THE SHOW.” Michaelides and her husband David Porter zeroed in on the policy dissonance the segment appeared to display in her email to the Superintendent because during a recent Zoom call parents were told some of District 3’s “Core Goals” were to address the “social and emotional needs” and to respect the “lived experiences” of students. “How is it acceptable for a teacher, or teachers, to promote an agenda which encourages some children to turn against other children at the same school?”

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EXPLORE

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FEB 11 - FEB 18, 2022 |

A11

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Fearing another flood of UFO reports, the CIAconvened panel reasoned that a “debunking” campaign would decrease “public interest in ‘flying saucers’” and reduce Americans’ “susceptibility to clever hostile propaganda.” (Image: Adobestock)

NASA Leader Indicates UFOs Could Be Alien in Origin By Jonathan Walker

Obviously, Nelson isn’t claiming to have any specific information, and in all likelihood he was just having some fun during a public appearance. It’s also not Nelson’s first time opining that there’s almost certainly alien life out there somewhere.

ASA administrator Bill Nelson recently acknowledged the possibility that some Unidentified Flying Object (UFO) sightings by Navy pilots could be extraterrestrials. He hopes that they are not our “adversary.” Nelson was given the post of NASA Administrator in May. In a discussion with Larry Sabato from the University of Virginia’s Center for Politics, Nelson said that there have been around 300 UFO sightings since some Navy pilots encountered one in 2004. The pilots said that their radars locked onto an object that immediately disappeared. Neither the pilots nor NASA has any explanation for the encounter. “They don’t know what it is, and we don’t know what it is. We hope it’s not an adversary here on Earth that has that kind of technology. But it’s something. And so, this is a mission that we’re constantly looking — what, who is out there? Who are we? How did we get here? How did we become as we are? How did we develop? How did we civilize? And are those same conditions out there in a universe that has billions of other suns in billions of other galaxies — it’s so large I can’t conceive it,” Nelson said. Last year, videos released by the Navy showed UFOs performing extreme aerial maneuvers and moving at incredible speeds. One of these videos was from November 2004, which showed former fighter pilot Alex Dietrich’s encounter with a UFO. Dietrich said that the object responded in an unrecognizable manner as it lacked “any visible flight control surfaces or means of propulsion.” The encounter came to be known as the Tic Tac incident.

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NASA Administrator Bill Nelson raised the possibility of some UFOs originating from extraterrestrials. (Image: WIKI media)

In much the same vein, former CIA Director James Woolsey, a longtime UFO skeptic, recently signaled openness to the possibility that such encounters have otherworldly explanations. (Image: WIKI media)

In June this year, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) released a short report about the American government’s information on UFOs. The ODNI examined 144 incidents of UFO encounters from government sources. 80 were observed with multiple sensors. Few of the UFOs are believed to have demonstrated “advanced

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technology.” In 18 incidents, observers described the objects as having unusual flight characteristics or movement patterns. “Some UAP (Unidentified Aerial Phenomena) appeared to remain stationary in winds aloft, move against the wind, maneuver abruptly, or move at considerable speed, without discernible means of propulsion. In a small number

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of cases, military aircraft systems processed radio frequency (RF) energy associated with UAP sightings. The UAPTF holds a small amount of data that appear to show UAP demonstrating acceleration or a degree of signature management… We are conducting further analysis to determine if breakthrough technologies were demonstrated,” the report said. Other American officials have also voiced their opinions on UFOs. In an interview with Fox News in June, John Ratcliffe, the former Director of National Intelligence, said that UFOs are a matter of national security. Some of the objects displayed technology that the U.S. neither possesses nor has the ability to counter, he said. Ratcliffe added that the actual number of UFO encounters remains unknown.

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A12 | FEB 11 - FEB 18, 2022

CULTURE

VISION TIMES

A fascinating history The use of kefir dates back thousands of years in the Caucasus mountain region, spanning southern Russia to the northernmost parts of Georgia and Azerbaijan. Legend has it that the prophet Mohammed brought kefir grains to the Orthodox Christians of the region, showing them how to use it, and explaining its beneficial qualities. The Muslims, a minority religion in the region, so treasured the cultured milk they considered kefir a gift from God (Allah). Two white bulls grazing on a green summer pasture with snow-capped mountain range on the background, the Caucasus Mountains, Svaneti, Georgia.(Image: Adobe Stock)

Kefir: A Gift From the Gods for the Gut By Ila Bonczek

hile kefir has only recently gained popularity in the

west, this tangy probiotic drink since ancient times in the east. Not quite yogurt, and not quite buttermilk, kefir is basically milk, cultured by an odd-looking, and oddly-named, living organic collective of yeasts and ous other nutritious qualities, kefir can provide many times the probiotics of other cultured milk products; and the best quality kefir can be easily made at home.

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Traditionally made with milk, kefir can actually be beneficial for those with lactose intolerance or dairy allergies, because it takes care of the elements that your body is not dealing with properly. Non-dairy liquids can also be cultured in the same way, but their health benefits are not quite equal to those of the traditional dairy product. The magic of kefir starts with a gooey symbiotic colony of yeast and bacteria that looks remarkably like cauliflower. When this “grain” is added to room temperature milk, the lactose is broken down into lactic acid, probiotics multiply, and milk is transformed into a super nutritious, tangy, effervescent beverage.

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Modern studies have shown kefir to be effective in improving digestion, reducing blood pressure and cholesterol, preventing cancer, improving immunity, and reducing asthma and allergies. The Northern Caucasus region is known to have one of the highest ratios of centenarians in the world. After the secret of kefir was publicised in Dr. Metchnikoff’s book The Prolongation of Life, the All Russian Physician’s Society set out to gain possession of this seeming panacea for use in medical treatment. A tale of deceit and deception ensued.

has been revered and treasured

bacteria. Aside from its numer-

It was believed that in order to maintain its effectiveness, the culture could not be shared. It thus remained a closelyguarded secret within the Caucasus Mountains for many generations, ensuring health and longevity of the region’s people. In the early 1900s, however, Russian immunologist Dr. Ilya Metchnikoff began investigating the factors behind their exceptional longevity, and concluded that the cultured milk, a staple of their diet, was key.

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The Society commissioned a pair of brothers from a local dairy to secure kefir grains from the Caucasus tribes. When the grains could not be purchased, the brothers turned to trickery, sending a beautiful female employee to seduce the tribal prince. Although the prince succumbed to her charms, he would not yield the precious kefir grains. The woman left empty-handed, but was brought back by tribesmen intent on forcing her to marry the prince. Her employers launched a rescue mission and freed her from an unwanted marriage, but now the woman had a genuine grievance against the prince to use as leverage. She brought the case to the Czar, who ordered the prince to pay retribution. She would accept nothing less than 10 lbs of kefir grains. With that, the gift of kefir began its spread throughout the world.

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A probiotic super star While kefir is beneficial in many areas, it is most highly prized for its probiotic prowess. Probiotics are beneficial microorganisms that promote digestion and mental health, aid in weight management, and stimulate the immune system. While yogurt is better known in the West, kefir provides a much more diverse source of probiotics. Most yogurts contain only four to six different culture strains, while kefir boasts up to 61 different strains of beneficial bacteria and yeasts.

Probiotics, beneficial bacteria and yeasts that aid in digestion and other bodily functions, are abundant in cultured milk, especially homemade kefir.(Image: Hadassa Loth de Oliveira via Wikimedia Commons CC BY-SA 4.0)

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CULTURE

Kefir grains are living organisms used to culture milk into a powerful probiotic. They are easy to maintain and, with good care, will give you a never-ending supply of fresh milk kefir.

FEB 11 - FEB 18, 2022 |

(Image: Adobe Stock)

As your grains grow, you can use them to produce more kefir (by increasing the amount of milk per batch) or you can divide them to share with others.

Culturing kefir at home Although kefir can be purchased at most groceries these days, they often contain sugar, and are of inferior quality. The best kefir is made fresh at home. Homemade kefir can give you four to six times the probiotics for a fraction of the price. To get started, the primary concern is finding kefir grains. They can be ordered online, but they aren’t especially fond of travel. You can buy dried grains, but reconstituting them can be tricky. The best option is to find someone near you who is culturing kefir. The grains, as we’ve established, are a living organism, and they multiply and grow as long as they are being used. So anyone with a healthy kefir culture will surely have some to spare. Craigslist, or local Facebook groups are good places to search.

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The digestive comfort gained through consuming kefir may have contributed to its name, derived from the Turkish word keyif, meaning “pleasure.” The probiotic Lactobacillus kefiri has been found to protect against harmful bacteria like Salmonella, Helicobacter pylori and E. coli. and the carbohydrate kefiran is also known to have antibacterial properties. Because probiotics help restore the balance of friendly bacteria in your gut, consuming kefir regularly does much to improve digestion and reverse various digestive disorders, including irritable bowel syndrome, ulcers, constipation and diarrhea. Lactose intolerance is a problem for many adults who can no longer break down lactose on their own. Because kefir contains many bacteria and enzymes that convert lactose into lactic acid, it is generally well tolerated by all. Since the plentiful bacteria and yeast in kefir can colonize your gastrointestinal tract and stay there for a long period of time, lactose intolerance may actually be reversed.

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Many suggest straining the milk with a plastic mesh strainer, but you can achieve the same effect with less mess by simply removing the grains from the liquid with a plastic fork.

Enjoy your kefir plain, in a fruit smoothie, or in salad dressing.

11 Top view of traditional Russian summer kefir or yogurt cold soup with vegetables called Okroshka.

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A13

Milk Kefir instructions

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To rehydrate dry grains, place them in a small amount of fresh milk. Keep the milk at room temperature while your grains reconstitute. The kefir will not be active right away, so be sure to change the milk before it goes sour. Once it looks like a small clump of cauliflower, it should begin to culture your milk. You will see some small bubbles and the milk will become thick and viscous. Discard the first small batch and start fresh once the grain is producing. Start with 2 cups of fresh cow or goat milk (whole, 2% or 1%). Skim or ultra-pasteurized are not recommended. Raw milk, if you can get it, is very good. For thicker kefir, add extra cream. In a ball-jar, drop your fresh or reconstituted grain into the milk and put the lid (preferably plastic) on loosely. Keep the jar at room temperature and out of direct sunlight. A cupboard or countertop work equally well. You can agitate the milk, but it is not necessary. Under very average conditions, culturing should take about 24 hours. Raw milk can take longer (up to 3 days), while summer temperatures or increasing amounts of grain will speed up the process. When the kefir is ready, you’ll begin to see bubbles at the bottom of the jar, and it will be thick throughout (though not as thick as yogurt). It will have a slightly sweet, mostly tangy flavor and may be somewhat effervescent. Many suggest straining the milk with a plastic mesh strainer, but you can achieve the same effect with less mess by simply removing the grains from the liquid with a plastic fork. Place the grains in fresh milk to start again. There is no need to rinse the grains, unless your milk has gone sour and smells bad. If this has happened, be sure to use non-chlorinated, room-temperature water to carefully rinse away the bad milk. Enjoy your kefir plain, in a fruit smoothie, or in salad dressing. Although cooking it will destroy the probiotics, it can also be used in place of buttermilk or sour cream in baking. To slow the process for whatever reason, simply store the whole thing in the fridge. Cultured milk can last up to two weeks without harming (starving) the grains. For a longer pause, you can place your grains in fresh milk directly in the fridge, slowing the fermentation considerably and yielding a sweeter, smoother kefir. If you cannot attend to your grains for a long period, they can be preserved by drying them. Place the grains on parchment paper and cover with a paper towel to prevent contamination. When they are completely dry, place them in a jar with a loose fitting lid until you are ready to restore them. They are likely to smell like very ripe cheese at this point. As your grains grow, you can use them to produce more kefir (by increasing the amount of milk per batch) or you can divide them to share with others. The grains will naturally divide as they grow, or you can gently pull them apart. Do not squish them. Kefir grains are alive and sensitive. Remember to keep them out of direct sunlight, Avoid using metal utensils or containers in contact with kefir grains, and avoid contact with chlorinated water. You can adapt your grains to be used with nondairy milks like oat milk, coconut milk, almond milk, or cashew milk. Start out with equal parts of dairy and non-dairy, and gradually reduce the amount of dairy to allow your grains time to adjust to a new diet. It should be noted, however, that consuming kefir may restore balance in your gut, enabling you to tolerate milk products even if you couldn’t before.

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WELLNESS

A14 | FEB 11 - FEB 18, 2022

VISION TIMES

HandHolding Benefits: By Ila Bonczek

From a young age, we know the comfort and security of holding hands, but people of all ages can experience various important handholding benefits.

6 Reasons to Hold Hands With Someone Today (2)

Continued from the previous issue

Reduced stress and better sleep

Studies show that holding hands helps reduce the stress hormone cortisol, alleviating physical and emotional tension and anxiety. Researchers at the University of Virginia studied the reduction of stress levels in response to handholding. Women from 16 heterosexual couples were connected to a device that would send an electric shock to their ankles and record the response in the brain. When the women held hands with their partner or husband, the reaction was significantly reduced.

Similarly, the women felt less pain from mild burns when they held their partners’ hands, and more pain when the partners were not in the room. Holding hands may provide a sense of serenity in your daily life, and improve the quality of your sleep. Falling asleep holding hands is sure to bring a more restful night.

Demonstrates affection and kindness

Holding hands is a simple way to strengthen the bonds between people. This activity has a favorable influence overall. It provides opportunities to nurture effective relationships with your parents, friends, children and your spouse. Holding hands is a symbol of the bond between two people who care for each other. Couples who maintain physical contact consistently express more satisfaction in their relationships.

There is a magnet in your heart that will attract true friends. That magnet is unselfishness, thinking of others first; when you learn to live for others, they will live for you.” yogi Paramahansa Yoganand

Reduces Blood Pressure

When you hold hands, you are also helping to keep your heart in good condition. Reduced stress often goes ‘hand in hand’ with lowered blood pressure, another advantage of holding hands. When blood pressure can be controlled, it may also reduce the risk of heart disease. Simone Jonker contributed to this report.

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NATURE

VISION TIMES

FEB 11 - FEB 18, 2022 |

A15

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Talking Duck Has a ‘Fowl’ Mouth By Darren Maung

hile we are all familiar with talking parrots, and even the odd talking raven, these birds are exceptional at mimicking, and it often takes years of training for them to form recognizable words. So who would guess that a duck might take up speech as well? One duck in Australia has done just that. Its phrase is neither profound nor kind, yet it certainly has amusement value, and caught the attention of a Dutch scientist.

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Ripper the musk duck

The musk duck, mainly found from north-west Western Australia through to Queensland, is among the strangest-looking of the country’s waterbirds. Under its bill, the male duck has a wobbly lobe dangling down. Inflating the lobe, the duck also fans its long, rigid tail to attract mates. Musk ducks get their name from the strong odour produced from a gland on the rump. One musk duck, nicknamed Ripper, caught the attention of Leiden University scientist Carel ten Cate, who was interested in its ability to produce an almost humanlike sentence. Male musk are normally solitary creatures, but Ripper was an exception, as he was raised by humans at a bird park in Australia. It can be assumed that this is where he learned some human phrases. Upon first hearing some old recordings of Ripper, ten Cate thought they were fake. However, the recordings were genuine; made by ornithologist Peter Fullagar, co-author of Ten Cate’s research that was published in the Netherlands’ Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society journal. Fullagar had first recorded Ripper using a Sony Walkman recorder and a Sennheiser microphone on July 19 and 26, 1987. The duck was not only able to produce something like a sentence, but it also mimicked the sound of a slamming door, along with small speech-like mumbles. Among the sounds it made, the most interesting sounded like,

The researchers also note at least two other musk ducks with similar skills, though no recordings exist. One duck in Pensthorpe Natural Park in the UK has been heard “coughing and [mimicking] a snorting pony”, while one at Slimbridge wildfowl trust was observed reproducing “the characteristic cough of his bird keeper and also of a squeak of a turnstile”.

human voice, even though the pronunciation is a bit odd – which might be the Australian accent, I don’t know,” said ten Cate. Fullagar also made a recording of another male duck in June 2000, using more recent technology. The duck was also able to make similar sounds to Ripper’s, possibly because they had met in the past.

What was that, again?

Fullagar and ten Cate then created sonograms of the sounds made by Ripper and the second duck. The sonograms were analyzed, and were found to be almost identical to each other. While it was amusing to think Ripper would use such vulgar language, ten Cate believes that he might have been saying ‘food’

(Image: IAmbirdsaspoetry/FLICKR)

instead of ‘fool.’ “I can imagine that the caretaker would jokingly say, ‘Here’s your bloody food.’” said ten Cate. Taking observations of vocal differences between other captive ducks, it is believed that there is a level of “advanced vocal learning” that is on par with songbirds and parrots. “To find a species quite outside these groups… in a duck, that’s quite extraordinary. So it’s an independent evolutionary occurrence of the ability for vocal learning – that’s very special,” ten Cate said. Ten Cate also believes that the musk duck might have adopted this unique ability to copy its caretaker due to the species’ tendency to stick to the one it perceives as its parent figure. Thus, it is likely that individual ducks, such as Ripper, may form strong bonds with their human guardians. “The long dependency might also be accompanied by a more gradual development of neural systems, providing the scope for a larger impact of experience (learning) on behavioral development.” ten Cate stated in his study. So that is the story of the talking duck(s). If there is a lesson to be learned, perhaps it is that we should watch our mouths; not only around children, who will readily repeat whatever they hear, but also around animals; for you never know when those words might come back to haunt you!

“You bloody fool!”

The recordings were kept at the Australian National Wildlife Collection, where they went untouched until ten Cate found them decades later. “It’s definitely based on the

The Musk Duck's Distribution.

(Image: Adobestock)

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A16 | FEB 11 - FEB 18, 2022

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