China
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‘TRILOBITE EYES INSPIRE BIFOCAL LENSES as researchers from China and the USA have
studied the eyes of a trilobite named Dalmanitina socialis. These creatures had ‘bifocal’ eyes
consisting of two lenses that bent light at different angles, enabling them to see both close up and
far away objects at the same time. The researchers were “inspired by the optical structure of their
eyes” to design a bifocal micro-lens system capable of taking snapshots of scenes containing
objects as close as a few centimetres plus objects that are kilometres away at the same time.
They also used a computer algorithm called a neural network, that mimics the human nervous
system, to compensate for blurriness and aberrations in mid distance objects in the same
scene. The research team wrote in their report: “Inspired by compound eyes of the trilobite
Dalmanitina socialis, we design and construct a chiral light-field camera … Combined with a
deep-learning-based neural network reconstruction algorithm, the system provides distinct
aberration-free photographic capabilities, including the ability to achieve a polarization-controllable
extreme DoF imaging while maintaining high spatial lateral resolution.” (DoF – depth of field)
References: PhysOrg 19 April 2022, Nature Communications 19 April 2022 doi: 10.1038/s41467-
022-29568-y
ED. COM. Don’t worry if you don’t understand all the technical terms in the research team’s
conclusion. Just note the use of the words “inspired” and “design and construct”. Researchers
“inspired” in the right way would be giving honour and thanks to the Creator of the trilobite, as well
as using their God given brains to design and build a similar system, and put it to good use. But
all evolutionists who think either the trilobite built it, or that it came about by chance random
processes deserve the condemnation set out in the Bible’s book of Romans: “Claiming to be wise,
they became fools” (Romans 1:22).’https://creationresearch.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/Enews/enews-20220504.pdf
‘China said it has signed the inter-governmental framework agreement on security cooperation this week with Solomon Islands.
Responding to questions from Xinhua News Agency in their daily Press Conference, China’s Foreign Ministry Spokesperson, Wang Wenbin said China’s State Councilor and Foreign Minister, Wang Yi and Solomon Islands Minister of Foreign Affairs and External Trade Jeremiah Manele signed the framework agreement on behalf of both countries.
Wenbin said the China-Solomon Islands security cooperation is a normal exchange and cooperation between two sovereign and independent countries and an important part of China-Solomon Islands comprehensive cooperation.
He said the security cooperation aims at promoting social stability and long-term tranquillity in Solomon Islands, which conforms to the common interests of Solomon Islands and the Pacific region.
Wenbin said the China-Solomon Islands security cooperation follows the principle of equality and mutual benefit, and is based on respecting the will and actual need of Solomon Islands.
“The two sides will conduct cooperation in such areas as maintenance of social order, protection of the safety of people’s lives and property, humanitarian assistance and natural disaster response, in an effort to help Solomon Islands strengthen capacity building in safeguarding its own security”.
Webin also said that the China-Solomon Islands security cooperation is open, transparent and inclusive, and does not target any third party.
“It proceeds in parallel and complements Solomon Islands’ existing bilateral and multilateral security cooperation mechanisms. China stands ready to work with relevant countries to leverage respective strengths to form international synergy”.
The Solomon Islands government has not made any official announcement yet of the signed agreement.
Australia and New Zealand including the Federated State of Micronesia have raised concerns about the security agreement. The President of the Federated States of Micronesia wrote a letter to Sogavare, urging him to abandon the security agreement with China.
Australia’s Minister for International Development and the Pacific flew in to have an audience with the Solomon Islands Prime Minister despite Sogavare telling parliament that the security agreement does not include a military base.
On Monday the White House issued a statement that U.S government officials from the National Security Council, Department of State, Department of Defense and United States Agency for International Development will visit Solomon Islands, Fiji and Papua New Guinea to further deepen enduring ties with the region and to advance a free, open and resilient Indo-Pacific.
Solomon Islands is reiterating that the arrangements for the framework stems from the country’s National Development Strategy and there should not be any cause for worry.
“All our security arrangements with our partners stemmed from the Solomon Islands National Development Strategy. And that strategy has gone out nationwide. So we are basically starting to implement some of the strategies that we have already made”, PS Foreign Affairs, Collin Beck, recently told the Press.
In parliament on Tuesday, Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee, Douglas Ete made mention that an official group from China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs will arrive in Honiara mid-May.
“I also understand that the PRC Foreign Affairs is arriving in Honiara in the middle of May to sign multilateral agreements and cooperation with the Solomon Islands government. That means we will be opening up cooperation in education, cooperation in fisheries and other socio-economic cooperation”, Ete said.’https://www.solomontimes.com/news/solomon-islands-and-china-signs-security-cooperation-agreement/11792
‘Some 13 years after the end of a civil war that saw 100,000 deaths, Sri Lanka is once again on the cusp of serious violence. Earlier today, the police opened fire on protesters in the town of Rambukkana. One person has died and at least ten people are said to be in critical condition. It’s the first use of deadly force against demonstrators who seem to have filled the entire island in recent weeks. Grainy footage shows half-conscious bodies being carried into hospital, bullet casings littering the quiet palm-lined streets.
This was meant to be a time of celebration. Buddhists are marking the new year while the country’s Muslim minority observe Ramadan. Instead, the country has been brought to a standstill by nationwide protests demanding that President Gotabaya Rajapaksa resign amid a crippling economic crisis.
Sri Lanka’s capital, Colombo, is now a ghost town. The savings of the country’s burgeoning middle classes have become worthless: the Sri Lankan Rupee is now the world’s worst-performing currency. India’s southern neighbour owes international lenders more than £21 billion, with just £1.7 billion in reserves. Shops and restaurants are closed and armed police patrol the streets. The price of vegetables has increased fivefold since 2021, while the cost of rice has doubled. Many residents say they are unable to eat more than one meal a day.
Rajapaksa, a Sinhalese Buddhist, was elected President in 2019 following the Easter Sunday terror attacks. To many Sri Lankans – particularly the country’s Sinhalese Buddhist majority, around 70 per cent of the population – he seemed the obvious choice to restore law and order, having served as defence secretary during the civil war. He is credited with bringing an end to the 26-year conflict, but not without allegedly committing an array of gross human rights abuses against Sri Lanka’s Tamil minority. It’s difficult to find a more polarising figure in South Asian politics.
Since his election, Rajapaksa has faced accusations of economic mismanagement, embezzlement and corruption. His brother, Mahinda, is the country’s Prime Minister and another brother, Basil, was finance minister until he resigned last week along with the rest of the cabinet. Basil implemented a series of ill-advised tax cuts back in 2019; Sri Lanka was subsequently locked out of international debt markets and has had to burn through its foreign exchange reserves to service sovereign bond payments.
The Rajapaksas were also behind a sudden decision to suddenly ban chemical fertilisers last May, without consulting farmers, which led to a disastrous drop in rice yields this year. They claimed that it would protect farmers from harmful chemicals which were causing kidney issues. Unable to afford food imports, Sri Lanka saw yields of domestically-grown rice fall by around 50 per cent.
In order to deal with the surging levels of debt, Sri Lanka announced a blanket ban on non-essential imports last year. Now, everything from milk powder to spare car parts are unavailable. Even school exams have been cancelled because the government can’t afford the paper on which to print the tests.
Fuel, gas and diesel shortages have become common. Sunrise in Colombo is met by crowds of residents heading to petrol stations and waiting, usually in vain, to fill up their vehicles. In an attempt to preserve supplies, the government is enforcing ten-hour daily power cuts across the country.
Unsurprisingly, Sri Lankans are angry. Last Saturday, in the largest protest to date, tens of thousands of Colombo residents took to the streets demanding regime change. Many also called for the Rajapaksa brothers to have their day in court. ‘It was never this bad during the civil war,’ one 43-year-old IT worker in Colombo explains. ‘At least then we had food to eat, power in our homes and fuel in our cars.’
It seems growing numbers of Sri Lankans agree. The weekend before last, Muslim leaders marched side-by-side with saffron-robed Buddhist monks before members of the country’s LGBTQ community joined them to break the Ramadan fast. You find groups of wealthy professionals chanting anti-Rajapaksa slogans alongside poor rickshaw drivers who can no longer afford fuel. Doctors and nurses are becoming a vocal part of the protests.
Meanwhile, Sri Lanka’s largest public medical body, the Government Medical Officers Association, has declared a health emergency. Hospitals have run out of five life-saving drugs and the GMOA says there are shortages of another 180 medicines, as well as a lack of vital surgical and testing equipment. There are reports of several deaths due to a shortage of Tenecteplase, a drug administered to patients after heart attacks. Pharmacies surrounding Colombo’s leading cancer hospital are turning away patients. The GMOA is pleading with Sri Lankan expats to send essential drugs.
Yet the Rajapaksas remain resolute: Gotabaya has refused to resign. The country’s new finance minister, who attempted to quit less than 24 hours in the job, has said that reviving the economy will be a ‘Herculean’ task. He estimates Sri Lanka requires £2.3 billion in aid over the next six months to purchase essentials like food and fuel, in addition to meeting £5.3 billion of debt repayments for the rest of the year.
Many Sri Lankans blame high-interest Chinese loans for the crisis. Already, Sri Lanka has been forced to lease a new mega port to China in lieu of repayments. Spotting an opportunity, India has signed over £760 million of credit to Sri Lanka and talks are underway for a further £1.1 billion of financial support.
Back in Colombo, some are saying this is Sri Lanka’s ‘Arab Spring’ moment, as peaceful protesters seek to overthrow an autocratic government mired in corruption allegations and complicit in gross economic mismanagement. But for now, Sri Lanka’s notorious military continues to support the Rajapaksas. Whether that continues is an open question.
‘We haven’t seen anything like this for decades, there is no gas, no fuel, no food. The whole country is coming out onto the streets,’ one 22-year-old protester says. ‘The Rajapaksas have to go right now or it is going to be the end of us all.’’https://www.spectator.com.au/2022/04/sri-lankas-descent-into-chaos/
‘International demand for commercial ships is fueling the growth of the Chinese navy, according to a new report, which found that billions of dollars in foreign shipbuilding contracts could be being used by Beijing to fund new combat vessels.
The new report by the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a security-focused think tank, found that four major shipyards responsible for building Chinese naval vessels also raked in billions of dollars in foreign commercial investment and technology transfers every year.
“China’s opaque business ecosystem offers limited transparency into the flow of capital within its shipbuilding industry, but available evidence indicates that profits from foreign orders likely lower the costs of upgrading China’s navy,” the report said.
This is because of the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) strategy of military-civil fusion (MCF), which aims to prioritize commercial, technological, and research endeavors which simultaneously serve civilian and military purposes.
With MCF in mind, China’s premier state-owned shipbuilders are able to use the profits from international contracts to hasten military projects, such as the CCP’s expanding fleet of aircraft carriers.
The report notes that one such company, state-owned China State Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC), is the primary builder of Chinese naval vessels, and also develops weapons and other national security equipment for the regime.
According to the report, CSSC alone accounts for 21.5 percent of the world’s shipbuilding market, and the mammoth company controls more than 100 subsidiaries. The United States placed CSSC on an investment blacklist in 2020 but, as the numbers demonstrate, such has had little to no effect on international demand.
The example of CSSC highlight the important issue of China’s centrality to the global shipbuilding market. In 2020, China accounted for more than 40 percent of all merchant shipbuilding in the world. Second place went to South Korea with 31.5 percent, and third to Japan with 22.2 percent.
The rest of the world combined accounted for less than eight percent of all merchant shipbuilding.
Vitally, the report found that the same shipyards used to build the world’s merchant vessels were also being used to rocket China’s navy to global ascendency.
Four shipyards, Dalian, Jiangnan, Hudong-Zhonghua, and Huangpu Wenchong, received billions from foreign investors in recent years, where top firms from France and even Taiwan commissioned ships to be built in the same drydocks as China’s combat vessels.
Previously, a French ship was being built in the same drydock that is now constructing China’s newest and most advanced aircraft carrier. Recent satellite imaging, moreover, showed that a commercial container ship for Taiwan’s Evergreen Marine Corporation was being built in the next dock over.
The incident raises concerns that the Taiwanese shipping titan could be essentially funding China’s capacity to invade the self-governed island.
“It should raise more than a few eyebrows in Taipei that Taiwan’s premier shipping company is pouring money into the coffers of shipyards assembling warships for the Chinese navy,” the report said.
“Given CSSC’s lack of transparency and its central role in supporting the PLAN [People’s Liberation Army Navy], foreign companies should exercise more caution when engaging with it and other Chinese shipbuilders. For democracies, especially those in the region that must weather the brunt of China’s rising assertiveness, these ties are more than just worrying. They present a tangible threat to national security. ”
In all, CSIS found that Evergreen purchased 44 vessels from China from 2018-2022. Only two of those orders were built by shipyards that were not known to produce combat vessels for the Chinese navy.
Evergreen’s contracts with CSSC are just the tip of the iceberg, however.
The CSIS report found that from 2019 to 2021, the four aforementioned shipyards received 211 orders for commercial vessels, with some 64 percent of those orders originating from outside of China and Hong Kong.
As such, the report warned that global demand for commercial vessels was likely accelerating Chinese naval development by a significant margin at a time when the West is increasingly at odds with the communist regime over its global ambitions.
Nevertheless, the report said that there was a silver lining in the fact that the two other largest shipbuilders were South Korea and Japan, which CSIS described as “thriving democracies.” Both nations also enjoy favorable trade and security agreements with the United States.
As such, CSIS recommended that lawmakers in Washington seek to draw international shipbuilding contracts away from China and into the markets of more democratic societies in the Pacific.
“Policymakers in Washington should explore opportunities to incentivize foreign companies away from China and toward partnerships with South Korean and Japanese alternatives,” the report said.
“The shift will not be easy or immediate. Short-term capacity issues will arise. But in managing hard choices vis-à-vis China, especially those critical to national security, the United States should be prepared to steer the lead ship. “’https://www.theepochtimes.com/international-shipbuilding-contracts-fuel-chinese-navy-modernization-report_4397072.html?est=eBFJ5doDK8dDckunmwgx%2BtWt2FpLlFD1zeTDrC5b5YeHX9NJncBCWQzK%2FCyeWH%2FPdg%3D%3D
Are more lockdowns like China’s coming to the USA and Australia? https://www.theepochtimes.com/are-more-chinese-communist-party-style-lockdowns-coming-to-america_4400065.html?utm_source=ref_share&utm_campaign=copy&rs=SHRKCTZH&
‘After a week of torrential rain and floods, the Wyong SES put out a call to the community through its Facebook page asking for volunteers to help fill sandbags for desperate residents.
What’s being referred to as a ‘one in a thousand-year’ weather event has meant all hands on deck are called on to pitch in.
Well, not quite.
Adding to the grief for local SES operators was a decision by the NSW state government and SES leadership to only allow fully vaccinated members of the community to roll up their sleeves and fill the sandbags.
“At a unit level that’s nothing to do with us, we just cop all the flak from the people who have been harassing us on Facebook and sending us abusive messages,” said Tim Keown, Wyong SES Deputy Unit Commander.
“We’ve been doing massive sandbag operations, a couple of hundred tonnes of sand has gone out into the community and we’ve had about 2,500 requests for assistance right across the central coast between Wyong and Gosford.“
Frustrated locals across the flood-affected regions of NSW have taken to social media to express their disbelief that, in a time of genuine crisis in their community and despite being willing and capable, they’re not allowed to help.
The people impacted by the disaster I talked to on the streets didn’t appear to have any issues if an unvaccinated person were to help them out in their time of need.
“Volunteers are as rare as hen’s teeth and if someone is prepared I don’t care if they’ve been vaxxed or not,” said one local I talked to.
“It wouldn’t worry me,” said another. “We’re kind of passed all that aren’t we, really? “I couldn’t care less.” said a third.
With even more wild weather forecast to hit some of the same regions in the coming days and weeks, it puts the focus back on the NSW’s leadership to address the issues at hand.
As Stuart Gadenne, a former ADF special forces officer who isn’t allowed to assist the SES under the rules said to me, the state government needs to drastically reconsider this decision and take a different approach.
“A logical triage of needs for human beings on the ground … Is the threat of spreading this disease, Covid-19, is that greater than the threat as to what is actually happening to people and what the fallout that is going to happen if they don’t get enough assistance up here which could be catastrophic,” he said.’https://www.rebelnews.com/watch_unvaccinated_volunteers_banned_from_helping_in_flood_disaster?utm_campaign=rb_03_08_2022&utm_medium=email&utm_source=therebel
‘In this episode of Behind The Deep State, host Alex Newman explores the Deep State effort to supposedly fight the Chinese virus with more tyranny and globalism. In particular, Alex goes through a Rockefeller Foundation report that imagines a hypothetical pandemic. Dubbed “Lock Step,” this scenario praises Communist China’s ruthless measures while attacking the United States. Newman also exposes the push for a New World Order, mandatory vaccines, a global Special Drawing Rights currency by the IMF, ID2020, and other schemes funded by the Bill Gates Foundation. Basically, the Deep State is using this hysteria to wage war on liberty, nations, and privacy. Don’t let them win.
Please note: This episode of Behind The Deep State originally aired March 30, 2020 on Youtube. Due to censorship surrounding COVID on Youtube, The New American is moving older videos to Rumble for archival purposes.’https://rumble.com/vwffq3-fighting-coronavirus-with-tyranny-and-globalism-behind-the-deep-state.html?mref=6zof&mc=dgip3&utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=The+New+American&ep=2
