#Toronto Association for Democracy in China

[newsfromstolenland]

https://www.cbc.ca/amp/1.6779785

As Ottawa launches investigations into claims China interfered in two elections, some members of the Chinese diaspora are warning about an increase in anti-Asian racism, while others say racism could be used to hinder the search for the truth.  "The first thing we need to be very sure about is that racism is not being used as a shield to deflect or distract from the real issue at hand," said Cheuk Kwan, co-chair of the Toronto Association for Democracy in China.  As anti-Asian racism has spiked as a result of the pandemic and as the Sino-Canadian relationship continues to be strained, many question the effect of the investigations on the Chinese diaspora.

Tagging: @allthecanadianpolitics

[if-you-fan-a-fire]

“SEE 'SIT-DOWN STRIKE' IN EDUCATION SYSTEM,” Toronto Star. April 10, 1942. Page 3. ---- Canada's High School Students "Half Asleep." Rev. J. G. Endicott Says ---- COMPARES CHINA ---- Canada's high school students look half asleep to Rev. James G. Endicott of Toronto, missionary and teacher, who was born in China and lived most of his life there. 

"In China the high school boys would tear you to pieces with questions if you went into their classroom," Mr. Endicott told delegates at the Ontario Educational association.

"It strikes me that a good deal of our education in the fat and complacent democracies is something in the nature of a sit-down strike," he declared. 

Mr. Endicott appealed for a better appreciation of China's people and China's problems. He said the peoples of Asia are not satisfied that the great western democracies are truly concerned with their fate.

A request that the department of education require all public school teachers to have medical examinations at regular intervals didn't receive unanimous endorsement from the public school department. D.. M. Davidson, of Ryerson school, Toronto, termed it "too expensive a means of detecting a very small number of cases of poor health among the teachers." 

Ross R. McKay of Hillsburg, was elected president of the public school department; past president, Miss Edna Moore, Toronto; vice-president, Miss Edna McCallum, London, Ont.; secretary, E. H. Stephenson, Toronto: treasurer, R. G. Elliott, Toronto. Charles Michael and Miss Lucy Dobson were named a special committee to draft a new constitution for the public school department.

"You can teach a dog new tricks," said Dr. E. A. Corbett, speaking at the trustees section on adult education as it is being extended in rural areas across Canada. "Your education never tops, and those old adages I quoted are now myths." 

He said 200,000 rural Canadians were now reached by the adult education program. "People who were being exploited are now looking after their own affairs," he said, citing Nova Scotia fishermen as an example. Following the war, there would have to be a planned economy. to bring in a better order and end such problems as unemployment. he declared.

[zvaigzdelasas]

VANCOUVER — A member of a committee that advises B.C. Premier John Horgan is under fire for referring to accusations of Uyghur genocide in China as “lies.”

Bill Yee, a retired provincial court judge and a member of B.C.’s Chinese-Canadian Advisory Committee, made the comments during an interview on the Toronto-based Chinese-language radio station A-1.

Those statements have a Canadian organization that advocates for democracy in Hong Kong calling on Horgan to dismiss Yee from his advisory role.

During the March 31 interview, Yee dismissed allegations that a genocide is being conducted against Uyghurs by the Chinese government.

“They use these lies, and those politicians, but what kind of legal basis do they have to prove China has committed genocide?” he said. “That doesn’t make sense.”

[...]

Pressed during the radio interview by host Andrea Chun, Yee said the allegations about events in Xinjiang are “made up” and “lies.”

Yee, who is a past president of the Chinese Benevolent Association in Vancouver, accused Canadian politicians of having “ulterior motives,” according to a translation of the interview done by the Star.

“The so-called evidence from some people, does that mean they’re fact? It needs to be objective,” Yee said. “Many people have ulterior motives, so have you thought about that?”

6 April 2021

[timelesswillow]

Support Hong Kong

I know a lot of us want to be able to show support to the protestors in Hong Kong but live abroad. Here’s a list of things that can be done to join in and help out. Please Please Share. If I’ve left anything out or something doesn’t work let me know. 

*Please do not allow your anger/outrage towards the events that are occurring due to the actions of the Chinese Government to turn to stereotyping, hatred, racism, etc. towards Chinese individuals.

Sign a Petition 

Write the HK government to protect and respect the rights of the people of Hong Kong. [Petition to Protect Rights]

Contact Olympics Committee to not host the Winter Olympics 2022 in Beijing - Mention Hong Kong and Horrible violations of Uyghur Rights

Petition United Nations to Condemn Hong Kong Police for Excessive Use of Force and Call for an Independent Inquiry [Petition United Nation]

Request International Court of Justice to Investigate Excessive Force of Hong Kong Police [Petition International Court of Justice]

Support Radio Television Hong Kong’s editorial independence [Petition for Editorial Independence]

Revoke Carrie Lam's Legion of Honor Award (France) [Petition Grand Master of the Legion]

Petition Amnesty on behalf of the July 1st Legco Building Protesters [Petition Amnesty for Legco Protesters]

Reporting HK Police Force to the International Police Association for breach of professional code of conduct and excessive use of force [Petition International Police Association]

Petition Starbucks to terminate franchise deal with Maxim's in Hong Kong [Change.org Starbucks]

Boycott or Protest Chinese products/Companies kowtowing to China

Disney

BLIZZARD

Apple

NBA

Make a Monetary or Non-Monetary Donation

Help send protective gears to Hong Kong protesters (helmets, goggles, gas masks, etc. ) via a US collection center. 

PLEASE do not brag about this or show this to media. I’ve heard the HK authorities found out about people in Taiwan doing this and they subsequently increased inspections of packages and luggage from Taiwan.

Donate to Spark Alliance Legal Aid (Website in Cantonese)

Demosisto International Campaign - Joshua Wong, Agnes Chow for international outreach

Hong Kong Medic Volunteers crowdfunding for first aid supplies, saline water to wash eyes from tear gas [Pic]. In US Dollars they’ve raised about 13K as of 10/18/19

Support The Stand News a Not-for-Profit News (Cantonese)

Hong Kong Citizen News Not-for-Profit News (Cantonese)

Hong Kong Free Press Not-for-Profit News (English)

[CANTONESE] 612 Humanitarian Relief Fund Legal Aid

Crowdfund to give away Stand with Hong Kong T-shirts at Blizzcon 2019, Los Angeles Oct 31 - Nov 2

Crowdfund to give away The North Stand with Hong Kong T-shirts at NBA Opening Toronto Raptors Oct 22nd

If anyone knows any other way to send money/donations to the actual protestors please inform me and I’ll update. 

Spread the News

Not everyone knows or is even informed about the situation. Please spread the news but be sure to spread information that has been fact checked because the Chinese Government is doing a lot to spread misinformation. 

Join online protest campaigns, retweet, share, like #Eye4HK l #Mask4HK l #birdfoldingchallenge #FiveDemandsNotOneLess #SupportHongKong #Antielab #StandWithHongKong l #NoChinaExtradition l #antiELAB l #SOSHK l #反送中 l #FreeHongKong l #StandwithHK l #HKLastwords #SaveHongKong il #HongKongProtest l #DemocracyNow l #NoExtraditionToChina l #Shout4HK l #BoycottBlizzard | #BoycottChina

Join/Support a Rally

Join and support your local #StandwithHongKong rallies. Global events/rallies near you. If you can't find one nearby, think about starting one or even making signs to put up around your city.

Continue making Memes, Posters, Videos, Drawings. Wear a #StandwithHongKong T-shirt, Carve a Pro-Hong Kong Pumpkin, 3D Print your own #LadyLibertyHK 

Write to Local Representatives (Divided by country)

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA (USA)

3.1 Send VOTE YES postcards to your Senators to ask them to co-sponsor Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act 2019 [Senate Bill S.1838] . Get your Free VOTE YES Postcards

3.2 Write to US Congress (Senators and Representatives)

https://www.house.gov/representatives/find-your-representative

https://www.senate.gov/senators/How_to_correspond_senators.htm

3.2 Ask Your US Senators to Co-Sponsor the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act of 2019

https://actionnetwork.org/letters/co-sponsor-hong-kong-human-rights-and-democracy-act-of-2019

3.3 Call your representative https://www.callmycongress.com and tell them you are very concerned about the situation in Hong Kong, the excessive amounts of tear gas used, some of which are expired, releases dangerous levels of hydrogen cyanide that could literally kill a person, which qualifies as chemical weapons, a flagrant violation of international law. Please support the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act 2019 by passing [Senate Bill S.1838] and review/revoke the United States - Hong Kong Policy Act 1992. It's in the interest of leaders who value democracy, international laws, human rights, to stand up for those who don't have the same freedoms we have. Thank you.

3.4 Petition 12 US Congress leaders to support the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act [Pass the Act S.1838/H.R.3289]

UNITED KINGDOM (UK)

4.1 Write to your Members of Parliament (UK)

https://www.parliament.uk/get-involved/contact-your-mp/

4.2 Petition UK to Uphold the 1984 Sino-British Joint Declaration

https://petition.standwithhk.org

4.3 Petition Liz Truss from Department of International Trade and Dominic Raab from Foreign and Commonwealth Office to Stand up for Human Rights in Hong Kong

https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/uk-should-safeguard-human-rights-and-rule-of-law-in-hong-kong-in-future-trade-deals

CANADA

5.1 Write to your Members of Parliament (CAN)

https://www.ourcommons.ca/Parliamentarians/en/constituencies/FindMP

5.2 Stand up for Hong Kong and Petition to Canadian MPs and Federal Elections Candidates https://chkl.ca (Dateline: Oct 20th)

5.3 #BoycottBlizzard If you are a CAN player, instead of just deleting your account, you should request PIPEDA (Personal Information Protection and Electronics Documents Act) and if they do not comply within 30 days, you can complaint to the Canada's Federal Privacy Commissioner

AUSTRALIA

6.1 Write to your Senators and Members of Parliament (AUS)

https://www.aph.gov.au/senators_and_members/guidelines_for_contacting_senators_and_members

6.2 Australian Taxpayers' Alliance Campaign to Save Hong Kong https://www.taxpayers.org.au/save-hong-kong

6.3 Expel the Chinese Consul General in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia [Dear Australian Prime Minister]

6.4 Impose Sanctions on Persons Found to be Suppressing Human Rights in Hong Kong [Petition Australian Senate]

6.5 Write to your MP to re-introduce the International Human Rights and Corruption Bill 2018 (Magnitsky Sanctions) [Template]

NEW ZEALAND

7.1 Write to your Members of Parliament (NZ)

https://www.govt.nz/browse/engaging-with-government/members-of-parliament/

EUROPE (EU)

8.1 Write to Your Members of European Parliament (EU)

http://www.europarl.europa.eu/meps/en/search/advanced

8.2 Petition to Jean Yves Le Drian, Minister of Europe and Foreign Affairs of the French Republic calling for concrete actions against China to respect Hong Kong’s autonomy to prevent a humanitarian crisis Petition to Jean Yves Le Drian

8.3 #BoycottBlizzard If you are an EU player, instead of just deleting your account, you should request GDPR (General Data Protection Regulations) and if they do not comply within 30 days, they will have to pay a hefty fine of 4% of Global Annual Turnover of Blizzard.

CHINA or CHINESE

9.1 Considering you are reading this, you already know how to use VPN. If you feel safe enough speak out but be anonymous. Let other Chinese, Hong Kong people, the world know that there are Chinese or Mainland Chinese who do supports the Hong Kong protest. Examples: You are not alone! l ChenSiuQi 陈秋实 l Passport l HK Stay strong Be vigilant l I support HK from Mainland l I will pray for HK l The reality is Hong Kongers are also fighting for Mainland Chinese l Beijing supports HK

OTHERS

10.1 Switzerland Write to your local representatives https://www.parlament.ch/en/ratsmitglieder?k=

10.2 Japan Write to your local representatives and councilors

http://www.shugiin.go.jp/internet/itdb_english.nsf/html/statics/member/mem_a.htm

https://www.sangiin.go.jp/japanese/joho1/kousei/eng/members/index.htm

10.3 Petition Japanese parliamentarians to introduce a Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Bill in Japan [Petition Japan]

Also a lot of this information was grabbed from Reddit so please head over there if you want more information because I did not grab all of it. 

[orbemnews]

China’s Forced-Labor Backlash Threatens to Put N.B.A. in Unwanted Spotlight U.S.-China tensions, human rights and business are once again meeting uncomfortably on the basketball court. In China, local brands are prospering from a consumer backlash against Nike, H&M and other foreign brands over their refusal to use Chinese cotton made by forced labor. Chinese brands have publicly embraced the cotton from the Xinjiang region, leading to big sales to patriotic shoppers and praise from the Beijing-controlled media. In the United States, two of those same Chinese brands, Li-Ning and Anta, adorn the feet of N.B.A. players — and those players are being rewarded handsomely for it. Two players reached endorsement deals with Anta in February. Another signed on this week. Klay Thompson of the Golden State Warriors already had a shoe deal with Anta that has been widely reported to be valued at up to $80 million. Dwyane Wade, the three-time N.B.A. champion and retired Miami Heat player, has a clothing line with Li-Ning that is so successful he has recruited young players for the brand. Like the foreign brands in China, the league and its players could soon feel themselves squeezed between Washington and Beijing. Western companies are being pressured by American officials and lawmakers to respond to accusations of genocide in Xinjiang. But they face a consumer-driven backlash in China, where celebrities have severed ties with brands like Burberry and patriotic citizens have burned their Nike shoes on social media. The N.B.A. and its athletes are familiar with the challenges of trying to stand up to China and maintain access to its nearly 1.4 billion consumers. Just two years ago, China exiled the N.B.A. from state media channels after the general manager of the Houston Rockets supported pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong. The league has so far avoided the latest round of controversy. That may not last for long. “It’s hard to imagine celebrities and brand ambassadors being able to walk this line between those negative views of China in their home countries and the increasingly clear demands in China to publicly demonstrate the use of products made in Xinjiang,” said Natasha Hassam, director of the Public Opinion and Foreign Policy Program at the Lowy Institute in Australia. The Chinese companies themselves are unlikely to take a significant hit. The United States banned imports of products made from Xinjiang cotton in January, but neither Li-Ning nor Anta sells large numbers of shoes there. (They are available online, however.) Still, their full-throated support of Xinjiang could have reputational consequences for the American athletes. “It is a simpler proposition for a Chinese celebrity to say I’m going to end my ties with X European company and probably be rewarded domestically for it,” Ms. Hassam said. “Americans looking to profit off China’s market find themselves in a much more challenging place.” After Li-Ning and Anta published positive statements on Xinjiang cotton last week, investors in China sent the share price of both companies soaring. Chinese state media was quick to fuel the show of patriotism. At one point, a pair of Li-Ning shoes under Mr. Wade’s Way of Wade line traded for nearly $7,500. But the statements could invite regulatory scrutiny on future business operations in the United States, said Brian J. Fleming, a lawyer specializing in sanctions at Miller & Chevalier Chartered. “By speaking out, Anta and Li Ning are simultaneously supporting the Chinese government and thumbing their noses at U.S. restrictions, which is a combination unlikely to be greeted warmly by U.S. authorities,” Mr. Fleming said. Anta and Li-Ning did not respond to requests for comment. Mr. Thompson, one of the N.B.A.’s biggest stars, is known as “China Klay” to his Chinese fans and once said he wanted to be the Michael Jordan of Anta. His teammate James Wiseman, as well as Alex Caruso of the Los Angeles Lakers, signed with Anta earlier this year, according to the sportswear brand’s social media account. Precious Achiuwa of the Heat announced this week that he was joining Anta. Requests for comment from Mr. Thompson and other N.B.A. players also went unanswered. Outside China, Xinjiang has become synonymous with repression. Reports suggest as many as one million Uyghurs and other largely Muslim ethnic minorities have been held in detention camps. In March, Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken accused China of continuing to “commit genocide and crimes against humanity” in the far northwestern region. The N.B.A. has powerful reasons to keep quiet on China. When Daryl Morey, the general manager of the Rockets, voiced his support for the Hong Kong protests on Twitter in 2019, Li-Ning and Shanghai Pudong Development Bank Credit Card Center paused their partnerships with the team. The Chinese Basketball Association, whose president is the former Rockets player Yao Ming, also suspended its cooperation with the Rockets. Mr. Morey deleted the message. Adam Silver, the N.B.A. commissioner, later said that the Chinese government had asked the league to fire Mr. Morey, a claim that the Chinese Foreign Ministry quickly denied. But the incident left a scar on the N.B.A.’s reputation for supporting free speech and severely limited its access to the Chinese market. China Central Television, the state-run television network, stopped broadcasting N.B.A. games after Mr. Morey’s message on Twitter. Late last year, it briefly resumed coverage for Games 5 and 6 of the N.B.A. finals. A week later, Mr. Morey stepped down as general manager. In a radio interview this week, Mr. Silver said that CCTV had stopped airing N.B.A. games again, but that fans could stream them through Tencent, the Chinese internet conglomerate. He said that the N.B.A.’s partnership with China was “complicated,” but that “doesn’t mean we don’t speak up about what we see are, you know, things in China that are inconsistent with our values.” A spokesman for the league declined to comment for this article. Money and a large China fan base are at stake for players like Mr. Thompson and the dozens of other American athletes who have been heavily promoted by Anta and Li-Ning. Mr. Thompson has had a partnership with Anta since 2014 that has given him a popular shoe line and sponsored tours in China. More recent deals between the companies and N.B.A. players could face questions in coming weeks as tensions between the United States and China escalate. Jimmy Butler, a five-time all-star who plays for the Heat, and the Toronto Raptors guard Fred VanVleet signed on with Li-Ning in November. Mr. Wade, the retired Heat player, helped CJ McCollum and D’Angelo Russell, two star guards, secure deals with Li-Ning through his sportswear line. “My decision 7 years ago to sign with Li-Ning was to show the next generation that it’s not just one way of doing things,” Mr. Wade wrote on Twitter when he announced Mr. Russell’s contract in November 2019. “I had a chance to build a Global platform that gives future athletes a canvas to create and be expressive.” Sopan Deb contributed reporting from New York, and Cao Li from Hong Kong. Source link Orbem News #backlash #Chinas #ForcedLabor #NBA #put #Spotlight #threatens #unwanted

[newstfionline]

Thursday, February 11, 2021

Arab spacecraft enters orbit around Mars in historic flight (AP) A spacecraft from the United Arab Emirates swung into orbit around Mars on Tuesday in a triumph for the Arab world’s first interplanetary mission. Ground controllers at the UAE’s space center in Dubai rose to their feet and broke into applause when word came that the craft, called Amal, Arabic for Hope, had reached the end of its seven-month, 300-million-mile journey and had begun circling the red planet, where it will gather data on Mars’ atmosphere. The orbiter fired its main engines for 27 minutes in an intricate, high-stakes maneuver that slowed the craft enough for it to be captured by Mars’ gravity.

Chinese spacecraft enters Mars’ orbit, joining Arab ship (AP) A Chinese spacecraft went into orbit around Mars on Wednesday on an expedition to land a rover on the surface and scout for signs of ancient life, authorities announced in a landmark step in the country’s most ambitious deep-space mission yet. China’s space agency said the five-ton combination orbiter and rover fired its engine to reduce its speed, allowing it to be captured by Mars’ gravity. If all goes as planned, the rover will separate from the spacecraft in a few months and touch down safely on Mars, making China only the second nation to pull off such a feat. The rover, a solar-powered vehicle about the size of a golf cart, will collect data on underground water and look for evidence that the planet may have once harbored microscopic life. Landing a spacecraft on Mars is notoriously difficult. Smashed Russian and European spacecraft litter the landscape along with a failed U.S. lander.

World’s second-oldest person survives COVID-19 at age 116 (AP) A 116-year-old French nun who is believed to be the world’s second-oldest person has survived COVID-19 and is looking forward to celebrating her 117th birthday on Thursday. The Gerontology Research Group, which validates details of people thought to be 110 or older, lists Frenchwoman Lucile Randon—Sister André’s birth name—as the second-oldest known living person in the world. French media report that Sister André tested positive for the virus in mid-January in the southern French city of Toulon. But just three weeks later, the nun is considered recovered. “I didn’t even realize I had it,” she told French newspaper Var-Matin.

Canada beckons again for some Hong Kongers (Reuters) A second generation of Hong Kongers is heading to Canada for refuge from political uncertainty, but unlike their parents in the 1980s and 1990s, this time seems for good. Cities such as Vancouver and Toronto are a magnet for those looking to escape as China tightens its grip on the territory of 7.5 million people. Some 300,000 already have Canadian citizenship after many families initially moved there ahead of Hong Kong’s return from British to Chinese rule in 1997. Back then, many families separated, with one parent staying in Hong Kong for work, usually fathers who were dubbed “astronauts” as they soared through the sky on visits. Among those who went to Canada, many eventually returned, lured by the booming economy and what still seemed to be a relatively free environment. With recent pro-democracy protests virtually snuffed out and Beijing enshrining control last year via a national security law, bags are being packed once more. “Staying in Hong Kong is not an option anymore,” said Maria Law, 39, who moved to Vancouver last year with her two girls ahead of her husband. “I’d rather have a free future for my daughters instead of making money while they have to keep their mouths shut.”

US pandemic surge weakens (WSJ) The most severe surge of the Covid-19 pandemic in the U.S. has weakened significantly, according to key metrics, though public-health experts and epidemiologists urge caution, given the spread of highly contagious new variants. Newly reported cases have dropped 56% over the past month, based on a seven-day average, marking a significantly steeper fall than the U.S. saw after the spring and summer surges. Hospitalizations have declined 38% since Jan 6. The seven-day average of Covid-19 tests returning positive fell over the past week to 6.93%, the lowest since Oct. 31.

Poll: A third of US adults skeptical of COVID shots (AP) About 1 in 3 Americans say they definitely or probably won’t get the COVID-19 vaccine, according to a new poll that some experts say is discouraging news if the U.S. hopes to achieve herd immunity and vanquish the outbreak. The poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found that while 67% of Americans plan to get vaccinated or have already done so, 15% are certain they won’t and 17% say probably not. Many expressed doubts about the vaccine’s safety and effectiveness. The poll suggests that substantial skepticism persists more than a month and a half into a U.S. vaccination drive that has encountered few if any serious side effects. It found that resistance runs higher among younger people, people without college degrees, Black Americans and Republicans. Of those who said they definitely will not get the vaccine, 65% cited worries about side effects, despite the shots’ safety record over the past months. About the same percentage said they don’t trust COVID-19 vaccines. And 38% said they don’t believe they need a vaccine, with a similar share saying that they don’t know if a COVID-19 vaccine will work and that they don’t trust the government.

Facebook to temporarily reduce political content for some users (Reuters) Facebook Inc said on Wednesday it would temporarily reduce political content appearing on New Feeds for some users in Canada, Brazil and Indonesia this week and in the United States within the coming weeks. Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg said in January that he wanted to “turn down the temperature” of political conversations on the social networking site because “people don’t want politics and fighting to take over their experience on our services.” The world’s largest social network, which has received flack for not doing enough to remove hateful content from the platform, last month said it would stop recommending civic and political groups to users. Reducing the frequency of political content will mark initials steps to explore different ways to rank such content in people’s feeds using different signals. Facebook will exempt content from official government agencies and services, as well as COVID-19 information from health organizations from the drill.

For Hungary’s poor it’s wood or food (Reuters) Zoltan Berki usually wakes up before dawn, as his five small children sleep next door, to feed the old iron furnace that stands in a wall cavity to warm up both rooms. This is the only part of his house that he can afford to heat during winter. Come rain or shine, Berki, a stocky 28-year-old Roma man, cycles an hour to work to save on the bus fare, so he is up anyway. But he also has to burn some materials before daylight, to conceal the thick black smoke that billows from his chimney when he uses plastic or rubber. Such household pollution is illegal in Hungary, including in this town near the Slovakian border. People do it anyway. “Firewood is expensive,” Berki said one recent afternoon, as his family played around him, crammed into a small room. “Either I buy wood or food. So I go to the forest, or the junkyard, and if we find plastic or rubber we burn that.” Scavenging for material to burn is common for the poorest people in the small, run-down town of Sajonemeti and those nearby, among the most destitute communities in Europe since Communist-era heavy industry vanished 30 years ago, leaving thousands jobless.

Russia’s vaccine (Washington Post) Not long ago, talk of the Russian-made coronavirus vaccine provoked mockery. “There’s no way in hell the U.S. tries this on monkeys, let alone people,” a Trump administration official told CNN in August, referring to initial reports about Russia’s development of the Sputnik V drug—which bypassed traditional steps in testing before its release. Even at home, where a history of political opacity and bureaucratic incompetence has left a lingering distrust of authority, many ordinary Russians shied away from getting the jab once it was made available to the public in December. But now, Sputnik V—named after the world’s first satellite that saw the Soviets initially outpace the Americans in the space race—is starting to look like it could be a global success story. It got a boost last week after the respected British medical journal the Lancet published a peer-reviewed paper that found the vaccine had 91.6 percent efficacy 21 days after the first shot and 91.8 percent for those over 60 years old, placing it on par with the celebrated Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines. Sputnik V is considerably cheaper than its Western competitors and does not require the same sort of ultracold storage infrastructure that would complicate distribution of the Pfizer vaccine in much of the developing world. “It does say something about the quality and integrity of the scientific enterprise within Russia, which a lot of people disparage or dismiss as decayed and obsolete and underfinanced and underpowered,” said Stephen Morrison, director of the Global Health Policy Center at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington.

Russia detains Jehovah’s Witnesses, searches properties in new criminal case (Reuters) Russian law enforcement detained a number of Jehovah’s Witnesses and conducted searches at 16 different addresses in Moscow on Wednesday as part of a new criminal investigation against the group, state investigators said. The Investigative Committee, which handles probes into major crimes, said the people had been detained for organising and taking part in the activities of a banned religious group. It said they had met in a flat in northern Moscow and studied the teachings of the religion despite being aware of the ban on the group’s activities. Russia’s Supreme Court branded the Jehovah’s Witnesses an “extremist” organisation in 2017 and ordered it to disband. Since then the authorities have detained dozens of Jehovah’s Witnesses and convicted them on extremism charges.

What quarantine is like in Olympic-host Japan (AP) What’s it like traveling to Japan, six months ahead of the Olympics? Almost impossible, unless you’re a Japanese national or a foreigner with resident status. A state of emergency for a large part of the country means that even those special cases who are allowed in have to take multiple coronavirus tests and stay holed up in quarantine. And what could the entry process be like for thousands of Olympic athletes scheduled to show up ahead of the July games? Plans now call for the athletes to be tested 72 hours before they leave home; then again when they arrive, and then frequently when they are closed off in a “bubble” in the Athletes’ Village alongside Tokyo Bay. All athletes are being asked to arrive only five days before their first competition and leave two days after. They are being told there will be no tourism and little social contact—even in the Athletes’ Village. These will be an Olympics like no other.

Myanmar protesters back on streets despite police violence (AP) Crowds demonstrating against the military takeover in Myanmar again defied a ban on protests Wednesday, even after security forces ratcheted up the use of force against them and raided the headquarters of the political party of ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi. Fresh protests were reported in Yangon and Mandalay, the country’s two biggest cities, as well as the capital Naypyitaw and elsewhere. The growing protests and the junta’s latest raid suggest there is little room for reconciliation. The military, which held power directly for five decades after a 1962 coup, used deadly force to quash a massive 1988 uprising and a 2007 revolt led by Buddhist monks. In Naypyitaw and Mandalay on Tuesday, police sprayed water cannons and fired warning shots to try to clear away protesters. In Naypyitaw, they shot rubber bullets and apparently live rounds, wounding a woman protester.

More on COVID-19 (Worldcrunch) Ghana parliament shuts down over outbreak that leaves 17 MPs and 151 support staff ill. The U.K. releases new quarantine guidelines that includes possible £10,000 fine or 10 years in prison for unauthorized travelers. South Africa cuts distribution of AstraZeneca after research shows its lack of efficacy on the South African variant. Healthcare workers in Bolivia go on strike to demand stricter lockdown measures, facing an average of 1,000 daily COVID-19 deaths.

Ultrawealthy givers (AP) As the world grappled with COVID-19, a recession and a racial reckoning, the ultrawealthy gave to a broader set of causes than ever before—bestowing multimillion-dollar gifts on food pantries, historically Black colleges and universities and organizations that serve the poor and the homeless, according to the Chronicle of Philanthropy’s annual rankings of the 50 Americans who gave the most to charity last year. “When I look at the events of the last year, there was an awakening for the philanthropic sector,” says Nick Tedesco, president of the National Center for Family Philanthropy. “Donors supported community-led efforts of recovery and resiliency, particularly those led by people of color.” Giving experts say they think the trend toward broader giving is likely to persist. “I don’t think this approach is just a 12-month moment that started with COVID and continued following George Floyd and is going to recede,” says Melissa Berman, president of Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, which counsels donors around the world. “There has been change building among private donors.”

[brookstonalmanac]

Events 12.4

771 – Austrasian king Carloman I dies, leaving his brother Charlemagne king of the now complete Frankish Kingdom. 1110 – The Kingdom of Jerusalem captures Sidon. 1259 – Kings Louis IX of France and Henry III of England agree to the Treaty of Paris, in which Henry renounces his claims to French-controlled territory on continental Europe (including Normandy) in exchange for Louis withdrawing his support for English rebels. 1563 – The final session of the Council of Trent is held. (It had opened on December 13, 1545.) 1619 – Thirty-eight colonists arrive at Berkeley Hundred, Virginia. The group's charter proclaims that the day "be yearly and perpetually kept holy as a day of thanksgiving to Almighty God." 1676 – The Danish army under the command of King Christian V engages the Swedish army commanded by the Swedish king Charles XI at the Battle of Lund, to this day it is counted as the bloodiest battle in Scandinavian history and a turning point in the Scanian War. 1745 – Charles Edward Stuart's army reaches Derby, its furthest point during the Second Jacobite Rising. 1783 – At Fraunces Tavern in New York City, U.S. General George Washington bids farewell to his officers. 1786 – Mission Santa Barbara is dedicated (on the feast day of Saint Barbara). 1791 – The first edition of The Observer, the world's first Sunday newspaper, is published. 1829 – In the face of fierce local opposition, British Governor-General Lord William Bentinck issues a regulation declaring that anyone who abets suttee in Bengal is guilty of culpable homicide. 1861 – The 109 Electors of the several states of the Confederate States of America unanimously elect Jefferson Davis as President and Alexander H. Stephens as Vice President. 1864 – American Civil War: Sherman's March to the Sea: At Waynesboro, Georgia, forces under Union General Judson Kilpatrick prevent troops led by Confederate General Joseph Wheeler from interfering with Union General William T. Sherman's campaign destroying a wide swath of the South on his march to the Atlantic Ocean from Atlanta. 1865 – North Carolina ratifies 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, followed soon by Georgia, and U.S. slaves were legally free within two weeks. 1867 – Former Minnesota farmer Oliver Hudson Kelley founds the Order of the Patrons of Husbandry (better known today as the Grange). 1872 – The crewless American brigantine Mary Celeste, drifting in the Atlantic, is discovered by the Canadian brig Dei Gratia. The ship has been abandoned for nine days but is only slightly damaged. Her master Benjamin Briggs and all nine others known to have been on board are never accounted for. 1875 – Notorious New York City politician Boss Tweed escapes from prison; he is later recaptured in Spain. 1881 – The first edition of the Los Angeles Times is published. 1893 – First Matabele War: A patrol of 34 British South Africa Company soldiers is ambushed and annihilated by more than 3,000 Matabele warriors on the Shangani River in Matabeleland. 1906 – Alpha Phi Alpha the first black intercollegiate Greek lettered fraternity was founded at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. 1909 – In Canadian football, the First Grey Cup game is played. The University of Toronto Varsity Blues defeat the Toronto Parkdale Canoe Club, 26–6. 1909 – The Montreal Canadiens ice hockey club, the oldest surviving professional hockey franchise in the world, is founded as a charter member of the National Hockey Association. 1918 – U.S. President Woodrow Wilson sails for the World War I peace talks in Versailles, becoming the first US president to travel to Europe while in office. 1939 – World War II: HMS Nelson is struck by a mine (laid by U-31) off the Scottish coast and is laid up for repairs until August 1940. 1942 – World War II: Carlson's patrol during the Guadalcanal Campaign ends. 1943 – World War II: In Yugoslavia, resistance leader Marshal Josip Broz Tito proclaims a provisional democratic Yugoslav government in-exile. 1943 – World War II: U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt closes down the Works Progress Administration, because of the high levels of wartime employment in the United States. 1945 – By a vote of 65–7, the United States Senate approves United States participation in the United Nations. (The UN had been established on October 24, 1945.) 1949 – Sir Duncan George Stewart was fatally stabbed by Rosli Dhobi, a member leader of the Rukun 13, in Sibu, Sarawak, Malaysia during the British crown colony era in that state. 1956 – The Million Dollar Quartet (Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, and Johnny Cash) get together at Sun Studio for the first and last time. 1964 – Free Speech Movement: Police arrest over 800 students at the University of California, Berkeley, following their takeover and sit-in at the administration building in protest of the UC Regents' decision to forbid protests on UC property. 1965 – Launch of Gemini 7 with crew members Frank Borman and Jim Lovell. The Gemini 7 spacecraft was the passive target for the first crewed space rendezvous performed by the crew of Gemini 6A. 1967 – Vietnam War: U.S. and South Vietnamese forces engage Viet Cong troops in the Mekong Delta. 1969 – Black Panther Party members Fred Hampton and Mark Clark are shot and killed during a raid by 14 Chicago police officers. 1971 – The Indian Navy attacks the Pakistan Navy and Karachi. 1971 – The PNS Ghazi, a submarine belonging to the Pakistan Navy, sinks during the course of the Indo-Pakistani Naval War of 1971. 1977 – Jean-Bédel Bokassa, president of the Central African Republic, crowns himself Emperor Bokassa I of the Central African Empire. 1977 – Malaysian Airline System Flight 653 is hijacked and crashes in Tanjong Kupang, Johor, killing 100. 1978 – Following the murder of Mayor George Moscone, Dianne Feinstein becomes San Francisco's first female mayor. 1979 – The Hastie fire in Hull kills three schoolboys and eventually leads police to arrest Bruce George Peter Lee. 1981 – South Africa grants independence to the Ciskei "homeland" (not recognized by any government outside South Africa). 1982 – The People's Republic of China adopts its current constitution. 1983 – US Navy aircraft from USS John F. Kennedy and USS Independence attack Syrian Missile sites in Lebanon in response to an F-14 being fired on by an SA-7. One A-6 Intruder and A-7 Corsair are shot down. 1 American pilot was killed, one was rescued and one is captured. 1984 – Sri Lankan Civil War: Sri Lankan Army soldiers kill 107–150 civilians in Mannar. 1991 – Terry A. Anderson is released after seven years in captivity as a hostage in Beirut; he is the last and longest-held American hostage in Lebanon. 1991 – Pan American World Airways ceases its operations after 64 years. 1992 – Somali Civil War: President George H. W. Bush orders 28,000 U.S. troops to Somalia in Northeast Africa. 1998 – The Unity Module, the second module of the International Space Station, is launched. 2005 – Tens of thousands of people in Hong Kong protest for democracy and call on the government to allow universal and equal suffrage. 2006 – Six black youths assault a white teenager in Jena, Louisiana. 2014 – Islamic insurgents kill three state police at a traffic circle before taking an empty school and a "press house" in Grozny. Ten state forces die with 28 injured in gun battles ending with ten insurgents killed. 2015 – A firebomb is thrown into a restaurant in the Egyptian capital of Cairo, killing 17 people. 2017 – The Thomas Fire starts near Santa Paula in California. It eventually becomes the largest wildfire in modern California history (at that time) after burning 440 square miles (281,893 acres; 114,078 ha) in Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties.

[sierracortney011]

Arrest of Denise Ho enrages activists in Hong Kong, Canada

Outrage and renewed calls to boycott the Beijing Winter Olympics followed news Wednesday of the arrest of Canadian Denise Ho, a pop star and democracy advocate in Hong Kong, and others involved with an online publication on charges related to sedition.

Observers say the arrests throw into question the safety of Canadians in China and called for Ottawa to re-evaluate its relations with Beijing.

Along with Canadian politicians, a consortium of 18 organizations concerned with human rights in China, including Alliance Canada Hong Kong and the Toronto Association for Democracy in China, issued a statement calling on the international community to speak out about the arrests.

“We urge our Canadian government, our international allies, and journalists around the world to strongly condemn this latest crackdown on Hong Kong press freedom and work closely together to expedite the release of all arrested journalists in Hong Kong,” it reads. “We also urge our Canadian government to provide consular protection to Denise Ho.”

Others say the arrests show the so-called “one country, two systems” policy meant to grant freedom and democratic rights to Hong Kong has failed and that Canada must stop adhering to it.

Ho is a pop star and democracy activist who was born in Hong Kong but partially grew up in Montreal. In the past, she has testified at the UN’s Human Rights Council about abuses in Hong Kong and is also an activist for LGBTQ rights. The 44-year-old has been banned from mainland China for protesting human rights abuses.

Police raided the offices of digital pro-democracy outlet Stand News on Wednesday. Ho, a former board member, was arrested earlier in the day, along with six other current or former editors and board members.

The arrests were made under a crime ordinance dating back to the city’s time as a British colony, The Associated Press reported.

China introduced a national security law for Hong Kong in 2020, with opponents warning it would be used to suppress free speech and media in the region. At the time, opponents said they feared the law was just the start of a campaign of oppression against free speech in Hong Kong. Many said the law breached the treaty under which the region was handed over to China in 1997, which stipulated civil rights were to remain untouched for 50 years.

Ho and others arrested are charged with conspiracy to put out a seditious publication. She faces fines and up to two years in prison.

Stand News was one of the last publications critical of the government after the famed Apple Daily closed after its publisher and editors were arrested last year. Stand News suspended subscriptions earlier this year and took down many opinion pieces from its website over national security law concerns.

The latest arrests also follow the tearing down of memorials to victims of the Tiananmen Square Massacre in Hong Kong last week.

In Canada, Conservative Sen. Leo Housakos said Ho’s arrest, once again, demonstrates Canadians are not safe in China and said he wrote a letter to the government urging it to institute a full boycott of the upcoming Beijing Olympics out of concern for athlete safety.

“Canadians are not safe at the hands of the communist thugs,” Housakos told the Star. “There needs to be immediate action taken. The Canadian government at some point needs to put their foot down and take their head out of the sand and stop pretending its business as usual with Beijing.”

He said Ottawa also needs to issue a travel advisory warning Canadians of the danger of travelling to China. About 300,000 Canadians are estimated to live in Hong Kong.

Housakos said Ottawa must rethink its approach to the relationship with China and stop adhering to the one country, two systems policy. Such a turn might mean Hong Kong would not enjoy the privileges granted by Canada, such as residents not requiring a visa to visit.

In Vancouver, Thekla Lit of the Chinese Canadian Concern Group on Chinese Communist Party’s Violations Against Human Rights, which also signed the 18-group statement, said the arrests constituted a “death threat” against other media in the city.

“It really signifies that freedom of the press is being stripped off almost completely,” Lit said. “These attacks might be extended to foreign journalists.”

She said the ongoing suppression of media means the Chinese Communist Party can do whatever it wants.

Wednesday afternoon, Global Affairs Canada said consular officials are “engaged and stand ready to provide assistance on the ground.”

Spokesperson Jason Kung said Canada is concerned about the arrests and will speak out against such actions along with international allies.

Ho’s arrest comes months after Canadians Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor were released after nearly three years in jail on espionage charges in what many observers said was direct retaliation for Canada’s arrest of Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou.

Meng was arrested in December 2018 at Vancouver’s airport on a request from the United States, where she was wanted on fraud charges. She signed a deferred prosecution agreement and was released in September, Kovrig and Spavor were released the same day.

This latest arrest of a Canadian in Hong Kong, while “deplorable,” isn’t the same situation, said former Canadian ambassador to China Guy Saint-Jacques.

“The case of the Michaels was clearly in retaliation for the arrest of a Chinese citizen that (Chinese Chairman) Xi Jinping thought was important,” Saint-Jacques said. “(Ho) has been caught in this huge effort now to annihilate all form of opposition in Hong Kong. All critical voices.”

He, too, said Canada will have to reconsider its adherence to one country, two systems. He said authorities in Hong Kong are sending the message it will be run via “rule by law” instead of “rule of law,” which throws the status of the region into question.

CORRECTION — Dec. 29, 2021 — An earlier version of this article misstated the year the national security law was introduced and the duration of Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig’s captivity. The story has been updated.

With files from The Associated Press

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from First News Blog https://firstnewsclick.com/arrest-of-denise-ho-enrages-activists-in-hong-kong-canada/1422/ from First Coast News https://firstnewsclick.tumblr.com/post/671976694525149184

[orbemnews]

China’s Plan to Win in a Post-Pandemic World: What You Need to Know China unveiled a road map for cementing its rise in a post-Covid world as it opened one of its biggest political events of the year on Friday, casting its success against the coronavirus as evidence of the superiority of its top-down leadership while warning of threats at home and abroad. The tightly scripted political pageant that is the annual meeting of China’s rubber-stamp legislature, the National People’s Congress, is largely ceremonial. But the gathering offers a glimpse into the priorities of China’s leaders and their vision for the future. The message on Friday was one of optimism about the strength of its economy and the solidarity of its people, and of struggle against an array of challenges: a hostile global environment, demographic crises at home and resistance to its rule of Hong Kong. Here’s what you need to know. A Strengthened Grip on Hong Kong Last year, the annual legislative gathering took a surprising turn as the top leaders announced sweeping new security laws in Hong Kong aimed at quashing months of pro-democracy protests. On Friday, Beijing moved to choke off any vestiges of that movement by unveiling an overhaul of the territory’s election laws to ensure a system of “patriots governing Hong Kong.” The changes would make it exceedingly difficult for democracy advocates to even run for office. According to the plan, the Basic Law, Hong Kong’s mini-Constitution, will be amended to change the process of selecting the territory’s chief executive and the legislature. A revamped Election Committee will be given the task of helping to choose the candidates for the legislature. The changes will amount to a new electoral process with “Hong Kong characteristics,” Wang Chen, a Politburo member who specializes in legal matters, said in a speech. The process will also be more firmly than ever under Beijing’s control. Hong Kong, a former British colony, was returned to Chinese rule in 1997 on the promise that it would be accorded a high degree of autonomy for 50 years. But “Beijing’s full grip on power in Hong Kong may happen well before 2047,” said Diana Fu, an associate professor of political science at the University of Toronto. Xi’s Vision for China After the Pandemic The government promised economic growth of “over 6 percent,” a relatively modest target by the standards of China’s pre-pandemic expansion but a big turnabout from last year and a signal of its commitment to keeping the world’s second-largest economy humming. The forecast indicates that China expects a strong rebound after the pandemic brought the country’s economy to a standstill for several months last year. China ultimately recorded growth of 2.3 percent in 2020, its lowest rate in years, but its stringent measures against the coronavirus allowed it to reopen its economy while competitors like the United States and the European Union remained hobbled. “Our people worked hard and fought adversity in close solidarity and with the unyielding spirit of the Chinese nation, thus proving themselves true heroes,” Li Keqiang, China’s premier, said in announcing the target. “This is the well of strength that enables us to rise to every challenge and overcome every difficulty. The emphasis on triumph in the face of difficulty reflects a recent effort by Xi Jinping, China’s top leader, to strike a balance as he seeks to steer the country through what the ruling Communist Party sees as a time of great risk and opportunity. Updated  March 5, 2021, 6:19 a.m. ET As countries continue to grapple with the pandemic, the party has drilled down on the message that China’s political model of strong, centralized leadership is superior to the chaos of liberal democracies. Strengthening that message will be a major focus for Mr. Xi as he looks ahead to two important political events. In July, the party will celebrate the centenary of its founding. Then, in 2023, Mr. Xi is widely expected to take up a third presidential term, following his push in 2018 to scrap constitutional term limits. “This is all part of the slow progression toward raising up his own personal profile as the person who is going to lead the Chinese Communist Party into its second century,” said Carl Minzner, a professor of Chinese law and politics at Fordham University in New York. “It’s about raising him up to a position close to that of Mao.” Defenses Against External Threats As China’s rivalry over science and technology with the United States and other countries remains at a boil, Beijing is digging deep into its pockets in a bid for victory. To achieve “innovation-driven development” and “high quality” growth, the government announced that its spending on research and development would increase by more than 7 percent every year over the next five years. Spending on basic research will also increase by 10.6 percent in 2021, it said. Just over a year after the coronavirus first emerged in the central Chinese city of Wuhan, Beijing also pledged to increase resources to guard against emerging infectious diseases and biosafety risks. To reduce the country’s dependence on the outside world, the government said it would focus on a number of cutting-edge technologies, including next-generation artificial intelligence, quantum information, neuroscience, semiconductors, genetic research and biotechnology, advanced clinical medicine and health care, and deep-space, deep-sea and polar exploration. The Communist Party’s latest five-year plan specifically calls for the construction of a “Polar Silk Road,” presumably aimed at helping China better capitalize on new energy sources and faster shipping routes in the Arctic. Beijing also affirmed its strong support for more traditional areas of defense, a priority under Mr. Xi. China’s military budget is set to rise by around 6.9 percent this year, a slight increase from last year. As overall government spending is projected to decline slightly, the People’s Liberation Army is still being funded robustly. The spending increases over the past two decades, which have given China the world’s second-largest military budget today, have paid for a modernization and expansion program aimed at challenging American military dominance in the Pacific, especially in the South China Sea and around Taiwan. Under Mr. Xi, China has vastly expanded its missile capabilities and embarked on a modernization of its strategic nuclear forces. The Chinese navy has grown rapidly, as well, and is now larger, numerically, than the American fleet. Managing Society The government addressed concerns about China’s aging population and shrinking labor force by announcing pension reforms and gradual changes to the official retirement age, which for four decades has mostly remained at around 60 for men and 55 for women. Declining birth and marriage rates and rising divorce rates have stirred fears among policymakers about the decline of the traditional family unit, which is seen as crucial for promoting social stability and economic growth. On Friday, the government announced plans to build a system to support “family development” and strengthen marriage and family counseling services. It also pledged to deepen implementation of a 2016 anti-domestic violence law, improve child care services and eliminate gender discrimination in employment. Beijing also made clear its intention to push ahead with efforts to assimilate, or “sinicize,” the country’s many ethnic and religious minorities, despite growing global pushback against its crackdown on Uighurs and other Muslim peoples in the western region of Xinjiang. “Fully implement the party’s basic policy on religious work,” read a draft of the five-year plan. “Continue to pursue the sinicization of China’s religions and actively guide religions so that they can be compatible with socialist society.” Steven Lee Myers contributed reporting. Source link Orbem News #Chinas #Plan #PostPandemic #win #World

[professorlizzard]

Holy Roman Dark Space...

Frederick Barbarossa started out next to the Four Variously Sized Lakes, hidden within a mountain range. A perfect place for science! However, not good enough... Soon, Germany fell into a Dark Age. They dedicated themselves to punch things better, and to build a lot of varied districts. Such as... Hanzas. So many beautiful Hanzas, with so many bonuses...

Soon, he befriended Philip II, and run into an issue: EVERYBODY HATED PHILIP 2. And thus, their science alliance, while powerful, resulted in Jayavarman VII launching a surprise attack. They were repelled easily, due to the mountainous chokepoints, but their evil minion, Toronto, almost took the sole german coastal city. And to boot, barbarians kept coming up from the southern tundras.

Eventually, Jayavarman VII agreed to stop fighting, but Toronto, the true war criminal, had to be defeat. Barbarossa’s force, almost lost the battle, but eventually they conquered the apologizing state.

Soon, due to intense building, Germany was in a Heroic age, which was an era of prosperity and more building, which was followed by a golden age of Rennesaince. A settler even went to west during it, settling on a medium sized island, booting out some barbarians (who summoned their pirate friends). Across the waters, they also saw the mysterious island of Macedonia... who also hated them immediately, due to their association of spain. Also, Cree scouts found me. They also hated me. Philip II, you are a good friend, but an embarrassing friend.

Also, Jayawarman settled between two city states, and my Toronto, so I did what I had to: settled another city next to it, and used the two city’s Funtime District Project to seduce the town. Soon, they were proud self proclaimed germans.

After a normal modern age, focused on industry, the Atomic Golden Age was reached, bringing a big boost in spaceology and science shuttles, putting a satellite in the sky, which revealed that the Macedon island is a gigantic continent, where a massive war is being fought by the giant peaceful cree empire and the aggressive Macedonian empire. And there is... china at the top? I could never met them, but I got an Emergency to help out retaking Xi’an. Nobody helped the poor guy, and he vanished soon...

The information age was a dark age, capitalist space tech bro robber barons made everyone unhappy, so waterparks and stadiums had to be built to provide fun in these trying times...  

A brutal espionage warfare was also created, as almost everyone came in to trash the space ports, and to neutralize the governors who things faster, which was especially bad because Germany entered communism, as it produced more production compared to democracy, but only because I had a governor there, so I sacrificed empire wide production and free housing for nothing.... (for the seven turns two of my guys were KO’d)...

In the end, the recovered governors, the Amundsen-Scott Research Station, stadiums, Science Alliance (with the Arsenal Of Democracy too) and Carl Sagan has finished the rocket to Mars... Dark Information Age, show me the forbidden scifi future...