2022 Winter Olympics: China Loses

Beijing is looking forward to welcoming the world's elite athletes and hundreds of thousands of visitors to the Winter Olympics next year. Hard currency will be flowing in for hotels, food, merchandise and event tickets, but Chinese companies also are counting on profits from collecting and selling the facial characteristics of the world's population, algorithms able to connect a person's face with his or her activities and global DNA samples. Using technology to take advantage of a situation is nothing new. Social media sells information about what we spend time watching to advertisers who benefit from targeting potential consumers. When COVID-19 made shopping in stores deadly, ecommerce profited. There is, however, a difference between being used by social media and an ecommerce giant or being exploited at China's 2022 Winter Olympic Games. The games profit a country that holds up to one million Uighur Muslims in so-called re-education camps, and, according to a BBC report, uses the captives as slaves to pick cotton for China's textile industry. Besides what has been called a form of cultural Muslim genocide, China also has arrested, among others, Hong Kong's political activists, two Canadian journalists and Zhang Zhan, who was attempting to document the origin of the coronavirus in China. China's secrecy regarding COVID-19 focuses attention on the health dangers associated with attending the 2022 Winter Olympics. Just this January, 2021, a new coronavirus outbreak occurred in Shijiazhuang, a city of 11 million. The city's airport, located on a main road into Beijing, is positioned to transport visitors to the Olympics from the south. Since the SAR-coV-2 coronavirus caused the first COVID-19 case at the end of 2019, China's government has done everything possible to prevent a full understanding of what caused the global trauma that has killed over 2.3 million people and undermined economies in at least 170 countries. No one knows if a lab accident or wild animal meat in Wuhan's Huanan market initiated the pandemic. China fostered rumors about the origin of the virus, financed research papers never allowed to be published, closed Wuhan to outsiders and, as late as January, 2021, delayed a team of World Health Organization (WHO) scientists from inspecting Wuhan. Even before the virus posed a health threat to Olympic visitors, Beijing's officials recognized the dust and dirt blowing south from the Gobi Desert north of Olympic sites in Yanqing and Badaling would mix with pollution from fossil fuels heating winter homes and factories to cause irritation to the lungs and eyes of athletes and onlookers alike. Also, pollution was likely to prevent attendees from seeing the Great Wall from a tower constructed for that purpose. In 2018, the military was called into action to plant a tree wall to block desert winds and absorb pollution. Of course, the scrub brush and cactus that grow in desert soils do not provide the kind of barrier China hoped to provide, and the growth of tall, fast-growing trees not native to the area suffered from a lack of sufficient water. In addition to the health risks China's Winter Olympics present, facial identification surveillance is able to track every move athletes and other visitors make. Attendees from around the world offer China a global sample of colors and characteristics that enable surveillance technology to fine tune the potential to recognize every person on Earth. At the same time, the Winter Olympic population would help China develop algorithms capable of connecting facial identifications with the activities of likely domestic dissidents and other troublemakers. China's economy thrives on an ability to monetize every potential income stream, such as sales of new technology to foreign governments determined to monitor and control their populations. Beijing seems all too willing to lead and support an alliance of like-minded, state-dominated authoritarian regimes ready to claim equal status with the governments of countries that value the rights of individuals, an independent judiciary, and, in short, derive their legitimacy from the consent of the governed. Not content with using existing methods to pursue world domination, China is now intent on weaponizing a new technique. After seeing how the COVID-19 pandemic crippled the world, William Evanina, the recently retired director of the Counterintelligence and Security Center, reported China is poised to create a data base of DNA samples used to predict a new disease capable of infecting the world. In reality, a single mutation rarely causes a disease; more often diseases are influenced by a variety of genetic DNA factors, each having a small, but significant, effect. Since identifying the cause of complex physical and psychological disorders requires a vast number of sample cases, countries, such as the UK, the Netherlands and Estonia, pool cases in biobanks designed to help rearchers prevent medical problems and find cures. China's BNG biotech giant had a different purpose for trying to establish COVID-19 testing labs that could collect DNA samples in the United States. China planned to use these samples to be first to predict a new disease and to provide the medicine, vaccines, equipment and supplies vulnerable countries would be willing to pay and do anything China wants. At China's Winter Olympic Games, anything anyone from around the world touches, and anything that touches him or her, could add to China's DNA collection. Skiers, skaters, hockey teams, snowboarders and curlers can test their skills at other competitions. No mandate requires any country's Olympic athletes to serve as lab mice for Chinese experiments and profit. (Also, see the earlier post, "All Work and No Play Unmakes China.")

Yin and Yang; Ox and Spacecraft

Valentine's Day nestles between the beginning of the Chinese, or Lunar, New Year of the Ox on February 12, 2021, and the landing of NASA's "Perseverance" rover in the Jezero Crater on Mars February 18, 2021. Fittingly, their interacting negative and positive yin and yang forces both propel mankind forward. According to Chinese, Korean and Japanese folklore, the ox is an earthbound symbol of hard work and patience, plowing a fertile field free of flooding to produce a good harvest. For a visit to Mars, the legendary ox might provide nourishment to help the enginers at NASA's Jet Propulson Lab in Pasadena, California, design and assemble the 3000 parts in "Perseverance." In the minus 76-degree temperature on Mars, "Perseverance" also needs nuclear batteries and solar energy to power the rover's three little arms that scoop up and shuttle soil and rock samples back and forth between Mars and NASA's spacecraft. As a special feature, "Perseverance" will carry and drop a little, 4-pound helicopter drone named "Ingenuity" on Mars, where it took off on April 19, 2021 and flew around to explore the red planet. Plowing a field and exploring the universe both rely on the yin and yang forces of hard work and perseverance.

Job Hunt Clues for Recent Grads

Current surveys indicate business activity is expected to rebound in the third quarter of 2021, and recruiteers expect to begin hiring this spring. Therefore, now is the time for optimism and for focusing on a job hunt. Not long ago, Bill Gates gave an interview telling how he would answer typical job interview questions. What impressed me most was the way he tailored his responses to match the kind of position he wanted with the kind of person a company wanted to hire. In response to what always is a tricky question about salary expectations, Mr. Gates suggested expressing interest in the entire package: not only an entry salary, but, in his case, stock options. He felt stock options would indicate his interest in helping a company grow. Asking about opportunities for advancement or corporate compensation for graduate school might also indicate attractive qualifies for companies that value ambition. Nowadays, some companies and organizations include their mission statements and employee benefits on their websites. In other words, you can learn if your expectations fit company objectives. At the same time, if a company is not union-friendly and does not offer flex time, childcare, transfers to other States/countries or the virtual work options you want, there's no point in asking for them in an employment package. Both students about to graduate this spring and those who were graduated a year ago need to put a positive spin on their experiences. Organizations that have mastered the challenges of remote, virtual work are likely to continue working this way, at least in part. They will value those who have spent the past year taking virtual classes, handling technical problems themselves and developing effective communication techniques to keep in touch with professors, other students and administrators. On the other hand, graduates who had their career plans dashed when everything shut down last March, have an opportunity to impress potential employers with their willingness to learn, flexibility and how well they are able to adapt to new trends in today's fast-paced business climate. Therefore, be ready to describe how you switched from what you expected to be doing by finding other employment, volunteering, working in unusual protetive garments, reading books on diverse subjects, writing a blog, joining and becoming active in a professional association, helping younger siblings/neighbors with their virtual learning experience or starting your own online business. Sometimes the question of why a firm should hire you is asked in another way: what are the strengths and weaknesses you bring to an organization? Bill Gates said he would give examples of his self motivation and how he liked to work on big problems and set ambitious goals. He also said it was important to maintain a pleasant expression that shows you can convey your opinions, listen to others and keep your temper while working with a team. Knowing what you want and like to do prevents an employer from putting you in a job you'll hate. When describing weaknesses, for example, say, given your choice, you'd prefer not to do the same thing every day, not to work alone with few opportunities to interact with others, not to perform tasks requiring fine hand work or lifting heavy objects. A white, female friend of mine was asked in a job interview if the company should hire a more diverse work force. She responded by asking, "How do you expect me to answer that question?" She was hired. It's not possible to anticipate every job interview question. Before responding, take a moment to hope for inspiration.

Alexei Navalny Arrested on Russian Return

Navalny reminded Russians who will take to the streets to protest his arrest on January 23, 2021, that they are demonstrating not just for him but for themselves. The strength of Navalny's anti-corruption movement derives from its nationalist identity rather than being a construct of the United States or another foreign intervention. As soon as Alexei Navalny returned to Russia on January 17, 2021, after a 5-month recouperation in Germany from Moscow-ordered nerve agent poisoning, he was arrested for violating the terms of a suspended sentence for a questionable offense. Russian President Putin is threatened by public support for Navalny's anti-corruption movement and the size of his YouTube audience. Just as the plane carrying Navalny from Germany was about to land in Moscow, it was diverted to another airport away from the group of supporters waiting to greet him. Back at Vnukovo airport in Moscow, police officers detained Novalny's supporters and associates. Also see earlier posts: "Putin's Private Siberian Project Excludes Alexei Navalny" and "Alexei Navalny's Sudden Siberian Illness."

YooZoo Update on Lin Qi

Following the poisoning death of YooZoo Games studio founder, Lin Qi, by suspect, Xu Yao, head of YooZoo's film production unit, on Christmas Day, 2020, YooZoo's tribute to Mr. Lin received 290 million views on its Weibo microblog. See additional information about this subject on the earlier post, "All Work and No Play Unmakes China."

Apply Warp-Speed Vaccine Process to Life

NASA put men on the moon in 1969 by: 1) putting the steps needed to accomplish this feat in order and 2) by assigning a number of teams to work on each step. When one team figured out how to accomplish step one, it could assume one of the teams working on step two was ready to move forward by applying its solution. Simplifying the task of developing a vaccine, there would be three steps: 1) develop a test vaccine, 2) prepare a pool of control and test subjects for the vaccine and 3) distribute the vaccine to the public. You can see how separate teams could be charged with the tasks of each step and, as soon as step one was complleted, another team was prepared to implement step two. As individuals, although we can't count on teams ready to work on various aspects of our lives, we can improve the way we live our lives by idehtifying the steps involved along the way. Children and adults can list the steps needed to get out of the house to school or work. For example, activities might include: get out of bed when alarm sounds, take a shower, exercise, get dressed, make bed, make breakfast, eat breakfast, make lunch, check email, read or listen to weather report and news, walk to bus or car. Once a list of activities is set, next, put them in order, paying secial attention to what can be done simultaneously. You might even discover activities that can be done the night before. Identifying steps that can be accomplished simultaneously is a way to be ready to accomplish step two as soon as step one is completed, even if there is no separate team ready to help you take on step two. Simply hanging clothes in the bathroom before taking a shower enables getting dressed as soon as exiting a shower, just as turning on a coffeemaker before showering speeds up the breakfast process. When students say they want to be president or a doctor, it is important to help them identify the steps needed to accomplish their objective. Helping students understand how a degree and experience working at a fast food restaurant or grocery store can pay off with good and legal professional positions in the future rather than dropping out of school to make short-term, fast money selling drugs and possibly landing in prison with no future. When a woman wants to have a career and raise a family, her planning also requires detailed plotting how to care for young children and how to maintain professional credentials at the same time. For example, she might find childcare/babysitters, enroll in graduate school, find a teaching position, subscribe to professional journals, write for a local publication, start a business. Because life is full of the unexpected does not mean forecasting is totally impossible. A general plan for any age, from birth to 100, always can leave room for delays and options, but identifying the steps needed to obtain an objective is the first step to getting there.

Who Was Responsible for Pearl Harbor?

Because the FBI failed to share a German questionnaire with U.S. military leaders, Britain inadvertabtly provided a blueprint for Japan's December 7, 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor. During World War II, Japan joined the Axis by signing a Tripartite Pact with Germany and Italy on September 27, 1940. Less than two months later, outdated British airplanes took off from naval carriers and launched a successful night time bombing raid on Italy's well-fortified Mediterranean naval base at Taranto. According to Larry Loftis' account in his book, Into the Lion's Mouth, Japan repeatedly asked Germany to provide details of Britain's surprise Taranto attack. Berlin had different priorities: aerial bombing Britain into submission while pressure from Senator Arthur Vandenberg's isolationists kept the United States out of the war. Nonetheless, Japan's persistence paid off. In the German questionnaire a spy carried to the United States, Taranto morphed into Pearl Harbor. The airfields, airplane hangars, wharfs, submarine stations, ammunition dumps and oil supply depots Britain destroyed in Italy became the targets Tokyo wanted to identify in Hawaii. Posing as a wealthy playboy, Kusko Popov, said to be one of Ian Fleming's inspirations for the James Bond character, served as a double agent spying for both Germany and Britain. London knew what he was doing and helped furnish Germany with useless and false information. Hitler was not in on the charade. When Germany sent Popov to the U.S. to replace its inept Hawaiian spy, Loftis recounts how he came to New York in August, 1941, carrying the Japanese-inspired, German questionnaire requesting him to collect detailed information about Pearl Harbor. Along with an English translation of the questionnaire were telegrams ontaining photographically-reduced information embedded in microdots the size of periods. A period containing the German version of the Pearl Harbor questionnaire could be read under a microscope. Popov turned over the German questionnaire, English translation and telegrams with microdots to FBI representatives on August 19, 1941. London mistakenly believed the FBI would welcome counterespionage assistance from a trusted British spy like Popov and that helping William "Wild Bill" Donovan set up a new Office of Strategic Services (OSS), the forerunner of the Central Intelligence Agency, would reinforce the Anglo-American bond and help encourage President Franklin D. Roosevelt to provide the military assisatnce Britain urgently needed. At the FBI, although J. Edgar Hoover received an English translation of the Pearl Harbor questionnaire by August 19, 1941, on September 3, 1941, he only shared information about the microdots with the President's military secretary. Furthermore, he gave the impression Germany's new system for transmitting information by microdots was discovered during an FBI investigation. Although the FBI had pledged to counter Axis espionage by cooperating with miltiary intelligence, Hoover was not about to allow the new OSS to threaten his agency's investigative authority and budget. Loftis concludes, none of the eight, pre-1948 investigations of intelligence failutes prior to December 7, 1941, mentioned the FBI had received, ignored and failed to share the German questionnaire Dusko Popov delivered to the United States nearly four months before Japan's surprise attack on Pearl Harbor.