Tag Archives: China

Strengthening Canada’s Trade Laws to Address Emerging Global Threat

November 29, 2024 The Silo Leave a comment

Key Canadian trade laws do not refer to national security as a factor that allows Canada to counter threats from imports of goods or services. Given the tense geopolitical situation, I propose ways to close this “national security gap.”

The gap is particularly worrisome in two key import-governing legislation: (1) the Customs Tariff Act and (2) the Export and Import Permits Act.

I will show why the omission of the national security element in these and possibly other statutes needs to be remedied.

National Security & Chinese Exports

The Americans imposed surcharges on Chinese EVs, steel, aluminum, semiconductors and other products in May 2024 in response to heavily subsidized Chinese imports that were said to have breached international trade rules.

The EU started applying countervailing duties on Chinese EVs in July this year, using a more standard trade remedy process to counter the injurious impact of subsidized imports on the European automotive industry.

The danger posed by Chinese EVs, steel and aluminum imports, plus these actions by Canada’s major trading partners, led the Canadian government to apply comparable tariff surcharges. The strategic threat posed by China’s state-subsidized exports made for the right response by Canada.

While existing laws allowed the federal cabinet to take action in this case, it also brought home the fact that there is an absence of any reference to “national security” in some of Canada’s major trade law statutes.

Section 53 – Canada’s Rapid Response Mechanism

In the United States, Section 232 of the 1962 Trade Expansion Act, along with Section 301 of the 1974 Trade Act, authorize the president to increase tariffs on imports if the quantity or circumstances surrounding those imports are deemed to threaten national security.1

Section 232 was used by the Trump administration in 2018 to apply surcharges to a range of imports from numerous countries, including Canada. However, these tariffs were ultimately dropped in the face of threats by Canada to retaliate against American goods exported to Canada.

Unlike the US, Canada lacks the legislative means to impose import surcharges on the basis of national security. The closest we have is Section 53 of the Customs Tariff Act, which focuses on the enforcement of Canada’s rights under trade agreements and responses to practices that negatively affect Canadian trade. It was Section 53 that was used in the August decision on Chinese EVs, etc., referred to earlier.

Indeed, there are similarities between Section 301 of the US Trade Act of 1974 and Section 53 of the Customs Tariff Act.But while existing laws allowed the federal cabinet to act in this case, the case brought home the fact that there is an absence of any reference to “national security” in some of Canada’s major trade law statutes.

Governments have shied away from using Section 53 as a policy tool over the years. It was used only once before its present deployment, in response to the Trump administration’s surcharges on Canadian steel and aluminum in 2018 and 2020.2

The surcharges were ultimately withdrawn when the US tariffs were terminated.Section 53 comes under Division 4 of the Actentitled “Special Measures, Emergency Measures and Safeguards,” giving the government broad powers to apply unilateral tariff measures on the joint recommendation of the ministers of Finance and Global Affairs:

…for the purpose of enforcing Canada’s rights

under a trade agreement in relation to a country

or of responding to acts, policies or practices of

the government of a country that adversely affect,

or lead directly or indirectly to adverse effects on,

trade in goods or services of Canada…

There is no requirement for public consultations or input under this provision. Although the government held a round of stakeholder consultations before moving on Chinese imports in August, it was not legally obliged to do so. While the ministerial recommendations must be fact-based and supported by credible data, the law is effective in that nothing inhibits rapid action by the federal cabinet. In this respect, it is a superior tool to Section 232 of the American legislation.3

The critical shortcoming, on the other hand, is that while allowing the government to protect Canadian trade interests in a fairly rapid fashion, Section 53 does not allow action on imports found to be threatening national security, whether it be economic, military or other. There is clearly a need to repair this omission, not only here but in Canada’s other trade laws.

In my view, we need a national security component in Section 53 as the Canadian counterpart to Section 232 of the US Trade Expansion Act.

Import Controls and National Security

Together with tariff measures, Canada can control imports under the Export and Import Permits Act(EIPA) through the creation of import (and export) control lists designed to achieve particular strategic, security and economic objectives. These lists are established by orders-in-council,

requiring listed goods and technology to have a permit in order to be imported or exported. These permits are issued by the Trade Controls and Technical Barriers Bureau in Global Affairs Canada (GAC). Without a permit, imports of controlled items are illegal.

While Section 5(1) of EIPA provides for the creation of import control lists covering arms, ammunition and military items, it fails to provide for imports of goods or technology to be controlled for national security reasons. The Act could not have been used, for example, to deal with the effects on national security of imports of Chinese EVs, steel, aluminum or any other goods or technology. EIPA is thus deficient in this regard.

There is a related issue when it comes to export controls. Section 3(1) of EIPA authorizes the establishment of export control lists, among other reasons:

“(a)…to ensure that arms, ammunition,

implements or munitions of war, etc. … otherwise

having a strategic nature or value will not be made

available to any destination where their use might

be detrimental to the security of Canada.”

The reference to the “security of Canada” under paragraph (a) is the only such reference in the statute and is confined to the security aspects of imports of arms, ammunition, munitions of war, etc. While not as significant as the problems regarding import controls, it is nonetheless a serious omission.

The result is that as EIPA is currently drafted, the federal government lacks the legal authority to create import or export controls designed to protect or safeguard Canadian security. EIPA needs to be amended to add this authority on the part of the government.

Indeed, it may be desirable to re-consider much of the architecture of EIPA from the viewpoint of safeguarding Canada’s security interests on both the export and import side.

Controlling Imports Through Sanctions

Canada’s sanctions laws are found in the Justice for Victims of Corrupt Foreign Officials Act (JVCFOA), the United Nations Act, and, notably, the Special Economic Measures Act (SEMA). Each of these statutes allows the federal cabinet to issue sanctions through regulations

applicable to specific countries and/or jurisdictions and prohibiting transactions in specific items of goods or technology. None of these laws allow sanctions for matters related to Canadian security.

SEMA is Canada’s most widely used sanctions legislation. Section 4 is the only part of the Act that uses the term “security,” but only in instances when, among other matters:

(b) a grave breach of international peace and

security has occurred that has resulted in or is likely

to result in a serious international crisis.

Because of the restrictions on international peace and security, the government lacks the authority to issue sanctions dealing with national security interests.4

For example, Canada’s sanctions on Russia are directed at countering actions that “constitute a grave breach of international peace and security that has resulted or is likely to result in a serious international crisis,” with no reference to Canadian national security interests.

SEMA should be amended to allow prohibitions of any transaction or dealings of any kind where Canada’s national security is at risk.

Trade Remedies and National Security

In accordance with the GATT/WTO Agreement, antidumping and countervailing (AD/CV) duties can be applied to dumped or subsidized imports when a domestic industry is injured or threatened with injury from exactly the same imports as that industry produces. In Canada, these are provided for under the Special Import Measures Act (SIMA).

SIMA actions are driven by complaints filed by domestic producers who make exactly the same or directly competitive products as the imported items. It means, for example, that in the absence of a Canadian industry threatened with injury or actually injured by the same type of Chinese EVs, aluminum or steel imports as those producers make, AD/CV duty remedies would not be available. SIMA makes no reference to national security as a factor in the application of these duties.

In short, because the SIMA process is geared to provide protection to domestic producers and private sector industries, it is inappropriate as a vehicle for dealing with national economic security concerns that range well beyond those private interests.

The same is true in the case of safeguards, another kind of trade action allowed under the World Trade Organization (WTO) Agreement to counter floods of imports that are not dumped or subsidized but, because of their volume, cause or threaten serious injury to domestic producers of the same product.

In Canada, safeguard measures come under the Canadian International Trade Tribunal Act, where an inquiry takes place and, if recommended by the Tribunal, are applied under the Customs Tariff Act.

As in the case of dumped or subsidized imports, safeguard measures are designed to protect specific domestic industries and not to deal with overarching national security issues.

Again, because the objective of these remedial measures in international and Canadian trade law is to protect a domestic industry from financial harm due to imports and not to deal with broader questions of national security, the absence of reference to “security” in these various statutes does not seem to be a significant issue.

National Security under International Trade Law

Article XXI of the 1947 General Agreement on Tariffs & Trade (GATT) is the only provision in the entire WTO package that deals with national security. That article (entitled “Security Exceptions”) allows departures from normal trade rules to permit unilateral trade-restrictive measures that a contracting party “considers necessary for the protection of its essential security interests…taken in time of war or other emergency in international relations.”

The drafting of GATT Article XXI dates back to the post-World War II Bretton Woods era. What was considered an international emergency at that time was war, regional armed conflict or a global pandemic like the Asian flu of 1918-1920. The same broad view of international emergency conditions was applied when the Uruguay Round negotiations took place (1991-1994) leading to the conclusion of the WTO Agreement.

With recent cataclysmic changes in the world, whatever the WTO-administered multilateral system might prescribe, governments are moving to protect a range of national (and economic) security concerns by means of unilateral measures in ways that were not envisaged when the Bretton Woods architecture was devised in the late 1940s.

For decades, there was little recourse to Article XXI exceptions. However, their use emerged in the last number of years with the unilateral surcharges imposed by Trump.

The situation is different – and materially different – in the case of Chinese exports, not only EVs, steel or aluminum but also in technologically advanced or other critical items. These are goods that, by abundant evidence, are heavily subsidized, with massive overcapacity, exported to global markets as part of the Chinese government’s strategy to enhance its geopolitical position – facts uncovered in the EV situation through detailed investigations by the EU and the US.5

Thus, aggressive actions by China and possibly other countries in strategically sensitive areas take the issue beyond the WTO ruling in the US-Section 232 case and raise these to the level of an “emergency in international relations.”

In summary, the concept of an international emergency is much changed in today’s digitized, cyber-intensified world, including the aggressive and destabilizing policies of Chinese state capitalism and other bad actors. The application of GATT/WTO rules drafted in 1947 and updated in the 1990s must be adapted to deal with today’s realities if they are to provide governments with meaningful recourse.

Conclusions

In conclusion, Canada has a panoply of criminal, investment, intelligence gathering and other laws that address national security concerns. However, there is a notable absence of the term “national security” in Canada’s core trade law statutes.

This absence is of concern in the Customs Tariff Act and the Export and Import Permits Act, two important statutes that give the government authority to act to counter injurious imports threatening Canada’s national security.

Given the state of world affairs and the challenges Canada faces from aggressive players like China, Russia, Iran and others, the omissions in these statutes need to be remedied. This should be acted on immediately. There is also a lack of reference to national security in Canada’s sanctions legislation, notably the Special Economic Measures Act (SEMA), the main Canadian sanctions statute.

Amendments should be made to make security concerns a ground for imposing sanctions here as well. The findings of EU agencies on Chinese BEV after a detailed investigation support the view that Chinese state capitalism and its centrally planned industrial capacity are geared toward dominating world markets in critical goods, part of that country’s geopolitical strategy. These and other similar governmental actions can be said to meet the “emergency in international relations” threshold under the WTO Agreement.

Given the state of affairs at the WTO, including the paralysis of its dispute settlement system, amendments to or reinterpretation of the GATT rules are difficult, if not impossible. The result is that governments will be resorting to unilateral application of the Article XXI exclusion in their own national security measures. While the situation may evolve at the WTO, and without diminishing Canada’s support for the multilateral rules-based system, the federal government should bring forth measures to add reference to national security interests in the above statutes. For the Silo, Lawrence L. Herman/ C.D. Howe Institute.

International Economic Policy Council Members

Co-Chairs: Marta Morgan, Pierre S. Pettigrew Members: Ari Van Assche Stephen Beatty Stuart Bergman Dan Ciuriak Catherine Cobden John Curtis Robert Dimitrieff Rick Ekstein Carolina Gallo Victor Gomez Peter Hall Lawrence Herman Caroline Hughes Jim Keon Jean-Marc Leclerc Meredith Lilly Michael McAdoo Marcella Munro Jeanette Patell Representative, Amazon Canada Joanne Pitkin Rob Stewart Aaron Sydor Daniel Trefle

1 The Trade Expansion Act of 1962 (Pub. L. 87–794, 76 Stat. 872, enacted October 11, 1962, codified at 19 U.S.C. ch. 7); The Trade Act of 1974 (Pub. L. 93–618, 88 Stat. 1978, enacted January 3, 1975, codified at 19 U.S.C. ch. 12).

2 The government announced it was applying these “to encourage a prompt end to the U.S. tariffs, which negatively affect Canadian workers and businesses and threaten to undermine the integrity of the global trading system.” See: “United States Surtax Order (Steel and Aluminum),” Government of Canada, June 28, 2018, https://gazette.gc.ca/rp-pr/p2/2018/2018-07-11/html/sordors152-eng.html.

3 Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act allows the president to impose import restrictions – but these must be based on an investigation and affirmative determination by the Department of Commerce that certain imports threaten to impair US national security.

4 The array of Canada’s sanctions can be found on the GAC website at: https://www.international.gc.ca/world-monde/international_relations-relations_internationales/sanctions/current-actuelles.aspx?lang=eng.

5 The EU measures followed a countervailing duty approach, as opposed to direct action in the case of Canada and the US. In its extremely detailed investigation, EU agencies found, on the basis of massive evidence, that:
“ . . . the BEV [battery electric vehicle] industry is thus regarded as a key/strategic industry, whose development is actively pursued by the GOC as a policy objective. The BEV sector is shown to be of paramount importance for the GOC and receives political support for its accelerated development. Including from vital inputs to the end product. On the basis of the policy documents referred to in this section, the Commission concluded that the GOC intervenes in the BEV industry to implement the related policies and interferes with the free play of market forces in the BEV sector, notably by promoting and supporting the sector through various means and key steps in their production and sale.”See: “Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2024/1866,” European Union, July 3, 2024, at para. 253, https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg_impl/2024/1866/oj

Sci-Tech

In The Future Cyberwar Will Be Primary Theater For Superpowers

November 11, 2024 The Silo Leave a comment

Cybersecurity expert explains how virtual wars are fought

With the Russia-Ukraine war in full swing, cybersecurity experts point to a cyber front that had been forming online long before Russian troops crossed the border. Even in the months leading up to the outbreak of war, Ukrainian websites were attacked and altered to display threatening messages about the coming invasion.

“In response to Russian warfare actions, the hacking collective Anonymous launched a series of attacks against Russia, with the country’s state media being the main target. So we can see cyber warfare in action with new types of malware flooding both countries, thousands of sites crashing under DDoS (distributed denial-of-service) attacks, and hacktivism thriving on both sides of barricades,” Daniel Markuson, a cybersecurity expert at NordVPN, says.

The methods of cyberwarfare

In the past decade, the amount of time people spend online has risen drastically. Research by NordVPN has shown that Americans spend around 21 years of their lives online. With our life so dependent on the internet, cyber wars can cause very real damage. Some of the goals online “soldiers” are trying to pursue include:

Sabotage and terrorism

The intent of many cyber warfare actions is to sabotage and cause indiscriminate damage. From taking a site offline with a DDoS attack to defacing webpages with political messages, cyber terrorists launch multiple operations every year. One event that had the most impact happened in Turkey when Iranian hackers managed to knock out the power grid for around twelve hours, affecting more than 40 million people.

Espionage

While cyber espionage also occurs between corporations, with competitors vying for patents and sensitive information, it’s an essential strategy for governments engaging in covert warfare. Chinese intelligence services are regularly named as the culprits in such operations, although they consistently deny the accusations.

Civilian activism (hacktivism)

The growing trend of hacktivism has seen civilian cyber activists take on governments and authorities around the world. One example of hacktivism is Anonymous, a group that has claimed responsibility for assaults on government agencies in the US. In 2022, Anonymous began a targeted cyber campaign against Russia after it invaded Ukraine in an attempt to disrupt government systems and combat Russian propaganda.

Propaganda and disinformation

In 2020, 81 countries were found to have used some form of social media manipulation. This type of manipulation was usually ordered by government agencies, political parties, or politicians. Such campaigns, which largely involve the spread of fake news, tended to focus on three key goals – distract or divert conversations away from important issues, increase polarization between religious, political, or social groups, and suppress fundamental human rights, such as the right to freedom of expression or freedom of information.

The future of cyber warfare

“Governments, corporations, and the public need to understand this emerging landscape and protect themselves by taking care of their physical security as well as cybersecurity. From the mass cyberattacks of 2008’s Russo-Georgian War to the cyber onslaught faced by Ukraine today, this is the new battleground for both civil and international conflicts,” Daniel Markuson says.

Markuson predicts that in the future, cyber war will become the primary theater of war for global superpowers. He also thinks that terrorist cells may focus their efforts on targeting civilian infrastructure and other high-risk networks: terrorists would be even harder to detect and could launch attacks anywhere in the world. Lastly, Markuson thinks that activism will become more virtual and allow citizens to hold large governmental authorities to account.

A regular person can’t do much to fight in a cyber war or to protect themselves from the consequences.

However, educating yourself, paying attention to the reliability of sources of information, and maintaining a critical attitude to everything you read online could help increase your awareness and feel less affected by propaganda. For the Silo, Darija Grobova.

Politics

Canada Should Embrace Trump Presidency Opportunities

November 8, 2024 The Silo Leave a comment

From: Chris Christie
To: Nervous Canadians
Date: November 6, 2024
Re: Canada Should Embrace the Opportunities of a Second Trump Presidency

A second Donald Trump presidency, if approached strategically, offers Canada more opportunities than risks.

Donald Trump’s campaign rhetoric is often erratic, of that there is no doubt. And I, as you might have heard, am not a Donald Trump advocate.

But what happens in governance under Trump is a far cry from his provocative online posts or bombastic speeches, as I argued in the latest C.D. Howe Institute Regent Debate. His track record speaks for itself, and whether you choose to acknowledge it or not, Canada has already benefitted from Trump-era policies.

Let’s take the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement – CUSMA in the Canadian rendering – as a prime example. Trump’s renegotiation of NAFTA wasn’t just about putting “America first.” It was about reshaping trade relationships in North America to benefit all three countries. The agreement secured economic ties between the US, Canada, and Mexico in a way that ensures long-term growth for all parties involved.

Trump views that agreement as one of his crowning achievements, and rest assured, it’s not going anywhere. It is a durable platform for growth in North American trade.

Looking forward, the question isn’t whether Trump is unpredictable. It’s whether Canada can recognize and leverage the opportunities his policies present.

With Trump re-elected, his administration will continue to focus on policies that drive economic growth – lower taxes, reduced regulations, and energy independence. A booming US economy means a stronger Canada, as our two economies are deeply intertwined. When one prospers, the other stands to benefit through increased trade and investment.

Trump’s approach to trade – especially tariffs – has often been misunderstood. Yes, his speech-making is aggressive. But we need to separate rhetoric from reality. Trump’s actual policies were more measured than many anticipated. And they will be again.

The real adversary for Donald Trump is China, not Canada. If Trump tightens the screws on China’s unfair trade practices, it could create space for Canadian companies to flourish on a more level playing field, particularly in sectors like technology and intellectual property, where China has been a major violator.

Trump’s economic philosophy – focused on cutting taxes and regulations to unleash private-sector growth – should also serve as a wake-up call for Canada. Under Prime Minister Trudeau, Canada has taken a ruinous policy road, with higher taxes and more government intervention in business.

But what if Canada aligned itself more closely with the pro-growth policies Trump advocates?

Imagine the potential for Canadian businesses if they operated in an environment with fewer barriers to growth. A thriving private sector in Canada would strengthen the economy and create more opportunities for collaboration and trade with the US.

I won’t pretend that a second term comes without challenges. But instead of focusing on the personality occupying the Oval Office, Canada should focus on how to navigate the opportunities presented by our shared future as neighbours and trade partners.

It’s time to stop seeing Trump as an unpredictable threat and start recognizing the potential opportunities his policies can bring. Canada stands to benefit if it plays its cards right. For the Silo, Chris Christie.

Chris Christie was the 55th Governor of New Jersey and a participant in the C.D. Howe Institute’s recent Regent Debate. Send comments to Chris via this link.

Sci-Tech

Inside The High Flying & Spying World Of Hot Air Balloons

October 23, 2024 The Silo Leave a comment

Remember early last year when we were besieged by strange, large balloons in our airspace- the kind of balloons that certain nations are using to spy on us or possibly manipulate the weather?

Okay let’s put those conspiracy theories aside for now. Hopefully everyone has seen a hot air balloon in flight at least once because they are majestic and otherworldly and quite calming to watch drifting around up in the blue sky above.

But have you ever wondered when the first one was invented? Or how much hot air is required to get them safely off the ground and ready for a flight around the skies? Or where they are stored when they aren’t being used? Our friends at SpareFoot were wondering the same thing, and the data they shared with us below is quite astonishing.

Supplemental– Baumgartner’s record setting Free Fall event utilized Hot Air Balloon to reach “edge of space”

Sci-Tech

China Innovates Shenzhen Sea World With Robot Whale Shark

October 18, 2024 The Silo 1 Comment

SHENZHEN, China (October, 2024) — After five years of renovations, Xiaomeisha Sea World have taken the bold step to include forward-thinking robotic alternatives to using live animals to educate and entertain visitors.

“We are thrilled to see Xiaomeisha Sea World taking a step toward more compassionate entertainment with its animatronic whale shark, and we hope this move encourages people to reconsider why they feel entitled to see live marine animals in confinement — especially when it comes to species who are known to suffer extreme psychological and physical harm as a result of captivity — and that that this aquarium will continue to lead the way with more exhibits that don’t use live animals.” Hannah Williams, Cetacean Consultant for In Defense of Animals.

Xiaomeisha Sea World’s decision comes in the context of a broader global movement toward protecting marine life. In recent years, New Zealand made headlines for banning swimming with dolphins to prevent the disturbance of wild populations — a step in recognizing the importance of reducing stress on these sentient beings. In Mexico City, the ban on keeping dolphins and whales in captivity has been a landmark victory, specifically citing the former use of living dolphins in displays that landed the city’s aquarium on In Defense of Animals’ “10 Worst Tanks” list.

Developed by Shenyang Aerospace Xinguang Group under the Third Academy of China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation Limited, this groundbreaking achievement marks a significant step forward in modern marine technology.

The nearly five-meter-long, 350-kilogram bionic marvel is capable of replicating the movements of a real whale shark with remarkable precision, including swimming, turning, floating, diving, and even movements of its mouth.

At Xiaomeisha Sea World- cutting edge display technology is front and center.

Wild whale and dolphin populations are in global decline. Fishing has caused a severe decline of Indian Ocean dolphins and Pacific Ocean orcas — who also suffer additionally from ship traffic and marine noise. The marine animal entertainment industry puts further pressure on wild animals since it depends on continual top ups of captive populations with wild captures of dolphins and small whales, such as Japan’s infamous Taiji Cove drive hunt. Each year, dolphins face traumatic experiences during live captures, either being killed or traumatically ripped from their pods and shipped for a life of confinement.

In light of the inherent cruelty and conservation impacts of traditional aquarium captivity, Xiaomeisha Sea World’s animatronic whale shark represents a promising shift towards humane marine entertainment. We encourage Xiaomeisha to build on this achievement by becoming the world’s first fully animatronic aquarium. By adopting more “species” of advanced marine robots — which include manta rays, dolphins, and orcas — Xiaomeisha could address lingering concerns, such as new reports of fish with white spot disease, crowded tanks, “lots of excrement in the snow wolf garden,” ongoing harmful beluga whale shows, and firmly put to rest the heartbreaking legacy of Pezoo, a zoochotic polar bear who suffered in extreme confinement for years. Transitioning away from outdated live-animal performances would position Xiaomeisha as a global leader in innovative, ethical marine exhibits.

Exciting developments in next-generation animal entertainment are taking place around the world. Time Magazine named Axiom Holographics’ animal-free Hologram Zoo in Brisbane among the best inventions of 2023.

Edge Innovations in California has created hyper-realistic animatronic animals, including dolphins that can swim, respond to questions, and engage closely with audiences — without any of the ethical concerns associated with real captive animals. These lifelike creations offer enhanced levels of interaction and can thrive in confined environments like theme parks, aquariums, and shopping malls, preventing real animals from suffering and premature death.

“A tidal wave of excitement is building for the future of animal-free entertainment, driven by cutting-edge technologies like animatronics, holograms, and virtual reality. “Aquariums and zoos have a unique opportunity to captivate audiences with these immersive experiences — without capturing live animals. Modern technology can bring the wonders of animal life to people in ways that were never possible before. We urge Xiaomeisha Sea World to fully embrace animatronics and seize this chance to proudly and openly lead the way to a sustainable, cruelty-free model that respects marine animal lives.” Fleur Dawes, Communications Director for In Defense of Animals.

For the Silo, Hannah Williams/IDA.

In Defense of Animals is an international animal protection organization with over 250,000 supporters and a 40-year history of defending animals, people, and the environment through education, campaigns, and hands-on rescue facilities in California, India, South Korea, and rural Mississippi. For more information, visit https://www.idausa.org/campaign/cetacean-advocacy

Finance

World Economic Forum- Why Experts Expect Global Growth

May 29, 2024 The Silo Leave a comment

The World Economic Forum, committed to improving the state of the world, is the International Organization for Public-Private Cooperation. The Forum engages the foremost political, business and other leaders of society to shape global, regional and industry agendas. (www.weforum.org).

Politics

Deadly Virus Flew From Canada To China On Commercial Flight

April 20, 2024 The Silo 2 Comments

Minister Says He Was Taken Aback After Learning Deadly Viruses Were Shipped From Winnipeg Lab to Wuhan

Report first published via friends at The Epoch Times

After learning that samples of deadly Ebola and Nipah viruses had been sent from Canada’s top-security lab in Winnipeg to China, Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc said his reaction was similar to that of an MP who expressed incredulity upon learning of the move.

“I’m really concerned about the March 2019 incident where [Winnipeg lab scientists Xiangguo Qiu and Keding Cheng] were implicated in a shipment of live Ebola in Hanipah [Nipah] viruses on a commercial Air Canada flight. How the hell did that happen?” NDP MP Charlie Angus asked during a House of Commons Canada-China committee meeting on April 15.

In response, Mr. LeBlanc said, “When I saw that report, and publicly, I had the same reaction as you.”

A partly redacted national memo sent by the prime minister’s national security advisor to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on June 29, 2017.

The minister deferred Mr. Angus’ question to the Public Health Agency of Canada, saying, “I don’t have any [information], but I had the same reaction as you, Mr. Angus.”

Mr. LeBlanc, who became minister of public safety in July 2023, was previously minister of intergovernmental affairs starting in July 2018.

The National Microbiology Laboratory (NML) in Winnipeg shipped 15 different strains of Nipah and Ebola viruses to the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV) in China on March 31, 2019. The package was sent from Winnipeg to Toronto and then on to Beijing via a commercial Air Canada flight.

Timeline: What Declassified Documents Reveal About the Fired Winnipeg Lab Scientists

Ms. Qiu and Mr. Cheng

The request to the NML management for the shipment of the viruses was facilitated by Ms. Qiu. The shipment was eventually approved by the NML management.

Ms. Qiu and Mr. Cheng, a married couple, were escorted out of the NML in July 2019 while under RCMP investigation. The couple were fired from their positions on Jan. 20, 2021, for having undisclosed ties to Chinese regime entities.

In 2021, in response to MPs’ questions about why the NML shipped virus samples to the Wuhan lab, laboratory management said the shipment followed all proper protocols and was in response to a letter from the Chinese lab indicating that they were to be used to understand their pathophysiology—the nature of infection—and the development of antivirals.

Declassified intelligence documents show that Ms. Qiu also sent antibodies and other materials to China without prior approval.

Shipments included antibodies for the China National Institute for Food and Drug Control, as well as small amounts sent to laboratories in the United Kingdom and the United States for testing.

The documents show that Ms. Qiu discussed the shipment of Ebola and Nipah with WIV employees in July 2018, and initially suggested that a formal agreement is not necessary as “no one owns the IP.” She also expressed “hope there is another way around” rather than issuing a formal agreement.

The documents also show that Ms. Qiu signed on to a project at WIV involving research on Ebola, and that some of the virus strains that were shipped from NML were meant for this project. Ms. Qiu had asked that the project remain a secret to her Canadian management as WIV was in the process of requesting the transfer of the virus strains from NML, the documents say.

Researchers work in the National Microbiology Laboratory in Winnipeg, Man., where the ZMapp antibody “cocktail” was created to fight Ebola. PHOTO BY HANDOUT

The Wuhan lab has been involved in synthetic biology research on the deadly Nipah virus, according to testimony from a U.S. scientist. Synthetic biology involves creating or redesigning biological entities and systems.

“The Nipah virus is a smaller virus than SARS2 [the virus causing COVID-19] and is much less transmissible,” Dr. Steven Quay, a Seattle-based physician-scientist, told a U.S. Senate subcommittee hearing on Aug. 3, 2022. “But it is one of the deadliest viruses, with a greater than 60 percent lethality” and 60 times deadlier than SARS2, he said. “This is the most dangerous research I have ever encountered.”

Chinese Talent Recruitment

During the April 15 House committee meeting, Mr. LeBlanc acknowledged revelations from the declassified documents that Ms. Qiu was involved in China’s Thousand Talents Program. The program was recognized by U.S. authorities as China’s efforts to “incentivize its members to steal foreign technologies needed to advance China’s national, military, and economic goals.”

It is clear that “elements from a Chinese-sponsored recruitment program were involved” at the Winnipeg lab, Mr. LeBlanc said. “It is well known that such programs are one way that China seeks to incentivize academics to participate in activities that exploit advancements in Canadian technologies.”

China is using the programs “to improve its military and intelligence capabilities, as well as the economic competitiveness all at the expense of Canada’s national interest,” the minister said.

He declined to address concerns raised by Conservative MP Michael Cooper regarding the delay in removing Ms. Qiu from the NML, saying it should be addressed to the health minister whose department is in charge of the Public Health Agency of Canada, which in turn oversees the NML.

Although concerns about the two were first raised in 2018, they weren’t fired until three years later. For The Silo, Andrew Chen. Omid Ghoreishi and Noé Chartier contributed to this report

Supplemental– Bio-warfare experts question why Canada was sending lethal viruses to China.

Supplemental- Canada sent untested ebola vaccine to World Health Organization.

Finance

How Canada Can Help Repair Today’s Global Trading System

April 6, 2024 The Silo Leave a comment

The article below (Furthering the Benefits of Global Economic Integration through
Institution Building: Canada as 2024 Chair of CPTPP) was first published by the C.D. Howe Institute by Paul Jenkins and Mark Kruger.

Introduction

Over the last 10 to 15 years, the global economy has become fragmented. There are many reasons for this fragmentation – both economic and geopolitical. A particularly important factor has been the inability of the institutions that provide the governance framework for international trade and finance to adapt to the changing realities of the global economy.

This erosion is reflected in the cycles of outcome-based measures of globalization, such as trade-to-GDP ratios. Research indicates that the development of institutions that promote global integration is highly correlated with more rapid economic growth. To secure the benefits of economic integration, the international community should re-commit to a set of common rules. This should involve the renewal of existing institutions in line with current economic realities.

But institutional renewal alone is not sufficient. Nurturing and growing new institutions are also critical, especially ones reflecting the realities of today’s global economy. Most promising in this regard is the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP).

The CPTPP is seen as a “next generation” trade agreement. It takes World Trade Organization (WTO) rules further in several key areas, such as electronic commerce, intellectual property, and state-owned enterprises.
Expansion of CPTPP represents a unique opportunity to strengthen global trade rules, deepen global economic cooperation on trade and sustain an open global trading system. The benefits for Canada of an expanded CPTPP are further diversification of its export markets and deepened ties with countries in the Indo-Pacific region.

Trusted Policy Intelligence

The challenge to enabling broad-based accession to CPTPP is geopolitical, reflecting the rising aspirations of the developing world, the associated
heightened contest between democracy and autocracy, and the prioritization of security. Indeed, for many, today’s security concerns are at the forefront, trumping economic issues. We argue that recognition of the economic benefits
of global economic integration must also remain at the forefront, and that research presented in this paper shows that institutional building is at the core
of securing such benefits.

As 2024 Chair of the CPTPP Commission, Canada has an opportunity to play a leadership role, as it did in the creation of the Bretton Woods institutions 80 years ago, by again promoting global institution building, this time through the successful accession of countries to the CPTPP, both this year and over the long run.

Cycles in Global Economic Integration
Former US Fed Chair Bernanke points out that the process of global economic integration has been going on for centuries. New technologies have been a major force in linking economies and markets but the process has not been a smooth and steady one. Rather, there have been waves of integration, dis-integration, and re-integration.
Before World War I, the global economy was connected by extensive international trade, investment, and financial flows. Improved transportation – steamships, railways and canals – and communication – international mail and the telegraph – facilitated this “first era of globalization.” The gold standard linked countries financially and promoted currency stability. Trade barriers were reduced by the adoption of standardized customs procedures and trade regulations. The movement of goods, capital, and people was relatively unrestricted.
The outbreak of World War I frayed global economic ties and set the stage for a more fragmented interwar period. The Treaty of Versailles imposed
punitive measures on Germany, exacerbating economic hardships. Protectionist policies, such as high tariffs and competitive devaluations, became widespread as countries prioritized domestic interests.
The collapse of the gold standard further destabilized international finance. In contrast to the cooperation seen before the war, countries pursued economic nationalism and isolationism.
Protectionism increased in the 1930s as a result of the dislocation caused by the Great Depression. In an attempt to shield domestic industries from foreign competition and address soaring unemployment, many countries imposed tariffs and trade barriers.
The Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act in the United States exemplified this trend, triggering a series of beggar-thy-neighbour policies. These protectionist policies exacerbated the downturn and contributed to a contraction in international trade that worsened the severity and duration of the Great Depression.
Mindful of the lessons of the 1930s, a more liberal economic order was established in the aftermath of World War II. The creation of the Bretton Woods Institutions – the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the World Bank and the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) – provided the principal mechanisms for managing and governing the global economy over the second half of the 20th century.
Building on the GATT, the formation of the World Trade Organization in 1995 provided the institutional framework for overseeing international trade and settling disputes. China became the 143rd member of the WTO in 2001 and almost all global trade became subject to a common set of rules.
The rise and fall of international economic governance are reflected in the cycles of outcome-based measures of globalization. Looking at trade openness, i.e., the sum of exports and imports as a percentage of GDP, the IMF divides the process of global integration into five periods: (i) the
industrialization era, (ii) the interwar era, (iii) the Bretton Woods era, (iv) the liberalization era, and (v) “slowbalization” (Figure 1).
Many factors have contributed to the plateauing of trade openness in the last 10 to 15 years. The fallout from the Global Financial Crisis was severe and the recovery was tepid. Brexit, with its inward-looking perspective, has disengaged the UK from Europe.
Populist protectionism has led to “re-shoring” in an effort to address rising inequalities and labour’s falling share of national income. There has been far-reaching cyclical and structural fallout from COVID-19.
And while the AI revolution portends significant opportunities, uncertainties over labour displacement abound.
Geopolitics has also played a critical role. Security concerns have become more important, trumping economic issues in the eyes of many. This has led to multiple sanctions, along with export and investment controls, being imposed to protect national security interests.
The IMF has carried out several modelling exercises that estimate the consequences of fragmentation if further trade and technology barriers were to be imposed. The studies employ a variety of assumptions regarding trade restrictions and technology de-coupling. In summary, the cost of further fragmentation ranges from 1.5 to 6.9 percent of global GDP. As with all modelling exercises, a degree of caution is warranted. At the same time, these studies should not be viewed as upper-bound estimates because they disregard many other transmission channels of global economic integration.
De Jure and De Facto Globalization
In assessing the evolution of globalization, however, it would be misleading to focus too narrowly on outcome-based measures such as the trade-to-GDP ratio depicted in Figure 1.
The data compiled by KOF, a Swiss research institute, provide a more nuanced view of global economic integration. KOF constructs globalization
indices that measure integration across economic, social, and political dimensions. Its globalization indices are among the most widely used in academic literature. KOF’s data set covers 203 countries over the period 1970 to 2021. Our focus here is on KOF’s economic indices.
In terms of economic globalization, KOF looks at the evolution of finance as well as trade. Moreover, one of the unique aspects of KOF’s work is that it examines globalization on both de facto and de jure bases.
KOF’s de facto globalization indices measure actual international flows and activities. In terms of trade, it includes cross-border goods and services flows and trading partner diversity. For financial globalization, its indices measure stocks of international assets and liabilities as well as cross-border payments and receipts.
KOF’s de jure globalization indices try to capture the policies and conditions that, in principle, foster these flows and activities. For trade globalization,
these include income from taxes on trade, non-tariff barriers, tariffs, and trade agreements. De jure financial globalization is designed to measure the institutional openness of a country to international financial flows and investments. Variables to measure capital account openness, investment restrictions and international agreements and treaties with investment provisions are included in these indices.
The trends in KOF’s de facto and de jure economic globalization indices are shown in Figure 2. Both globalization measures increased rapidly from 1990
until the Global Financial Crisis. Both measures subsequently plateaued. In 2020, as the global pandemic took hold, the de facto index plunged to its
lowest level since 2011. In 2021, it recovered half of the distance it lost the previous year. The de jure index has essentially been flat for the last decade.
There has been a sharp divergence between KOF’s de facto and de jure trade globalization measures in the last five years (Figure 3). By 2020, de facto trade globalization had dropped to a 25-year low. Although it recovered somewhat in 2021, it remains well below the average of the last decade. In contrast, de jure trade globalization levelled off after the Global Financial
Crisis. It reached a modest new high in 2019 and has essentially remained there since then.
The trends in financial globalization are almost the reverse of those of trade globalization. De facto financial globalization continued to increase through
2020 and dipped slightly in 2021. De jure financial globalization has been essentially flat over the last two decades (Figure 4).
The KOF researchers provide convincing econometric evidence that economic globalization supports per capita GDP growth. Importantly,
their analysis shows that institutions matter. They demonstrate that the positive impact on growth from trade and financial globalization comes from
institutional liberalization rather than greater economic flows. Through a series of panel regressions, the researchers show that it is the de jure trade and financial globalization indices that are correlated with more rapid per capita GDP growth. In contrast, there is no significant relationship between growth and the de facto indices.
KOF’s conclusions are consistent with the work of Rodrik, Subramanian and Trebbi who examine the contributions of institutions, geography, and trade
in determining relative income levels around the world. They find that institutional quality “trumps everything else.” Once institutions are controlled for, conventional measures of geography have weak effects on incomes and the contribution of trade is generally not significant.
Thus, to recapture the economic benefits of free trade and open markets, countries need to recommit to finding ways to further de jure globalization; that is, putting in place the institutional building blocks in
support of enhanced trade and financial integration.
Geopolitical Realities
Institutional reform, however, requires trust and mutual respect among partners. Many would argue that such trust and respect is in limited supply
today, especially between the United States and China. The United States is willing to endure the costs of heightened protectionism to purportedly
strengthen the resilience of its economy and secure greater political security. This has resulted in multiple sanctions, particularly in areas of digital technologies.
In response, China, amongst other measures, has imposed export controls on critical minerals used in advanced technology in defence of its geopolitical goals.
Yet, as discussed by Fareed Zakaria in a Foreign Affairs article, The Self-Doubting Superpower, China has become the second largest economy in the world richer and more powerful within an integrated global economic system; a system that if overturned would result in severely negative consequences for China.
For the United States, its inherent strength has been its commitment to open markets and its vision of the world that has considered the interests of others. In many respects, it remains uniquely capable of playing the central role in sustaining the global economic system.
Following a recent trip to China, Treasury Secretary Yellen stated that “the relationship between the United States and China is one of the most consequential of our time,” and that it “is possible to achieve an economic
relationship that is mutually beneficial in the long-run – one that supports growth and innovation on both sides.”
This means that the United States would need to accommodate China’s legitimate efforts to sustain a rising standard of living for its citizens, while
deterring illegitimate ones. For China, it would mean a clear and abiding commitment to an open, rules-based global economic system.
It appears that there is currently no clear path forward for this change in mindset, given what many see as insurmountable geopolitics in both the United States and China. Yet, history shows that achieving and sustaining long-term economic growth is in every country’s best interest, and that such growth is best secured through ongoing global economic integration.
A Way Forward
Recent discussions at the IMF’s Annual Meeting in Marrakech about IMF quota reform, including quota increases and realignment in quota shares to
better reflect members’ relative positions in the global economy, are important signals of possible renewal.
Similarly, calls to revamp the World Bank’s mandate, operational model, and ability to finance global public goods, such as climate transition, reflect a growing consensus that the Bretton Woods Institutions must change in the face of today’s realities.
But institutional renewal alone is insufficient.
Broad-based accession to the CPTPP represents a unique opportunity to strengthen global governance overall, and to address common challenges in ways that benefit both countries as well as the global economy.
The CPTPP sets a high bar, requiring countries to:

eliminate or substantially reduce tariffs and other
trade barriers;
make strong commitments to opening their markets;
abide by strict rules on competition, government
procurement, state-owned enterprises, and
protection of foreign companies; and
operate within, as well as help promote, a
predictable, comprehensive framework in the critical
area of digital trade flows.
The United Kingdom formally agreed to join the
CPTPP in July 2023. Once its Parliament ratifies
the Agreement, the UK will join Australia, Brunei
Darussalam, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico,
New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, and Vietnam in the
trading block.
Such a diverse membership clearly demonstrates
that countries do not have to be geographically close
to form an effective trading block.
A half-dozen other countries have also applied
to join the CPTPP, with China’s application having
been the earliest received.
Petri and Plummer estimate that joining the
CPTPP would yield large economic benefits for
China and the global economy. For the latter, the
boost to global GDP would be in the order of $600
billion annually. The United States in joining would
gain preferential access to rapidly growing Pacific Rim
markets. Much of the additional market access would
come from China’s opening of its service sector.
Industrial policy and state-owned enterprises,
however, will continue to play a much larger role
in China than they do in Western economies. The
key for China is to demonstrate that a socialist
market economy (i.e., one that has a mixed capitalist
market and government-controlled economy) can be
consistent with fair trade.
The process of China joining the CPTPP will
undoubtedly be time-consuming. It took 15 years of
negotiations before China joined the WTO in 2001.
This was five more years, on average, than it took
those countries that joined after 1995.
The challenge for Canada, and subsequent chairs,
is to ensure that China’s entry maintains the high
standards CPTPP members have met so far.
Broad based accession to the CPTPP, including
the United States and China, however, is best viewed
Page 8 Verbatim
Trusted Policy Intelligence
as a long-term goal. China would need to undertake
unprecedented reforms, involving complex political
challenges, including Taiwan’s potential accession. For
its part, the United States would need to step well
back from its current mercantilist mind set, which
risks worsening.

Canada as Chair in 2024

While efforts to renew existing global institutions to better reflect current economic realities are important, we see promoting broad accession to the CPTPP as the best means to turn today’s global economic fragmentation around.
At the heart of the global economic system is the open trading framework put in place at Bretton Woods in 1944. Many would see today’s fragmentation as becoming more acute, rather than getting better, due to geopolitical divisions.
But further fragmentation is no way to save the open, rules-based global trading system that has served so many countries so well for so long.

While restrictions reflecting legitimate security concerns are inevitable, an open, competitive trading system remains in the best interests of all countries.
As 2024 Chair of the CPTPP Commission, Canada has an opportunity to contribute to turning around the fragmentation of today’s global trading system and moving the global economy back along a path towards a
more open, rules-based trading system.

An important goal for Canada’s chairmanship would be to clarify the rules of accession. This would be a big step forward in sustaining expansion of CPTPP. While today’s geopolitical realities surrounding the applications of both China and Taiwan represent a particularly challenging area to advance, significant progress in other areas must be made. It should accelerate inclusion of Costa Rica, Uruguay, Ecuador, and Ukraine, all of whom have applied. And it should help move forward discussions with South Korea, Indonesia, Philippines, and Thailand, who have expressed interest in joining.

Over and above all that, however, at a more strategic level, Canada should also champion discussion and understanding of why building towards the long-run goal of broad accession to CPTPP is important. Open and inclusive institutions are at the core of providing the benefits of global economic integration to all countries.

Canada will also be Chair of the G7 Summit in 2025. This, along with the various ministerial and officials’ meetings leading up to the Summit, offers another critical avenue for Canada to take a leadership role in sustaining and promoting an open, rules-based global trading system.

Sci-Tech

9 Years Since China Landing- NASA Warns They Could Take Over The Moon

August 21, 2023 The Silo 1 Comment

It’s the 9th anniversary of China’s 2014 Moon landing and it deserves special attention. Many Westerners are unaware of their impressive accomplishment because for the most part it was not reported in the mainstream media. Even now, getting information on China’s mission is challenging and the reports that are readily available seem to be from non-Western sources such as Al-Jazeera or in the case of the following video: WION- India’s self proclaimed “first world news network”.

Something else you may be unaware of

China's Tiangong space station- basically Mir2.0 — Tiangong, officially the Tiangong space station, is a permanently crewed space station constructed by China and operated by China Manned Space Agency in low Earth orbit between 340 and 450 km above the surface. wikipedia

Should we be surprised that these nations are eager to distribute their news and accomplishments? China and India are the main rivals to the United States in terms of Space launches and exploration and if they are ahead of the West then chances are no one here wants to run headlines emphasizing this fact.

The politicization of space is not a new concept.

Shortly after the end of World War 2, Russia and America (using captured Nazi German rockets and scientists) relied on their own geniuses such as Sergei Korolev and Katherine Johnson in a heated race to enter space and to push forward with the goal of landing a man on the Moon. President Lyndon Johnson called this “the ultimate high ground“. Russia did not succeed in a manned Moon landing but they did successfully land an advanced Rover which was controlled from the Earth by a team of operators. Clearly the Moon is an important place to visit even at incredible risk and financial cost.

What compelled China to show up decades later than the USA?

"It was confirmed as a new mineral by voting by the New Mineral Classification and Nomenclature Committee (CNMNC) of the International Mineralogical Association (IMA). This mineral is the sixth new mineral discovered by humans on the moon."

What can we expect next? China is planning a crewed landing. America is planning a crewed landing. It’s a brand new space race. For the Silo, Neil Corman.

Military

Five Years After an EMP Strike: Expert Explores What Society Might Look Like

June 21, 2023 The Silo Leave a comment

Black Mountain, NC, June , 2023 —William R. Forstchen, Ph.D., prays that he is remembered 30 years from now as a crank. Widely considered one of the foremost experts on electromagnetic pulse (EMP) attacks, Dr. Forstchen wants more than anything to be wrong when he says an attack is imminent.

Dr. Forstchen is also a New York Times bestselling author who has written extensively about EMP weapons. His upcoming book, Five Years After, traces the plight of protagonist John Matherson as he struggles to protect the fragile civilization helped rebuild following an EMP strike.

A means of delivery- Newscom/Alamy Stock Photo/M2T8T5 North Korea’s intercontinental ballistic missile Hwasong-15 is displayed during a military parade in Pyongyang, 8 February 2018.

Most people have lived through minor power outages lasting anywhere from a few hours to a few days. But what would happen if the power went out and didn’t come back on? Historian William R. Forstchen, Ph.D., warns that if something were to cripple the U.S. power grid — an electromagnetic pulse (EMP) for instance — it would trigger a cascade of deadly events, and long-term survival would depend on being in the right place at the right time with the right food supply.

“It is catastrophic. It is not ‘tinfoil hat,’” said Forstchen in a recent interview. “With an EMP, when it hits, it blows the grid out. You’re going to lose your water immediately. Within several days, that’s going to be bad. Second: food supply. … Medication. … and then of course, disease sets in.”

Widely considered one of the foremost experts on EMP attacks, Forstchen is also the New York Times bestselling author of the One Second After series, a fictional exploration rooted in the cold, solid facts of how an EMP strike above U.S. soil would impact society.

How would an EMP attack effect Canada?

The Canadian Press/J.P. Moczulski An aerial view of the Bruce Power nuclear generating station in Kincardine, Ontario, Canada. An EMP event affecting this facility could have catastrophic consequences.

The latest book in the series, Five Years After, follows protagonist John Matherson as he contends with new threats to the fragile civilization that he helped rebuild.

In Five Years After, the Republic of New America has all but collapsed into regional powers, and the world at large is struggling to remain stable as regional conflicts ravage the post-EMP landscape. After several years attempting to lead a quiet life, John receives word that the President is terminal with cancer, and John is asked to take over the reins of government.

Pulled back into the fray, John struggles to hold the tottering Republic together. Facing threats on multiple fronts, he races against time to stop another EMP attack on the former United States and China, putting years of progress at risk. With so much of his work under threat, John must find the strength within to start over, so that he can save the country and the people that he holds dear from even greater calamity.

Forstchen’s depiction of a post-EMP society throughout his One Second After series is rooted in years of extensive research, and he has long been advocating for greater awareness and preparation against an EMP strike, which he considers a very real threat. His goal is not to alarm, but to prompt proactive measures to protect the North American public.

“We’ve got to live our lives; we’ve got to enjoy ourselves … don’t make this the obsession,” Forstchen said of the topic of EMPs. “But it should be out there. You should be thinking about this and doing some basic planning.”

Featured image- NASA “Mini-EMP attacks do happen when conditions on the Sun create discharges powerful enough to reach the Earth’s surface. Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory’s view of the 23 July 2012 coronal mass ejection. The event was the fastest-ever coronal mass ejection, leaving the sun at between 1,800-2,200 miles-per-second.

About the Author

William R. Forstchen is a New York Times bestselling author and a Professor of History at Montreat College, in Montreat, North Carolina. He holds a doctoral degree from Purdue University with a specialization in military history and technology. He is the author of more than 50 books, including the One Second After series that details the realistic effects of an EMP strike.

He is a noted expert historian and public speaker and has been interviewed on FOX News, C-SPAN and many others on topics ranging from history to technology and cultural issues, to space technology development, to security threats.

Amazon link: https://www.amazon.com/Five-Years-After-Matherson-Novel/dp/1250854563/

Five Years After

Publisher: Tor/Forge

Release Date: August 22, 2023

ISBN-10: ‎ 1250854563

ISBN-13: ‎ 978-1250854568

Available for pre-order from Amazon.com

Fashion

Why Pearls Keep Soaring In Popularity And Price

June 7, 2023 The Silo Leave a comment

While diamonds used to be a girl’s best friend, pearls may now be the wiser purchase because we are in the middle of a Pearl Renaissance and everyone from Michelle Obama, Beyonce, Ellen DeGeneres, Kris Jenner, and Angelina Jolie to Rihanna and Keira Knightly are sporting the pearl look.

While pearls are soaring in popularity, so is their price. You should buy them now, as they show no signs of slowing down, experts say. “It’s the perfect storm for pearl prices, and it’s happening right now,” says Leon Rbibo, President of The Pearl Source, an online retailer doing $10 million annually in pearl jewelry sales.

But why? Rbibo points to the following:

1) Escalations in the South China Sea – Some of the world’s most valuable and high quality pearls come from this region, and unfortunately things are very tense there. The main players – China, the Philippines, the U.S., Vietnam and Malaysia – have conflicting views on to whom that territory belongs, and that equals bad news for trade/importing.

2) The Environment – Natural, high quality pearls are becoming scarcer on the market. Oceans that are growing increasingly acidic are making it very difficult to cultivate high quality gemstones. Put simply, oyster/pearl farms aren’t producing what they used to, putting a premium on the good stuff.

One of the world's most expensive pearls- The Pearl of Lao Tzu also known as the pearl of Allah. — One of the world’s most expensive pearls- The Pearl of Lao Tzu also known as the pearl of Allah.

3) Demand – The gemstone has never been more popular in the fashion world. Celebrities are using pearls to build new, edgier looks using different colors and shades: white, black, pink, peach, green, gold and peacock.

For the Silo, Susan Mackasey.

Did you know? Pearls take from 2-4 years to grow.

Politics

USA, Germany Ratings Weaker As Russia Suffers Global Rebuke

April 25, 2023 The Silo Leave a comment

U.S. leadership ratings retreated after the U.S. withdrew from Afghanistan, with most of the world disapproving of Russia’s leadership after its invasion of Ukraine

Washington, D.C. — A new Gallup report based on interviews in 137 countries in 2022 shows the honeymoon is over for U.S. President Joe Biden, and Germany’s image has lost some of its clout under new Chancellor Olaf Scholz. Though global approval ratings of the U.S. and Germany dipped in 2022, both countries are still in much stronger positions than Russia — which saw its ratings plunge after its invasion of Ukraine — and China.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz (L) with Canada Prime Minister Justin Trudeau (R)

Here are some of the key findings from Gallup’s Rating World Leaders 2023 report:

U.S. leadership ratings around the world rebounded in 2021 in the first year of Biden’s presidency but declined in his second.
Ratings for the U.S. first slipped after withdrawal from Afghanistan in August 2021.
There were double-digit decreases in U.S. leadership approval in 36 countries between 2021 and 2022 — mostly in Europe and the Americas.
Russia’s approval ratings plunged worldwide after the invasion of Ukraine, and the majority of adults around the world now disapprove of Russia’s leadership.
Majorities in 81 of the 137 countries surveyed disapproved of Russian leadership.

A look back to last year’s rankings and previous years.

Implications Beyond 2023:

One of the biggest foreign policy challenges facing the U.S. and its allies in 2023 and beyond will be to ensure the transatlantic unity that was so greatly tested in 2022 does not fracture as Russia’s war against Ukraine continues.

The images of the U.S. and Germany are in slightly weaker positions than before the war started, but they are still in much stronger positions than Russia. But perhaps more importantly, the soaring disapproval of Russia’s leadership in all parts of the world shows they are not the only countries that care.

Military

EMP Pulse Attack Would Cripple North American Energy Grids

March 20, 2023 The Silo Leave a comment

EMP Attacks: Expert William Forstchen Describes Cataclysmic Impact

Washington, D.C., 2023 — An electromagnetic pulse (EMP) attack above the center of North America would cripple the already vulnerable energy grid, wiping out power and setting off a cascade of deadly events. But just how real is the threat?

“I believe the threat of America being hit by an EMP weapon is the single greatest danger to the survival of [North] America,” said William R. Forstchen, Ph.D.

Widely considered one of the foremost experts on EMP attacks, Forstchen has been consulted by agencies within the American federal and state governments and has spoken at conferences all over the United States.

Forstchen has also written extensively about the devastating impact of EMP strikes, beginning with his New York Times bestseller, One Second After, a realistic look at a weapon and its awesome power to destroy the entire United States and Canada, literally within one second.

One Second After immerses readers in the terrifying concept of an EMP attack, prompting discussions regarding:

The frightening specifics about EMP
The societal impact of an EMP attack
Hour-by-hour, day-by-day, month-by-month details on the effect an EMP attack would have on a community
What, if anything, can be done to protect people and the country against an EMP attack?
If EMP is such a threat, why aren’t we preparing?
The serious threats facing America regarding physical and cyberattacks on our nation’s infrastructure

The publication of One Second After spawned a series that includes One Year After, The Final Day and the upcoming book, Five Years Later. A feature film based on One Second After is currently being developed.

nuclear_emp_attack_scenarios_and_combined-arms_cyber_warfare_by_peter_pry_july_2017 Download

“EMP is a byproduct of detonating a nuclear weapon,” Forstchen said in an interview. “If you detonate a weapon 200-250 miles above the center of the United States … the gamma ray burst when it hits the upper atmosphere starts a chain reaction. … By the time this hits the earth’s surface at the speed of light, it is a giant electrostatic discharge … it blows out the entire power grid of the United States and Canada. Game over.”

William R. Forstchen is a New York Times bestselling author and holds a doctoral degree from Purdue University with a specialization in military history and technology. He is a noted expert historian and public speaker and has been interviewed on FOX News, C-SPAN, and Coast to Coast on topics ranging from history to technology and cultural issues, to space technology development, to security threats.

Transportation

Canada Ranks 2 In Biggest Decrease In Car Production

January 16, 2023 The Silo Leave a comment

The research by GoShorty looked at worldwide car production figures from previous years, the number of people employed in the automotive industry, and other factors to reveal which countries produce the most and least commercial vehicles in the world.

Countries with the biggest decreases in car production:

Rank	Country	Cars Produced	Commercial Vehicles Produced	Total Produced 2021	% change variation2020/2021
1	Slovenia	95,797	–	95,797	-32%
2	Canada	288,235	826,767	1,115,002	-19%
3	Uzbekistan	236,667	4,982	241,649	-15%
4	Germany	3,096,165	212,527	3,308,692	-12%
5	Serbia	21,109	154	21,263	-9%
6	Spain	1,662,174	435,959	2,098,133	-8%
7	United Kingdom	859,575	72,913	932,488	-6%
8	Romania	420,755	–	420,755	-4%
9	Czech Republic	1,105,223	6,209	1,111,432	-4%
10	Hungary	394,302	–	394,302	-3%

Slovenia’s motor vehicle production was reported at 95,797 units in Dec 2021. This records a decrease from the previous number of 141,714 units for Dec 2020. Global car manufacturers like Renault have made plans to cut production in the country. Renault has cut production in its Revoz Slovenia unit and reduced its staff by 350 people.

Canada had the second biggest decrease in car production in 2021 compared to the previous year, a decrease in production of -19%. The low production numbers, down from 1.4 million in 2020 and close to two million in 2019, came as the global auto sector was hit by a shortage of semiconductor chips caused by pandemic-related production issues and a surge in demand for electronics.

Uzbekistan had the third biggest decrease in car production in 2021 compared to the previous year, a decrease in production of -15%. In 2021, Uzbekistan produced 236,667 passenger cars. That means that compared to 2020, production decreased by 15%. Despite the reduction in production, Uzbekistan increased the export of cars by more than a third.

The countries with the highest increases in car production:

Rank	Country	Cars Produced	Commercial Vehicles Produced	Total Produced 2021	% change variation2020/2021
1	Argentina	184,106	250,647	434,753	69%
2	Indonesia	889,756	232,211	1,121,967	63%
3	India	3,631,095	768,017	4,399,112	30%
4	Kazakhstan	80,679	11,738	92,417	24%
5	Morocco	338,339	64,668	403,007	23%
6	Thailand	594,690	1,091,015	1,685,705	18%
7	South Africa	239,267	259,820	499,087	12%
7	Brazil	1,707,851	540,402	2,248,253	12%
9	Portugal	229,221	60,733	289,954	10%
10	Austria	124,700	12,000	136,700	9%

Argentina saw the highest percentage increase in car manufacturing in 2021 compared to 2020, at a rate of 69%. Argentina’s motor vehicle production was reported at 434,753 units in Dec 2021. This records an increase from the previous number of 257,187 units for Dec 2020. This year, Argentina’s Senate has approved a bill to promote the automotive industry. The initiative was spearheaded and supported by IndustriALL affiliates in the country.

Indonesia had the second-highest increase in car production in 2021 compared to 2020, at an increase of 63%. As well as being the fourth most populous country in the world,

India was the country that witnessed the third-highest increase in car production in 2021 compared to the previous year, at an increase of 30%. India’s automotive sector is benefiting from a host of improvements, which include global supply-chain rebalancing and government incentives to increase exports.

Methodology:

We started by taking the International Organization of Motor Vehicle Manufacturers’ 2021 PRODUCTION STATISTICS to get World Motor Vehicle Production figures, to find the total number of commercial vehicles and car production for each country. This data is accurate as of 01/11/2022.

Ukraine and Russia were omitted due to the ongoing conflict between the two countries.

We ranked our countries based on their total production of both commercial vehicles and cars in 2021. We were also able to rank these countries based on their % change in variation between the years of 2020/2021 to find which countries had an increase in the number of produced cars in recent years.

We used ACEA’s Share of direct automotive employment in the EU, by country, to find the total share of direct automotive employment in total manufacturing for each of the 27 member states of the European Union in 2020. We were able to rank each country by the share of automotive employment. This data is accurate as of 01/11/2022.

Further findings:

China is the world’s biggest manufacturer of cars – it produced the most cars and commercial vehicles in 2021, with a total of 26 million units manufactured.

Egypt had the second lowest number of vehicles manufactured in 2021, with a total of 23,754 commercial vehicles and cars produced annually.

Slovakia has the highest share of automotive employment in Europe – it accounts for 16.2% of employment in the country.

Earth

Act Now Or Lose African Elephants Forever

November 17, 2022 The Silo Leave a comment

Elephants are super smart — as close to humans as apes, yet we are literally killing them to extinction.

And they are obsessed with their death. They understand what is happening to them and their families, even identifying elephant bones and spending hours crying over them. Poaching is so emotionally devastating that it can take a herd 20 years to recover!

100 elephants a day are dying — shot sometimes from helicopters, their faces cut off by machetes often while still alive — just to produce ivory trinkets. What’s worse is that this savagery is managed by organized criminals who help fund some of the most dangerous terror groups in the world.

But now there’s reason to hope: China just announced it will phase out its ivory industry and there is legislation in eleven US states calling for a ban on ivory trading. It’s a tipping point moment in this fight for these majestic animals and we can make sure demand everywhere dries up by funding a flood of campaigns in the US, Thailand and Vietnam to kill the biggest ivory markets anywhere.

Elephant hunts are big business and are even organized from outfitters in North America.

Click here to pledge to fund species-saving work, pledges won’t be processed unless we raise enough to manage this ambitious goal.

Killing elephants is serious business — as wild elephants die out, the price for stockpiles of ivory skyrockets. Now poachers are on a race to kill as many elephants as they can. In 5 years, Mozambique has lost half of their elephant population. The clock is against us and if the current rate of killing continues, in little more than a decade, there may be no wild elephants, only graves.

The news from China could be our best chance to turn the tide and with top notch Avaaz campaigning in 11 states in the US, and in Thailand and Vietnam, we could help stop demand for bloody ivory, while supporting cutting edge anti poaching initiatives on the supply side. Here is what a dedicated global team could do:

Fund hard-hitting ad campaigns in SE Asia and the US to dissolve demand for ivory trinkets;
Launch online sites in SE Asia and the US to inform consumers of the suffering and carnage to help change the culture towards ivory;
Support and ramp up citizen campaigning in the consumer markets in SE Asia and the US;
Back ranger protection programmes in Africa and creative, ground-breaking initiatives like drones to monitor remote parks.

Avaaz has millions of members across the world, from the countries where conservation is critical to the countries where ivory statues are sold. If we each chip in we can finally help put the brakes on this cruel trade and move fellow humans to respect the other species that share this planet with us.

Outfitters and elephant hunters justify their hunts as a form of necessary conservation.

The choice before us is simple: act now or lose African elephants forever. Let’s not let ours be the generation that butchered these regal beings off the face of the earth. Let’s do what our community does best — pick careful battles, fight smart to ban the trade, and spread a culture of compassion.

SOURCES

African elephants could be extinct in wild within decades, experts say (The Guardian)
http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/mar/24/african-elephants-could-be-extinct-in-wild-within-decades-say-experts

African forest elephants are being massacred into extinction (Salon)
http://www.salon.com/2014/01/05/african_forest_elephants_are_being_massacred_into_extinction_partner/

Wild African elephants on verge of extinction, say experts (Al Jazeera)
http://america.aljazeera.com/articles/2015/3/23/wild-african-elephants-on-verge-of-extinction.html

At this rate, elephants will be wiped out within 10 years (The Independent)
http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/comment/at-this-rate-elephants-will-be-wiped-out-within-10-years-9012557.html

Earth

Your Electronic Goods Recycling Donations Become Bank Deposits

November 13, 2022 The Silo 2 Comments

Used and broken electronics such as computers, cellphones, dvd players, washers and dryers still hold intrinsic value because if you were to peer inside these things you’d notice a lot of wire and circuitry. There is a surprisingly substantial amount of copper, silver and gold waiting for “the recycling”.

Consumerism- the acquisition of goods, is largely based today on electronic devices- large screen televisions or smartphones for example. Many of us feel the need to upgrade regularly: bigger screens for our living rooms and faster and more powerful phones. But in broad terms, our discarded electronic goods contain about the same amount of silver, copper, gold and platinum as the new items we are replacing them with.

How much value are we talking about?

It is difficult to determine an exact value of gold and other precious materials in an average cellphone. This is because no two models are exactly alike, no two batteries are exactly alike.

Lux Bringer from reddit.com:

All of a sudden these, “bring your old cellphones to us so we can recycle them for you” campaigns are making a lot more sense. Sneaky bastards.

PtrN from reddit.com:PtrN

I’m not sure. I’m seeing that the average cell phone has 1/8 a gram of gold in it from other comments. At the time of this writing, CNN currently has gold going at $1650USD per troy ounce. I crunched the numbers and am seeing that there is about $6.60USD worth of gold in a cellphone. Not too bad, but I don’t know how profitable it will be after you take into account the costs of transportation and the extraction process itself.

Thoust from reddit.com:

There are other materials in a phone they can salvage besides gold

professor_fatass from reddit.com:

According to the article you also get platinum, palladium, and copper. As well as the glass and plastic which may not be worth much but it can still be recycled.

Interesting isn’t it?

Let’s consider the price of copper. Right now in Canada it is just under 4$CDN per pound. If you’re keen and want to sell your own scrap copper you will need a lot of it. An average washing machine motor has about 8$CDN worth of copper wiring up for grabs. http://www.instructables.com/id/how-to-get-tons-of-free-enameled-copper-wire/http://priceofscrapmetal.com/how-to-sell-scrap-copper-wire/

Gold!

There is gold and platinum inside computer circuit boards and hard drives. Most of the gold is an alloy or plated over another metal but at highs predicted to reach near $1,8000USD per ounce- a high volume recycling effort will pay off.

Bleepin’ Animinion from bleepingcomputer.com:

Any, true recycling effort that would be of a profitable nature needs to be EPA approved. Due to the multiple hazardous materials mixed in with the minute amounts of precious metals. As well as the highly toxic removal and heavy metals separations processes. Also as an example it would take an average of one ton of random circuit-board waste to generate one pound of gold. Add to that electronic grade precious metals are not the expensive jewelry grade high dollar metals. Therefore looking at the gold market is not the price you would get. So the profit you would make on the precious metals would be eaten up by the fees and expense of waste disposal of the one ton of hazardous useless waste product left behind after you reclaimed the precious and hazardous heavy metals. This is definitely not a a project to undertake on a small scale in your garage.

This last quote is an important thing to consider.

If you are considering dropping off your scrap electronics and appliances ask the receiving party if they are environmentally approved and a member of an Electronic Stewardship. After all, your discarded electronics will earn a tidy sum of money for a large scale salvager. The least they can do is operate within the law and operate with an environmental conscience. But there is some worry.

The salvagers are looking for an uninformed public- they set up their marketing and advertising in a way that makes no mention of the economic benefits they stand to make.

They seldom if ever offer you a small stipend for your ‘donated scrap’ and perhaps even worse, many pose as “good deed” companies ridding us of our “broken goods” destined for the landfill. The Ontario Electronic Stewardship is a non-profit group that overseas responsible recycling of electronics. This Stewardship works with existing legal frameworks put in place by Waste Diversion Ontario and the 2002 Waste Diversion Act. www.wdo.ca

Social impact in the developing world.

In Southern China over 100,000 people including children spend their lives dismantling discarded electronic devices for scrap metal and an unknown number are doing the same thing in Nigeria. http://www.economist.com/news/international/21570678-growing-mounds-electronic-scrap-can-mean-profits-or-scandals-cadmium-lining

In this file photo from 2001, a migrant child sits atop a pile of unrecyclable computer waste imported to Guiya, China, from other countries.

Basal Action Network

Some players are keeping it real.

Not every electronic device recycling campaign is shady. Increasingly, not-for-profit groups and volunteer fire departments are setting up large recycling bins with signage such as “your donated scrap metal and electronics helps fund X”.

If you are considering dropping off discarded electronics to your local “recycling and scrap drive” ask a few questions. Where are the profits from the salvaged materials going? Is the company operating the drive aware of the Ontario Electronic Stewardship guidelines? What happens to your donated goods at the end of the cycle- are they destined for a landfill or for China?

Travel

How I Met My Wife Halfway In Zhengzhou China

October 28, 2022 The Silo 1 Comment

How I met my wife halfway…Elegant Confusion………Being delivered by car (my wife’s friend and a co-worker) to the Hotel in the downtown area of Zhengzhou, bursting along the byways and expressways from the Airport, cars around us dancing across the indistinct markings of the lanes in what could be described as a level of a video game in progress, I had no idea ( a horn honks and a bus switches lanes in front of us ‘sans’ signal..) that the “Art” of driving could manifest itself in such a reckless song trying so very hard to be a “ballet”.

My first impressions were to be made, however innocent, a misplaced fantasy.. As we made our way across the edge of this city of 8 1/2 million souls.., it was plain that this was far different than the large, ‘controlled’ infrastructures of North America.. A place where those, who in the faltering of the majority of their lives, seeking to maintain “control” of most aspects of their lives, would be shattered as if a piece of glass hitting the concrete of this sudden reality. I believe that all this time seeking that ‘control’, having it slip through the grasps of their expectations, is the cause of so much anger, disappointment, and frustration in North Americans’ lives..

There is no “Road Rage” here.

If this is how you imagined driving in one of China's cities would look like you're mistaken. So says writer, farmer and traveler Bill Stewart. — If this is how you imagined driving in one of China’s cities would look like you’re mistaken.

Once into the downtown, the pace slows somewhat, taking time to congeal into something even more unexpected.. Now there are people, thousands of them,.. mixed with electric bikes, bicycles, motorcycles, pedestrians, carts of vegetables and fruit perched high on platforms innovatively connected to motorcycles, wagons of produce drawn by donkeys and cars.. All are dancing in and out of lanes of traffic, up onto sidewalks, threading the pedestrians walking different directions, the buses and taxis faster than the rest..

Cars and motorbikes making U-turns anywhere without notice.., a car honks, someone concedes the space, and life goes on.

The remarkable impression to be made here for a Caucasian in ‘Neverland’,… is that, there are no egos here to set off a clash of emotional diatribes leading to certain physical, or vocal, outbursts.. Just ‘focus’ of purpose.. There is only the destination to be sought.., nothing more matters.. It is not a matter of forgiveness, on the part of the conceded ,.. just a plain sense of infective respect.. An old woman, peddling a bicycle, weaves suddenly directly across the lanes of traffic.. I look away, fearing the sounds and images of her death.. A few impatient honks from the cars,.. all traffic stops.. as she slowly winds her way to the sidewalk on the other side of the street.., the motorbikes weaving around her, pacing in and out of the stopped buses, cars and taxis.. A woman on a motorbike with a child in front, one in back of her seat, sails by me on the sidewalk…It is ‘Elegance in Confusion’ at it’s finest.. For the Silo, Bill Stewart.

Here's what some folk are saying about the video above. — Here’s what some folk are saying about the video above.

Earth

COVID-19 Wildlife Connection

September 10, 2022 The Silo 2 Comments

With new cases of coronavirus (COVID-19) still being reported every day across the globe, we are starkly reminded that handling or coming into close contact with wildlife, their body parts, and excreta poses a risk of spillover of the pathogens [viruses, bacteria, parasites, and fungi] they host and maintain in nature, and to which we humans might be susceptible.

The illnesses animals spread to humans are known as zoonotic diseases, or zoonoses.

It is estimated that, globally, about one billion cases of human illness and millions of deaths occur every year from zoonoses. Some 60 percent of emerging infectious diseases that are reported globally are zoonoses and of the more than 30 new human pathogens detected in the last three decades, 75 percent have originated in animals.

A wide variety of vertebrates are carriers of zoonotic agents. Rodents, the most abundant mammal, also represent an abundant source of zoonotic diseases, carrying at least 180 unique zoonotic pathogens[1]. Because of their size, the ability to fly and their unique immune system, bats represent an important virus reservoir, though presently they are known to carry only about a third of the zoonotic pathogens that rodents do.

While there are fewer species of primates when compared to rodents and bats, a great proportion are zoonotic hosts. The risk that pathogens can infect humans increases with species more closely related to us. For example, the spillover of HIV to humans occurred from chimpanzees and sooty mangabeys, most likely through butchering and consumption of their meat. To date, HIV-AIDS has infected 75 million people and caused 32 million deaths[2].

Graphic design: Sarah Markes/WCS.

The persistent lethal capacity of zoonotic pathogens can also reside in its evolutionary strategies. Plague is a bacterial, vector-born disease transmitted by fleas from rodents –its natural reservoir– to humans and subsequently also from humans to humans that has impacted the history of mankind through multiple pandemics causing tens of millions of deaths worldwide. The responsible bacterial agent has evolved virulence factors that have allowed it to repeatedly and successfully evade the immune system of the mammalian host[3].

“Coming into close contact with wildlife — including their body parts and excreta — poses a risk of spillover of the pathogens they host, to which we humans might be susceptible.”

Zoonoses may exist in various forms: The most common, endemic zoonoses, are widespread in developing countries affect many people and animals and are by comparison mostly neglected by the international community, epidemic zoonoses vary widely in their duration and distribution and emerging and re-emerging zoonoses may or may not have occurred previously in a given population, but are generally observed to expand in new species, populations or areas.

Emerging infectious diseases (EIDs) and particularly zoonotic ones are a significant and growing threat to global health, global economy and global security. Analyses of their trends suggest that their frequency and economic impact are on the rise.

The conditions of so-called “wet markets” are ideal for incubating new diseases and bolster their transmission. Photo credit: Elizabeth L. Bennett/WCS

Recent examples of such emerging or re-emerging zoonoses include Rift Valley fever, severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), pandemic influenza, Yellow fever, Avian Influenza, West Nile virus, the Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS), and most recently COVID-19.

However, our current knowledge of zoonotic diseases and spillover mechanisms is still at its infancy. It is estimated that less than 0.1% of all viruses that may pose a threat to global health are now known to have been transmitted from animals to humans[4].

More than 300,000 viruses are estimated to await discovery in mammals, many of them bearing zoonotic potential. In the U.S.-funded PREDICT program, researchers estimate that there are more than 1.6 million unknown viral species in mammals and birds, 700,000 of which could pose a disease risk to humans, based on years of information gathering.

“In wet markets across the globe, live and dead animals — including many wildlife species — are sold for human consumption.”

Facing such a vast, unknown and unpredictable universe of zoonotic agents, we firmly believe that limiting the chances of contact between human and wild animals is the most effective way to reduce the risk of emergence of new zoonotic diseases.

In “wet markets” across the globe, live and dead animals — including many wildlife species — are sold for human consumption. In close quarters, a mix of saliva, blood, urine and other bodily fluids brush up against vendors and consumers alike. The conditions of these markets are ideal for incubating new diseases and bolster their transmission. They form one of the most detrimental bridges created by man over the natural barriers that previously separated humans and wild animals.

Destruction of nature is increasingly putting humans in contact with pathogens for which they have no natural immunity. Photo credit: Nick Hawkins

For example, in 2016, two officials from the Department of Livestock and Fisheries in Lao PDR, Drs. Bounlom Douangngeun and Watthana Theppangna along with One Health experts authored a paper which documented that wild mammals from 12 taxonomic families and capable of hosting 36 different known zoonotic pathogens were traded in only seven markets[5]. It is a similar situation that has enabled the emergence of the previously unknown SARS in central Guangdong Province in November 2002 and now COVID-19 coronavirus in Wuhan, China.

“Ignoring the danger posed by wildlife markets is a massive global public health liability for a healthy world.”

The interface within these wet markets has been largely ignored as a public health topic, but COVID-19 coronavirus has brought this interface back to the forefront and reminded us that ignoring the danger posed by wildlife markets is a massive global public health liability for a healthy world.

As Dr. Christian Walzer emphasized recently this is a “global health priority that cannot be ignored.” It is important to continue calling for three solutions to prevent this complex global challenge: close live animal markets that sell wildlife; strengthen efforts to combat trafficking of wild animals within countries and across borders; and work to change dangerous wildlife consumption behaviors, especially in cities.

For the Silo, Stephen Sautner- Executive Director of Communications, Wildlife Conservation Society- Bronx Zoo

NOTES

[1] Cleaveland et al. 2001. Diseases of humans and their domestic mammals: pathogen characteristics, host rage and the risk of emergence. Phil Trans R Soc Lond B 356, 991–999

[2] Huet T, Cheynier R, Meyerhans A. et al. « Genetic organization of a chimpanzee lentivirus related to HIV-1 » Nature 1990, 345;356–9.

Santiago ML, Range F, Keele BF, Li Y, Bailes E, Bibollet-Ruche F, Fruteau C, Noë R, Peeters M, Brookfield JF, Shaw GM, Sharp PM, Hahn BH (2005). “Simian Immunodeficiency Virus Infection in Free-Ranging Sooty Mangabeys (Cercocebus atys atys) from the Tai Forest, Cote d’Ivoire: Implications for the Origin of Epidemic Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 2”. Journal of Virology. 79 (19): 12515–27.

https://www.unaids.org/en/resources/fact-sheet

[3] Demeure C.E., Dussurget O., Mas Fiol G., Le Guern A.-S., Savin C., & Pizarro-Cerda, J. 2019. Yersinia pestis and plague : an updated view on evolution, virulenvce determinants, immune subversion, vaccination and diagnostics. Genes & Immunity 20, 357–370.

[4] http://livescience.ecohealthalliance.org/predict/reports/2018-04-16-edi-measuring-viral-discovery.pdf

[5] Zoe F Greatorex & Sarah H Olson & Sinpakone Singhalath & Soubanh Silithammavong & Kongsy Khammavong & Amanda E Fine & Wendy Weisman & Bounlom Douangngeun & Watthana Theppangna & Lucy Keatts & Martin G, 2016. “Wildlife Trade and Human Health in Lao PDR: An Assessment of the Zoonotic Disease Risk in Markets,” PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 11(3), pages 1–17, March.

Earth

Royal Gulf Industries To Fund UAE’s First EV Battery Recycling Centre

August 4, 2022 The Silo Leave a comment

Will invest AED 62.4 million / $16.99 million USD / $21.82 million CAD on constructing UAE’s first used battery recycling centre in Ras Al Khaimah.

Ras Al Khaimah Economic Zone (RAKEZ) welcomed Royal Gulf Industries, a state-of-the-art lead acid battery recycling company, to its dynamic industrial ecosystem. A subsidiary of Hyderabad Castings Limited and part of Nakhat Group, the new company is set to invest AED 62.4 million (USD 17 million) to construct the UAE’s first environment-friendly automotive battery recycling centre on approximately 110,000 ft² of land at Al Ghail Industrial Zone. Royal Gulf Industries will employ more than 150 people in its facility, which is set to be ready in the fourth quarter of 2022.

The company aims to recycle up to 35,000 metric tonnes of used lead acid batteries annually.

This will produce 21,500 tonnes of lead ingots and 2,400 metric tonnes of plastic granules. Both of these materials will be largely exported to India, Japan, Korea, China and Europe for the manufacturing of new lead acid batteries and cases. This activity accounts for recycling around 58% of the lead acid battery scrap generated in the UAE.

Ramy Jallad, Group CEO of RAKEZ, and Yogesh Nakhat Jain, Managing Director of Royal Gulf Industries, marked the beginning of the recycling unit’s construction during a recent signing ceremony held between the two parties at the RAKEZ Compass Coworking Centre.

“We are very excited to start our journey in the UAE, where we will be fully recycling battery waste in an environment-friendly way. We aim to collect waste batteries not just from the UAE, but also import from around the world to make Ras Al Khaimah a hub for recycling” said Hanuman Mal Nakhat, Chairman of Royal Gulf Industries.

Discarded batteries are a gold mine for prospective recyclers.

“RAKEZ has supported us every step of the way in turning this massive project into a reality. Our customer experience so far has been excellent as we have received support not just for our company registration, but also for developing our business in the UAE. From liaising with government entities, including Environment Protection and Development Authority, RAK Municipality, Waste Management Authority and Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology on our behalf to secure the relevant approvals, to hosting us during our visits to Ras Al Khaimah in the past three years of planning the company’s set-up formalities. The team also helped us find the right suppliers and connect with construction companies. We are confident that RAKEZ will continue to play a crucial role in the fulfilment of our vision by offering us all the assistance and support during our business journey,” he added.

Jallad said: “We are glad to be the chosen base for Royal Gulf Industries’ pioneering recycling facility in the UAE. Ras Al Khaimah’s leadership has been striving for environment sustainability. Hence, Royal Gulf Industries, along with other RAKEZ companies in the closed-loop supply chain complement the emirate’s efforts.” He added, “These companies boost the country’s non-oil GDP and advance the national sustainability agenda. We are committed to support their goal of making an impact in the planet through our nurturing and collaborative industrial ecosystem.”

In its second phase spanning three years, Royal Gulf Industries plans to invest about AED 125 million / $34.03 million USD / $43.71 million CAD and create 350 jobs in Ras Al Khaimah. The company also aims to make the UAE a hub for recycling metals, creating global supply chains.

Culture

Agree? Aussie Study Reveals Canada Most Desired Country To Relocate To Worldwide

July 11, 2022 The Silo Leave a comment

A study by Compare the Market Australia has analyzed each country around the world on their annual search volume for terms such as ‘relocating to [country]’ and ‘moving to [country]’ to reveal the world’s most desirable countries to relocate to.

The most desired countries to relocate to? Here comes a boring chart!

Rank	Top destination	Favourite in X countries
1	Canada	50
2	Japan	31
3	Spain	19
4	China	15
5	France	11
6	Turkey	9
6	South Africa	9
8	India	7
9	Australia	6
10	Greece	4
10	Fiji	4

Taking the top spot is Canada, with our North American nation being the most desired destination in 50 other countries around the world. Canada is a very welcoming country for expats, which has led to it becoming a very diverse and multicultural destination.

Second place goes to Japan, with 31 countries having it as their number one relocation destination, including Australia. Japan has one of the highest life expectancies in the world, which could explain why so many people are researching to move there.

Spain is another very popular choice, especially amongst those in other European countries, with 19 countries having it as their favourite in total. Known for its warm Mediterranean climate, Spain is also another destination that has excellent healthcare and quality of life.

The least desired countries to relocate to in the world include: Sweden, The Philippines, Bulgaria, Germany, Thailand, Egypt, Singapore, Myanmar, Italy, and Nigeria with only one other country wanting to move to each of these destinations.

Further Study Insights:

Each country’s most desired relocation destination

Check the map below to see where each country in the world wants to relocate to the most.

While the majority seem to prefer somewhere within the same continent, there are some notable exceptions to this.

As the most searched country overall, we can see that people from as far away as India and South Africa have Canada as their most searched destination.

However, there were also some definite regional trends though. For example, many African nations have South Africa as their most searched destination.

Methodology

Using Google Ads Keyword Planner, the annual search volume for each of the following terms was found for each country in the world:

Houses in [country]
[Country] property
Moving to [country]
Relocating to [country]

This process was then repeated for each country in the world, taking a total of the searches across all four search terms, to reveal where each country wants to relocate to the most.

Note that searches within the same country were removed from the results.

In addition, all searches were carried out in English, as results in native languages proved to give inconsistent results.

For the Silo, Ruby Robinson.

Culture

Quirky Doc About One Man’s Quest For Supreme Tea

June 6, 2022 The Silo Leave a comment

2all_in_this_tea_movieposter — The movie poster says it all

Invest a little over an hour watching this documentary about tea and you might find yourself contemplating a new connection between rural farming communities and the tea farmers of China. That’s because All in this Tea deals with all aspects of Chinese tea production, but takes a special interest in how a new demand for high quality, organic Chinese tea is creating new opportunities for Chinese rural farmers.

The story begins by focusing on David Lee Hoffman’s elusive quest for rare and perfect teas.

David is a renowned tea importer and to say that he loves tea is an understatement. Based on the passion and knowledge shown in this doc, he seems to live for the stuff. Hoffman sees himself as a cultural zealot, promoting the rich history of simple Chinese farming practices and educating the western world on the merits of drinking pure, organic tea produced in the “Chinese way”.

He makes the act of producing tea seem like the ultimate expression of agricultural art.

His journey takes him to remote, obscure farms where he begins the process of encouraging the Chinese tea board to end mass farming practices and belligerent pesticide uses. His goal is to create a new tea farming economy, one where quality takes precedence over quantity. If you like tea or if you want to learn more about Chinese tea farming practices, If you’re a tea drinker or know someone who is (don’t we all?) then All in this Tea is the right documentary for you. For the Silo, Jarrod Barker.

Transportation

Tesla Is Fastest Growing Auto Brand Over Course Of Pandemic

February 22, 2022 The Silo Leave a comment

Tesla has been the fastest growing automobile brand over the course of the pandemic with astounding brand value growth of 271% in the last two years, according to the latest report by leading brand valuation consultancy Brand Finance. Tesla’s impressive growth continued this year with its brand value up by 44% to US$46.0 billion ( CAD$58.55 billion) which saw it move from 6^th to 3^rd in the Brand Finance Automobile 100 2022 ranking.

Tesla was the only brand in the Top 10 of the ranking to see significant growth this year.

Every year, Brand Finance puts 5,000 of the biggest brands to the test, and publishes nearly 100 reports, ranking brands across all sectors and countries. The report ranks the world’s top 100 most valuable and strongest automobile brands, the top 20 auto component brands, the top 15 tire brands and the top 10 car rental service brands.

Musk at Tesla event in China.

Tesla’s CEO, Elon Musk, has played a huge part in the growth of the brand with his charismatic, and at times controversial, behaviour keeping it firmly in the limelight. Tesla’s transformation into a household name has seen other brands try to connect themselves to the brand to benefit from the Tesla effect.

2021 saw Tesla increase its footprint in China, to ensure it continues to compete in the booming Chinese market.

It opened a new research and development centre, its first outside of America, in addition to a data centre at its Gigafactory in Shanghai. The brand also built a second delivery centre in the city, which incorporates sales, test driving and delivery of Tesla vehicles. Looking to this year 2022, Tesla announced it would launch no new models this year due to the global chip shortage, as doing so would reduce its overall output. Instead, the brand will focus on its full self-driving software as well as scaling up its production capabilities.

Electric revolution sees Chinese brands surge

Chinese brands account for eight of the top 10 fastest-growing brands in the ranking . The increasing popularity and adoption of electric vehicles in China has been a key driver behind the impressive growth for these brands, with China accounting for most electric vehicles sold globally. Several Chinese brands are looking to capitalise on the momentum by expanding their global footprints, with several of these brands launching in Europe in 2021.

While Tesla has seen the fastest growth over the past two years of the COVID-19 pandemic, Great Wall is the fastest-growing brand in the ranking this year, with its brand value increasing by an impressive 109% to US$2.6 billion (CAD$3.3 billion). As well as launching in Europe last year, Great Wall announced it will be launching nine electric vehicle models in Thailand over the next three years, where demand is expected to grow considerably. Great Wall plans to use Thailand as a base to launch its expansion into the ASEAN region. The auto marque’s CEO, Jianjun Wei, was also the top ranked automobile CEO in the Brand index, which ranks the world’s top 250 Chief Executives according to how well they manage and grow their company’s brand, and placed 3^rd overall across all industries.

The BYD EA1 Dolphin.

BYD was the second fastest-growing brand in the automotive ranking with its brand value doubling to US$6.4 billion (CAD$8.15 billion), an increase which saw it overtake Haval (brand value up 55% to US$6.1 billion or CAD$7.76 billion) to become China’s most valuable car brand. BYD, which specialises in electric vehicles, saw sales accelerating 232% in 2021 with 603,783 models sold – making it the best-selling new energy vehicle manufacturer in China for the ninth year.

Joining Great Wall and BYD in the Top 10 fastest-growing brands is Song (brand value up 90% to US$1.7 billion or CAD$2.16 billion), Qin (up 89% to US$475 million or CAD$604 million), Tang (up 88% to US$630 million or CAD$802 million), NIO (up 79% to US$2.6 billion or CAD$3.3 billion), Dongfeng (up 67% to US$1.4 billion or CAN$1.78 billion), and WEY (up 56% to US$613 million or CAN$780 million).

Toyota holds on to pole position as most valuable automobile brand

Although Chinese auto brands have seen impressive growth, Japan’s Toyota has held on to the top spot in the Brand ranking with a brand value of US$64.3 billion (CAN$81.9 billion).

Whilst the Japanese brand wasn’t immune to the global chip shortage that ravaged the industry, Toyota was better placed than most to weather the storm thanks to its contingency stockpiling.

The foresight allowed the brand to keep production levels high when others faltered and resulted in Toyota outselling General Motors in North America in Q1 2021 – the first time any brand has outsold General Motors in the region since 1998. Toyota remains the world’s top-selling automaker, the only manufacturer selling over 10 million vehicles globally.

Toyota was one of the early adopters of hybrid technology, with its Prius model dominating the hybrid segment for years, but it has fallen behind in the increasingly competitive electric vehicle arena in recent years. To regain ground, last year it announced it would be investing US$35 billion (CAD$44.6 billion) in electric vehicles, focusing on both battery technology and car development. The investment forms part of Toyota’s ambition to sell 3.5 million electric vehicles a year by 2030.

Fellow Japanese brands Honda (brand value US$28.2 billion or CAD$35.9 billion)and Nissan (US$14.6 billion or CAD$18.6 billion) join Toyota in the Top 10 of the ranking, though both brands saw a 10% decrease in brand value this year. Honda held onto its position in 7^th, and despite the loss in brand value Nissan actually climbed two spots from 11^th to 9^th, as it fared better than Sweden’s Volvo (down 20% to US$14.2 billion or CAD$18 billion) and Germany’s Audi (down 20% to US$13.8 billion or CAD$17.6 billion).

Mercedes-Benz remains most valuable European brand

Sitting behind Toyota, Mercedes-Benz remains the second most valuable brand in the ranking, and the most valuable European brand, with a 4% increase in brand value year-on-year to US$60.7 billion (CAD$77.3 billion). Amid challenging market conditions due to the pandemic and an industrywide semiconductor shortage, the brand prioritized electromobility and has seen great results from it. The German automobile giant confirmed that their electric vehicles sales saw a 90% increase this year.

In 2021, Mercedes-Benz launched the sixth generation of the C-class series with a new interior design and is planning to implement autonomous driving features. At the same time, an industry-wide trend to make a transition to electric vehicles and a sustainable approach to production and distribution is on the rise.

2022 Mercedes C class.

A key development to strengthen the Mercedes-Benz brand is the rebrand of Daimler AG to Mercedes-Benz Group AG. The focus of the rebrand is to enhance passenger cars and vans in the luxury segment. The strategic move to rebrand was to fulfil the brand’s objective to focus on financial and mobility services by offering insurance and rental subscriptions and digital fleet management systems.

Other German brands did not fare so well in the ranking this year, with Volkswagen (brand value down 13% to US$41.0 billion or CAD$52 billion), BMW (brand value down 6% to US$37.9 billion or CAD$48.2 billion), and Audi (brand value down 20% to US$13.8 billion or CAD$17.6 billion) all seeing losses in brand value. With lockdowns, network contractions in production and the ongoing semiconductor shortage, the industry has been faced with many challenges. Apart from sector wide disruptions, the German automakers who were reliant on diesel-powered vehicles have had to deal with regulatory challenges and the transition to electric mobility and electric production methods, resulting in rolling back on production to meet industry trends.

Porsche most valuable among luxury and premium, but Ferrari strongest across the whole table

Porsche is the most valuable luxury and premium automobile brand in the world with a brand value of US$33.7 billion (CAD$42.9 billion). The automobile giant celebrated the 50^th anniversary of the iconic Porsche Design with a limited-edition sale of 750 cars to pay tribute to the iconic design by Ferdinand Alexander Porsche.

The brand’s aim to transform into an agile company has led to leveraging digital transformation by enhancing online sales. To adapt to new formats of sale in the automobile sector, Porsche has invested in e-commerce for 100 markets globally to adopt an omnichannel strategy to connect digital services and retail sales.

While Porsche is the most valuable brand in the luxury and premium segment, Ferrari was named the strongest automobile brand in the world with a Brand Strength Index (BSI) score of 90.9 out of 100 and a corresponding AAA+ rating. Apart from calculating brand value, Brand Finance also determines the relative strength of brands through a balanced scorecard of metrics evaluating marketing investment, stakeholder equity, and business performance. Certified by ISO 20671, Brand Finance’s assessment of stakeholder equity incorporates original market research data from over 100,000 respondents in more than 35 countries and across nearly 30 sectors.

2021 was Ferrari’s best-ever year in terms of sales, with the company paying bonuses to all employees as a result, and the projected growth for 2022 remains high. The automotive brand’s historic pursuit of controlled growth has helped to preserve its exclusivity within its sector, however, last year Ferrari expanded its target market to a younger demographic by launching a new high-end fashion line. The aim of creating a brand that can cater to Italian luxury lifestyle in the high-end category will help expand and strengthen its brand portfolio into new avenues, whilst enhancing brand awareness amongst the younger generation.

Denso most valuable auto components brand

Car sales picked up following the loosening of lockdown restrictions, and auto component brands saw demand rise in turn. It has been far from clear sailing for the industry with the global chip shortage disrupting production, but the overall outlook is positive, evidenced by the vast majority of brands seeing good growth.

Denso has retained the title of most valuable auto components brand in the world for the 5^th consecutive year, with brand value up 12% to US$4.2 billion (CAD$5.4 billion). The brand continued to play its part in combatting the COVID-19 pandemic, creating respirator components in collaboration with Ford, as well as hosting over 50 vaccination clinics for employees across North America. Looking forward, the ever-increasing adoption of hybrid and electric vehicles is good news for Denso, which has over two decades worth of experience in the manufacturing of hybrid car parts.

Michelin most valuable and strongest tyres brand

As the world opened back up and travel increased throughout 2021 the tyre sector regained traction, with almost every brand in the ranking now more valuable than they were pre-pandemic.

Michelin has retained the title of the world’s most valuable and strongest tires brand, with a brand value of US$7.7 billion (CAD$9.8 billion) and a brand strength index score of 85.8 out of 100.

Despite continued disruption within the industry, Michelin saw a 15.6% year-on-year increase in consolidated sales in the first nine months of 2021 and exceeded expectations in the third quarter of the year thanks to a rebound in demand for tires for agricultural machinery. The brand also announced an extension of its partnership with the MotoGP World Championship, remaining the exclusive tire supplier for the competition until 2026.

SIXT is fastest-growing car rental services brand

The car rental brands have gained momentum in 2021 after a steep decline in brand value at the start of the pandemic. As the demand for vehicle hires increases, brands in this industry are presented with the opportunity to innovate and capture a high market share.

SIXT is the world’s fastest-growing car rental brand of 2022 with a 115% increase in brand value over the year to US$1.3 billion (CAN$1.7 billion), according to the Brand Finance ranking. This year’s increase is the continuation of an impressive growth trend for SIXT, which has seen its brand value increase 265% over the past five years. The brand has built a strong international growth strategy, expanding rapidly in the United States and entering new markets, such as Australia.

Enterprise has retained the position of the world’s most valuable car rental brand with a brand value of US$7.1 billion (CAN$9 billion) with a 6% increase in brand value over the year. Despite COVID-induced travel restrictions, the brand has performed well by launching new mobility hubs and undertaking fleet electrification, but it remains below its pre-pandemic brand value of US$7.4 billion (CAD$9.4 billion). For the Silo, James Haggis.

Featured image: Great Wall Ora Concept Electric Car Made In China

Sci-Tech

Google and Microsoft products accumulated the most vulnerabilities in H1 2021

September 16, 2021 The Silo Leave a comment

Cybercriminals are constantly attempting to exploit vulnerabilities that affect as many people as possible to maximize their profit opportunities.

According to the recent Atlas VPN team findings, Google and Microsoft accumulated the most vulnerabilities in the first half of 2021. Although not all exposures can cause critical damage, hackers could exploit some of them for severe attacks.

HSE cyber-attack: Irish health service still recovering months after hack - BBC News

Google had 547 accumulated vulnerabilities throughout the first half of 2021. Exploiting Google products like Chrome is popular among cybercriminals. Next up, the second most exposures were found in Microsoft products — 432. State-sponsored threat actors from China abused Microsoft Exchange Server vulnerabilities to carry out ransomware attacks.

Microsoft accuses China over email cyber-attacks - BBC News — Microsoft accuses China over e-mail cyber attacks. Image; BBC News

Oracle registered 316 total vulnerabilities in the first six months of 2021. Usually, the exploits are found in Oracle WebLogic Server, which functions as a platform for developing, deploying, and running enterprise Java-based applications.

Networking hardware company Cisco accumulated 200 vulnerabilities. Lastly, the producer of software for the management of business processes SAP had 118 exploits in total. Cybersecurity writer and researcher at Atlas VPN William Sword shares his thoughts on Microsoft and Google vulnerabilities: “Exploiting vulnerabilities in Google or Microsoft products allow cybercriminals to probe millions of systems. While the tech giants are doing a fair job of keeping up with exploits and constantly updating their software, people and organizations need to follow suit and keep up with the updates to prevent further exploitation.”

Vulnerability tiers

Exploits that can be turned into a severe attack get more attention from cybercriminals and companies themselves to fix the flaw as soon as possible. In the first half of 2021, there were 1,023 vulnerabilities found with a risk tier of 10.

One of the exploits that applied to such a tier is CVE-2021-22986, with a score of 9.8. National Vulnerability Database (NVD) issued risk tier 9 to 927 vulnerabilities. At this tier, exploit CVE-2021-28111 stood out with a score of 8.8. NVD recorded most vulnerabilities at a risk tier of 8 — 2,164. A notable exploit was CVE-2021-24092, with a score of 7.8. Finally, NVD recorded 501 vulnerabilities at risk tier 7. While second-most vulnerabilities — 1,765 — were found at tier 6.

google-and-microsoft-accumulated-the-most-vulnerabilities-in-h1-2021

Sci-Tech

How The Old iPhone5 Was Made & Why It Still Matters

April 13, 2021 The Silo Leave a comment

Courtesy of Silo tech writer Alex Hillsberg

The Silo's new Sci-tech writer Mr. Alex Hillsberg — The Silo’s new Sci-tech writer Mr. Alex Hillsberg

Travel

Best Countries For Post Covid Study Abroad Programs

March 1, 2021 The Silo Leave a comment

As more students are heading towards graduation each year, the struggle to get a graduate job is becoming more difficult, and students have to ensure strong CVs in order to stand out from the crowd. The Covid pandemic has put a halt to students having options in countries other than their own. However, with a bit of luck, the pandemic will continue to end and travel restrictions will be eased. When that happens, international students will finally be allowed to return to studying abroad, learning new skills and experiencing new cultures.

Although this may be seen as one long holiday to those not in the know, those that study abroad will, in fact, have a higher starting salary, earning an extra 5% more than those who don’t. On average, this could amount to an extra £75,000 ($126,709 CDN at time of this article) over a career.

Not only will they earn more, they are also almost ¼ less likely to be unemployed after graduation. So although all study abroad programs come with a cost, with readily available bursaries, this opportunity is accessible to any student who is hoping to boost their employ-ability and is an opportunity that should be taken.

• Business and Finance Students – China: As the second largest economy in the world, China offers endless business opportunities, whilst encouraging students to learn the most widely spoken language in the world, Mandarin.

• Medical Students – South Africa: Of the 234 million surgical procedures made every year, just 4% of these happen in the poorest third of the global population. When medical students choose to volunteer in South Africa, they will gain experience in a different medical setting, and all whilst giving back.

• Education Students – Australia: As an English-speaking country, Australia is the perfect study abroad opportunity for future teachers. With the average UK class size standing at 30 pupils, the Australian’s average size of 16 will be a lot easier to manage. Plus for those who decide to stay in Australia long-term, new teachers can expect to earn £40,000+ ($67,572 CDN) compared to the £22,000 ($37,164 CDN) starting salary in the UK.

• Conservation – Madagascar: Conservation is a growing industry as concern grows for animals and the environment. As the fourth largest island in the world, and as home to species not found anywhere else, Madagascar is the perfect opportunity for a once in a lifetime opportunity for conservation enthusiasts.

• Art & Design Students – Italy: From ancient and classic sculpture to modern day art, Italy is the perfect place to learn and gain an even greater passion for art history.

• Humanities Students – USA: With three of the top five humanities universities based in the USA, America offers a vast array of historical and literary studying options. This time abroad will open up options for students who are wanting to work in academia, journalism or teaching.

For the Silo, Bekki Ramsay/storageworld.

Sci-Tech

Unusual Features Of SARS Covid Genome Suggest Laboratory Creation Not Nature

September 18, 2020 The Silo Leave a comment

The COVID-19 pandemic caused by the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 has led to over 910,000 deaths worldwide and unprecedented decimation of the global economy. Despite its tremendous impact, the origin of SARS-CoV-2 has remained mysterious and controversial. The natural origin theory, although widely accepted, lacks substantial support.

Censorship Of Alternative Theory

The alternative theory that the virus may have come from a research laboratory is, however, strictly censored on peer-reviewed scientific journals. Nonetheless, SARS-CoV-2 shows biological characteristics that are inconsistent with a naturally occurring, zoonotic virus.

Dr. Li-Meng Yan, one of the key authors of the report has been labeled as a whistle blower by Western media.

In this report, the authors describe the genomic, structural, medical, and literature evidence, which, when considered together, strongly contradicts the natural origin theory. The evidence shows that SARS-CoV2 should be a laboratory product created by using bat coronaviruses ZC45 and/or ZXC21 as a template and/or backbone. Building upon the evidence, we further postulate a synthetic route for SARS-CoV-2, demonstrating that the laboratory-creation of this coronavirus is convenient and can be accomplished in approximately six months.

Our work emphasizes the need for an independent investigation into the relevant research laboratories. It also argues for a critical look into certain recently published data, which, albeit problematic, was used to support and claim a natural origin of SARS-CoV-2.

From a public health perspective, these actions are necessary as knowledge of the origin of SARS-CoV-2 and of how the virus entered the human population are of pivotal importance in the fundamental control of the COVID-19 pandemic as well as in preventing similar, future pandemics.

Introduction

COVID-19 has caused a world-wide pandemic, the scale and severity of which are unprecedented. Despite the tremendous efforts taken by the global community, management and control of this pandemic remains difficult and challenging. As a coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2 differs significantly from other respiratory and/or zoonotic viruses: it attacks multiple organs; it is capable of undergoing a long period of asymptomatic infection; it is highly transmissible and significantly lethal in high-risk populations; it is well-adapted to humans since the very start of its emergence ; it is highly efficient in binding the human ACE2 receptor (hACE2), the affinity of which is greater than that associated with the ACE2 of any other potential host.

The origin of SARS-CoV-2 is still the subject of much debate.

A widely cited Nature Medicine publication has claimed that SARS-CoV-2 most likely came from nature. However, the article and its central conclusion are now being challenged by scientists from all over the world.

Continuing Reading The Full Paper

Click here to continuing reading and for citation listings. Li-Meng Yan (MD, PhD) , Shu Kang (PhD) , Jie Guan (PhD) , Shanchang Hu (PhD) & Rule of Law Society & Rule of Law Foundation, New York, NY, USA.

Politics

Intelligence Operative- Iran Source Of Explosives Causing Beirut Nuke Like Destruction

August 7, 2020 The Silo 1 Comment

Beirut / Tehran – The 2,750 metric tons of ammonium nitrate which caused a massive explosion in the port of Beirut originated in Iran before being loaded onto the Russian ship MV Rhosus whose cargo ultimately ended up being unloaded in the port of Beirut.

This revelation comes from an intelligence operative within Tehran’s government who has been secretly working with pro-democracy activists. The information comes from the NGO ‘The New Iran’ which has a track record of successfully smuggling sensitive information out of Iran, including much of the video footage seem in the media of widespread protests within Iran following the Iranian military shooting down Ukraine National Airlines flight PS752.

Intelligence Operative Connected to Pro-Democracy Movement

The intelligence operative communicated the details over a secure messaging technology The New Iran uses for coordinating with their democratic allies within the country.

Lebanese government sources have disclosed that the ammonium nitrate was seized in 2013. This date is perhaps significant the source says because it follows shortly after the opening of an ammonium nitrate factory within Iran.

“Our source is risking his life to bring us this information,” says Dr. Iman Foroutan, Chairman of The New Iran, “because he believes that recent developments within the government are going to make these kinds of disasters more common.”

At the end of June, the government of Iran approved an agreement for a “25-year comprehensive cooperation plan between Iran and China.”

The two countries are calling it a “strategic partnership.”

The agreement is designed to help Iran get around the punishing sanctions of the United States, which more and more is being looked at as a common enemy by both Tehran and Beijing. China will be investing $400 billion USD into Iran with an immediate payment of $320 billion USD – a substantial portion of which is going into strengthening ports and military capability.

“The Iranian regime is the world’s leading sponsor of terrorism,” says Dr. Foroutan who along with other influential Iranians in exile are working to fully expose the danger of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s radicalism and eventually free the Iranian people. “Now with the cover of China, one of the world’s rising superpowers, Iran will be able to move more weapons and weapons components throughout the region and the world.”

Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah has already twice threatened to blow up the port of Haifa in Israel. Hezbollah allegedly sought to acquire ammonium nitrate via Syria since 2009 and tried to infiltrate the agriculture ministry in Lebanon to do so, according to leaked diplomatic cables.

In February 16, 2016 Nasrallah also said that ammonia is stored in Haifa and that there are 15,000 tons of gas Haifa and that explosions there might cause the deaths of tens of thousands of people. “the expert added that this is exactly like a nuclear bomb. In other words, Lebanon has a nuclear bomb. This is not an exaggeration.” Nasrallah laughs as he says this in the video.

https://youtu.be/hp_Pdew_sG8

“With the agreement between China and Tehran allowing the regime to ship under the cover of China, potentially deadly materials like ammonia nitrate [may be] circumventing US sanctions,” says Iman Foroutan, “The next explosion may not be an accident.” For the Silo, Lance Laytner.

Travel

Most Say Coronavirus An On-going Threat As Countries Call For Travel Bans And Quarantines

February 14, 2020 The Silo Leave a comment

February, 2020; Paris, France – A majority of people across eight large countries say the coronavirus poses a high or very high threat to the world and an additional one in three say the virus is a moderate threat to the world.

More than one in two people in Japan (66%), Australia (61%) and the United States (55%) are concerned about the threat of the outbreak on the world. Canada (42%) and Russia (42%), the United Kingdom (43%), and Germany (47%) have slightly lower levels of high or very high threat.

These are some of the findings of an Ipsos survey conducted online from February 7 to 9, 2020 among 8,001 adults aged 16 (18) -74 in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Japan, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

Less Than One In Five Feel Coronavirus Outbreak Contained

On average, only one in five people (19%) agree the coronavirus outbreak has been contained and will soon be over, while more than twice as many disagree (46%). People in the U.K. (55%), Canada (51%), Australia (50%), and Japan (49%) were most likely to disagree the outbreak has been contained. One in three Russian respondents believe the coronavirus outbreak has been contained (33%).

Added to that, more than four in five (86%) people across these eight countries say they have seen, heard, or read a great deal or fair amount about the outbreak.

Together, this data shows that most people are closely tracking the coronavirus outbreak and are also worried the health epidemic will continue to worsen before it gets better.

In response, there is widespread support for significant actions to control the virus. On average, four in five (85%) people support mandatory screening of those traveling from infected countries, and there is a similar level of strong support for mandatory quarantine of those who could have the infection. Two-thirds (66%) of people agree the government should ban travel to and from impacted countries, and that airlines in their country should be restricted from flying to China.

Topline data follows:

Q. How much, if at all, have you seen, read or heard about the coronavirus outbreak?

	US	Canada	France	United Kingdom	Australia	Germany	Japan	Russia
Base: All respondents	1000	1000	1000	1000	1000	1001	1000	1000

A great deal	42%	40%	67%	39%	42%	27%	39%	29%
A fair amount	43%	45%	28%	54%	47%	49%	53%	48%
Not very much	12%	13%	4%	7%	9%	22%	5%	21%
Nothing at all	2%	1%	0%	1%	1%	1%	1%	1%
Don’t know	1%	1%	1%	0%	1%	1%	2%	1%
Summary
T2B: Great deal/fair amount	85%	86%	95%	92%	88%	76%	92%	77%
B2B: Nothing/Not much	14%	14%	4%	7%	10%	23%	6%	22%

Q. (The world) What level of threat do you think the coronavirus poses to each of the following?

	US	Canada	France	United Kingdom	Australia	Germany	Japan	Russia
Base: All respondents	1000	1000	1000	1000	1000	1001	1000	1000

Very high threat	23%	13%	16%	12%	28%	13%	26%	11%
High threat	31%	29%	33%	31%	33%	34%	40%	30%
Moderate threat	32%	38%	34%	42%	27%	35%	27%	36%
Low threat	9%	15%	10%	11%	7%	13%	4%	14%
Very low threat	3%	3%	4%	3%	2%	3%	2%	6%
Don’t know	2%	2%	3%	2%	2%	2%	1%	2%
Summary
T2B: High threat	55%	42%	49%	43%	61%	47%	66%	42%
B3B: Low threat	43%	55%	48%	56%	37%	51%	33%	57%

Q. (The coronavirus outbreak has been contained and will soon be over.) Do you agree or disagree with the following (is that strongly or somewhat?):

	US	Canada	France	United Kingdom	Australia	Germany	Japan	Russia
Base: All respondents	1000	1000	1000	1000	1000	1001	1000	1000

Strongly agree	6%	3%	2%	4%	5%	5%	2%	7%
Somewhat agree	15%	13%	14%	12%	15%	16%	13%	26%
Neither agree nor disagree	26%	26%	30%	22%	26%	33%	32%	28%
Somewhat disagree	27%	32%	29%	36%	29%	28%	31%	18%
Strongly disagree	19%	19%	13%	20%	21%	14%	18%	14%
Don’t know	7%	8%	12%	7%	5%	5%	5%	7%
Summary
T2B: Agree	21%	15%	16%	16%	19%	20%	15%	33%
B2B: Disagree	46%	51%	42%	55%	50%	42%	49%	33%

Q. (Total strongly & somewhat agree) To what extent, if at all, would you support or oppose each of the following measures?

	US	Canada	France	United Kingdom	Australia	Germany	Japan	Russia
Base: All respondents	1000	1000	1000	1000	1000	1001	1000	1000

Anyone travelling to and from infected countries should undergo mandatory screening	83%	86%	87%	86%	88%	78%	78%	91%
Government should impose mandatory quarantine for those who could have the infection	79%	83%	84%	84%	87%	74%	80%	84%
Airlines from my country should stop flying to China	68%	67%	68%	70%	75%	59%	67%	61%
The government should ban any travel to and from affected countries	70%	66%	68%	66%	73%	50%	71%	64%
Public transit systems in my country, including buses, subways, and trains, should be taking precautions to prevent the further spread of coronavirus	73%	60%	56%	61%	70%	48%	76%	72%
The government should send doctors, materials, supplies abroad to help countries affected by the virus	61%	55%	52%	49%	52%	62%	56%	56%
Airlines from my country should stop flying to other infected countries besides China	62%	54%	59%	57%	59%	44%	46%	54%

About the Study

These are the results of an Ipsos survey conducted February 7-9, 2020 on the Global Advisor online platform among 8,001 adults aged 18-74 in Canada and the United States and 16-74 in Australia, France, Germany, Japan, Russia and the United Kingdom.

The sample consists of approximately 1000+ individuals in each country. The samples in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Japan, the U.K. and the U.S. can be taken as representative of these countries’ general adult population under the age of 75. The sample in Russia is more urban, more educated and/or more affluent than the general population and should be viewed as reflecting the views of the more “connected” segment of the population. The data is weighted so that each market’s sample composition best reflects the demographic profile of the adult population according to the most recent census data.

Where results do not sum to 100 or the ‘difference’ appears to be +/-1 more/less than the actual, this may be due to rounding, multiple responses or the exclusion of don’t knows or not stated responses.

The precision of Ipsos online polls are calculated using a credibility interval with a poll of 1,000 accurate to +/- 3.5 percentage points and of 500 accurate to +/- 4.8 percentage points. For more information on the Ipsos use of credibility intervals, please visit the Ipsos website. For the Silo, by Dianne Bankay.

This study did not have any external sponsors or partners. It was initiated and run by Ipsos with the intention to share our understanding about the world we live in and how citizens around the globe think and feel about their world.

About Ipsos

Ipsos is the world’s third largest market research company, present in 90 markets and employing more than 18,000 people.

Our passionately curious research professionals, analysts and scientists have built unique multi-specialist capabilities that provide true understanding and powerful insights into the actions, opinions and motivations of citizens, consumers, patients, customers or employees. We serve more than 5000 clients across the world with 75 business solutions.

Founded in France in 1975, Ipsos is listed on the Euronext Paris since July 1st, 1999. The company is part of the SBF 120 and the Mid-60 index and is eligible for the Deferred Settlement Service (SRD).

ISIN code FR0000073298, Reuters ISOS.PA, Bloomberg IPS:FP www.ipsos.com

National Security & Chinese Exports

Section 53 – Canada’s Rapid Response Mechanism

Import Controls and National Security

Controlling Imports Through Sanctions

Trade Remedies and National Security

National Security under International Trade Law

Conclusions

International Economic Policy Council Members

Cybersecurity expert explains how virtual wars are fought

The methods of cyberwarfare

The future of cyber warfare

A regular person can’t do much to fight in a cyber war or to protect themselves from the consequences.

A second Donald Trump presidency, if approached strategically, offers Canada more opportunities than risks.

Trump views that agreement as one of his crowning achievements, and rest assured, it’s not going anywhere. It is a durable platform for growth in North American trade.

But what if Canada aligned itself more closely with the pro-growth policies Trump advocates?

Remember early last year when we were besieged by strange, large balloons in our airspace- the kind of balloons that certain nations are using to spy on us or possibly manipulate the weather?

Minister Says He Was Taken Aback After Learning Deadly Viruses Were Shipped From Winnipeg Lab to Wuhan

Declassified intelligence documents show that Ms. Qiu also sent antibodies and other materials to China without prior approval.

Chinese Talent Recruitment

Introduction

Trusted Policy Intelligence

Canada as Chair in 2024

Something else you may be unaware of

The politicization of space is not a new concept.

What compelled China to show up decades later than the USA?

About the Author

While diamonds used to be a girl’s best friend, pearls may now be the wiser purchase because we are in the middle of a Pearl Renaissance and everyone from Michelle Obama, Beyonce, Ellen DeGeneres, Kris Jenner, and Angelina Jolie to Rihanna and Keira Knightly are sporting the pearl look.

But why? Rbibo points to the following:

Here are some of the key findings from Gallup’s Rating World Leaders 2023 report:

Implications Beyond 2023:

“I believe the threat of America being hit by an EMP weapon is the single greatest danger to the survival of [North] America,” said William R. Forstchen, Ph.D.

Elephants are super smart — as close to humans as apes, yet we are literally killing them to extinction.

How much value are we talking about?

Interesting isn’t it?

Gold!

This last quote is an important thing to consider.

The salvagers are looking for an uninformed public- they set up their marketing and advertising in a way that makes no mention of the economic benefits they stand to make.

Social impact in the developing world.

Some players are keeping it real.

There is no “Road Rage” here.

Cars and motorbikes making U-turns anywhere without notice.., a car honks, someone concedes the space, and life goes on.

The illnesses animals spread to humans are known as zoonotic diseases, or zoonoses.

“Coming into close contact with wildlife — including their body parts and excreta — poses a risk of spillover of the pathogens they host, to which we humans might be susceptible.”

“In wet markets across the globe, live and dead animals — including many wildlife species — are sold for human consumption.”

“Ignoring the danger posed by wildlife markets is a massive global public health liability for a healthy world.”

Will invest AED 62.4 million / $16.99 million USD / $21.82 million CAD on constructing UAE’s first used battery recycling centre in Ras Al Khaimah.

The company aims to recycle up to 35,000 metric tonnes of used lead acid batteries annually.

The most desired countries to relocate to? Here comes a boring chart!

Further Study Insights:

Each country’s most desired relocation destination

Methodology

The story begins by focusing on David Lee Hoffman’s elusive quest for rare and perfect teas.

He makes the act of producing tea seem like the ultimate expression of agricultural art.

Tesla was the only brand in the Top 10 of the ranking to see significant growth this year.

2021 saw Tesla increase its footprint in China, to ensure it continues to compete in the booming Chinese market.

Electric revolution sees Chinese brands surge

Whilst the Japanese brand wasn’t immune to the global chip shortage that ravaged the industry, Toyota was better placed than most to weather the storm thanks to its contingency stockpiling.

Cybercriminals are constantly attempting to exploit vulnerabilities that affect as many people as possible to maximize their profit opportunities.

Vulnerability tiers

Censorship Of Alternative Theory

Introduction

The origin of SARS-CoV-2 is still the subject of much debate.

Continuing Reading The Full Paper

Intelligence Operative Connected to Pro-Democracy Movement

The two countries are calling it a “strategic partnership.”

Less Than One In Five Feel Coronavirus Outbreak Contained

About the Study

About Ipsos

Canada's 'biggest little blogspace'