#China universal joint

[totally-not-an-awkward-okapi]

My submission to the second @spidersociety-rejects zine!

I’ve always struggled with making a Spider-sona since I’m a boring person and don’t particularly love how I look. Figuring out a Spidersona that actually represents me and that I like was an interesting challenge and confidence builder.

[earlycuntsets]

mcr shows on youtube pt. 3 (2007 - 2011)

-> pt. 1 (2002 - 2005)

-> pt. 2 (2005 - 2007)

-> pt. 4 (2011 - 2023)

07/31/2007 coors amphitheater chula vista ca - the academy is my beautiful romance

08/03/2007 verizon wireless amphitheater selma tx - effvee

08/04/2007 smirnoff music center dallas tx - mrsmoore710

08/05/2007 cynthia woods mitchell pavilion the woodlands tx - allyhr80

08/11/2007 ford amphitheater tampa fl - DAK

08/13/2007 walnut creek amphitheater raleigh nc - ddr2nite

08/18/2007 darien lake performing arts center darian lake ny - megaphone25

08/19/2007 nissan pavilion bristow va - the academy is my beautiful romance

08/21/2007 molson amphitheater toronto ca - Taylor & saofan20

08/22/2007 dte energy music center clarkston mi - the academy is my beautiful romance

08/24/2007 tweeter center for the performing arts bostom ma - ricola7 & the academy is my beautiful romance

08/25/2007 tweeter center camden nj - the academy is my beautiful romance

08/26/2007 new england dodge music center hartford ct - blackmariah224

08/28/2007 mohigan sun grandstand new york state fair syracuse ny - the academy is my beautiful romance

08/29/2007 pnc bank arts center holmdale nj - darkxdisco

09/01/2007 first midwest bank amphitheater tinley park il - jeana k

10/04/2007 coca cola auditorio monterrey mexico - stagglp

10/07/2007 palacio de los deportes mexico city mexico - my chemical romance official youtube

10/24/2007 maxwells hoboken nj - my chemical romance official youtube

10/30/2007 sportová hala pasienky, bratislava, slovakia - kiss955

11/04/2007 x-tray zurich switzerland - waylien87

11/11/2007 metro radio arena newcastle upon tyne england - moshmocyanide

11/12/2007 aberdeen exhibition and conference centre aberdeen scotland - t3hOutlaw

11/15/2007 o2 arena london england - the academy is my beautiful romance

11/17/2007 king's hall belfast northern ireland - xxeternalflamexx

11/28/2007 brisbane entertainment centre brisbane australia - skejemer281

12/03/2007 adelaide entertainment centre adelaide australia - zsazsalahore

12/09/2007 stadium merdeka kuala lumpur malaysia - ffillusionseb

12/11/2007 singapore expo max pavilion singapore - msliveformusic

12/14/2007 neal s.blaisdell arena honolulu - xdegrassilover92x

1/25/2008 eastwood open park manila phillipines - the academy is my beautiful romance

1/27/2008 national taiwan university sports center taipeh taiwan - the academy is my beautiful romance

1/29/2008 asia world expo hall 10 hong kong china - MCRThePatient

01/31/2008 plenary hall jakarta convention center kota administrasi jakarta pusat indonesia - mhit2

02/15/2008 vio rio rio de janiero brazil - the academy is my beautiful romance

02/17/2008  hellooch curitiba brazil - elle10one

02/19/2008  via funchal são paulo brazil - hicao182

03/29/2008 rialto theater tuscon arizona - raven pictures

03/30/2008 the joint at the hard rock hotel las vegas nv - Biancha Hidalgo

03/31/2008 the joint at the hard rock hotel las vegas nv - Donanae Dunwoody & rnm1947ebe & nachocheesechips & justsleeep

04/02/2008 san jose civic center san jose ca - daylinmychemrocks

04/06/2008 bamboozle left verizon wireless amphitheater irvine ca - jackiejackiebootysmackie

04/09/2008 crystal ballroom portland oregon - mcdreamysgirlXOXO

04/12/2008 autodromo hermanos rodriguez coca cola zero festival mexico city mexico - the academy is my beautiful romance

04/18/2008 congress theater chicago il - Ashley Tara

04/19/2008 the fillmore detriot mi - stephanie roose

04/24/2008 house of blues new orleans la - megan williams

04/25/2008 baton rouge river center baton rouge la - sam

04/28/2008 stubb's bar b cue austin tx - sue nellis

05/02/2008 beale street music festival tom lee park memphis tn - the academy is my beautiful romance

05/04/2008 lifestyle communities pavilion columbus oh - christine steele

07/31/2009 the roxy west hollywood ca - the academy is my beautiful romance

08/08/2009 maishima osaka japan - the academy is my beautiful romance

10/26/2010 backstage werk munich germany - song des tages

10/30/2010 melkweg the max amsterdam netherlands - the academy is my beautiful romance

11/22/2010 house of blues west hollywood ca - the academy is my beautiful romance

11/30/2010 p.c. richard & son theater nyc ny - the academy is my beautiful romance

12/1/2010 maida vale studios london england - the academy is my beautiful romance

12/2/2010 fuse tv studio nyc ny - koi no yokan

12/05/2010 1-800-ask-gary amphitheater tampa fl - the academy is my beautiful romance

12/06/2010 rockefeller plaza nyc ny - heather the human

12/08/2010 the midland by amc kansas city mo - the academy is my beautiful romance

12/09/2010 the daily habit los angeles ca - koi no yokan

12/11/2010 spike tv video game awards la convention center la - hidden gems & the academy is my beautiful romance

12/11/2010 kroq almost acoustic christmas gibson amphitheater universal city ca - kroq

12/15/2010 q101 twisted christmas house of blues chicago il - the academy is my beautiful romance

1/17/2011 conan burbank ca - JuanPI

1/21/2011 lopez tonight burbank ca - the academy is my beautiful romance

01/21/2011 the hollywood tower hollywood ca - the academy is my beautiful romance

02/10/2011 xfm radio studios london uk - the academy is my beautiful romance

02/22/2011 metro radio arena newcastle on tyne england - ZoneMum

02/23/2011 o2 academy brixton uk - emzlouise90

02/24/2011 o2 academy islington uk - emziixmcr

03/09/2011 kesselhaus munich germany - the academy is my beautiful romance

03.12.2011 ciutat de les artes i les ciencies valencia spain - CarlosCapBlanc3

03/20/2011 hartwall areena helsinki finland - the academy is my beautiful romance

04/23/2011 terminal 5 new york city ny - the academy is my beautiful romance

05/15/2011 carlisle lake district airport carlisle england - the academy is my beautiful romance

06/24/2011 universidad complutense de madrid madrid spain - pamyale24

06/26/2011 autodromo internazionale enzo e dino ferrara imoli italy - denis rossi

07/02/2011 coke sound up stuttgart germany - the academy is my beautiful romance

07/03/2011 dyrskuepladsen roskilde denmark - søren thomsen

07/07/2011 passeio marítimo de algés oeiras portugal - the academy is my beautiful romance

07/09/2011 roundhouse london england - slavka941

-> pt. 1 (2002 - 2005)

-> pt. 2 (2005 - 2007)

-> pt. 4 (2011 - 2023)

[fatehbaz]

The Chacoan peccary is so elusive that scientists believed it was extinct until its “discovery” in 1975. Today, only 3,000 remain in the [...] forests and lagoons of the Gran Chaco region, which stretches across northern Argentina, Paraguay and southern Bolivia, and comprises more than 50 different ecosystems.

Micaela Camino, who works with the Indigenous Wichí and Criollo communities to protect the animals and their land rights in Argentina, knows how difficult to find they can be. She has only seen one Chacoan peccary, or quimilero, in 13 years [...], but has fallen in love with the critically endangered mammal [...]. “I was told that the Chacoan peccary was extinct outside protected areas when I first started,” says Camino. “So when we found it, I thought it was great. We set up monitoring to find more in one of the most isolated parts of the dry Chaco. But then the loggers started to come.”

---

The Gran Chaco, South America’s second-largest forest after the Amazon, is one of the most deforested places on Earth.

Every month, more than 133 square miles is lost, cleared for vast soya farms and cattle ranches that export to markets in the US, China and Europe – including UK supermarkets, according to a joint Guardian investigation in 2019. However, the loss is largely ignored on the international stage, receiving little conservation money or celebrity attention in comparison with the Amazon.

---

The area is home to charismatic species such as the maned wolf, the giant armadillo and the jabiru, many of which are not found anywhere else on Earth.

At current rates of deforestation, the mosaic of life in the Gran Chaco could collapse entirely. The loss of the Chacoan peccary would be guaranteed this time. Unlike the Amazon, there are few academic studies on tipping points and the forest’s waning ability to support itself as the climate changes and land is cleared, but people who live here are seeing the changes. [...]

---

In Paraguay, the success [of farming and ranching] [...] has transformed the country into one of the most important beef producers in the world, largely at the expense of the forest, dubbed “the green hell” by early settlers from Canada.

“The Gran Chaco has been at a crossroads for a long time,” says Gastón Gordillo, a professor of anthropology at the University of British Columbia. “The 2007 forest law in Argentina did manage to slow some deforestation, but it also created the paradox by establishing legitimate ways of destroying the forest.” [...] However, a new motorway in Paraguay appears likely to open up more of the region to ranching. “The agribusiness sector in Argentina is very powerful,” says Gordillo [...]

For the Chacoan peccary, research indicates there are only 30 years left to save the species, with current deforestation rates meaning all of its habitat outside protected areas will have gone by 2051.

---

Headline, images, captions, and text by: Patrick Greenfield. “Deforestation piles pressure on South America’s elusive Chacoan peccary.” The Guardian. 31 January 2023. [Bold emphasis and some paragraph breaks added by me.]

[allthebrazilianpolitics]

US and Chinese soldiers take part in joint military exercises in Brazil

The United States and China may be on hostile terms, but the situation still leaves room for cooperation, even in areas as sensitive as military affairs. Dozens of U.S. and Chinese soldiers, specifically naval infantry, are participating alongside 3,000 Brazilian soldiers in joint military exercises in Formosa, in central Brazil.

Brazil is a good choice for this meeting as it is a regional power that takes a pragmatic approach to foreign policy — avoiding hostility in favor of dialogue and cooperation — and Beijing and Washington are, respectively, its first and second-biggest trade partners.

Most of the troops taking part in the military exercises — which involve airplanes, tanks, armored vehicles, amphibious vehicles and missile launchers — are from Brazil. The U.S. delegation has 56 soldiers, while the Chinese delegation has 33 riflemen, according to the Brazilian newspaper Folha de S. Paulo. In a sign of Brazil’s historically broad and eclectic alliances, the drills also include uniformed personnel from Mexico, South Africa, Argentina, Italy, Pakistan, the Republic of Congo, France and Nigeria, although in more modest numbers. Last year, China only sent military observers to these exercises, not soldiers, the Brazilian Navy reported.

With such moves, Brazil is emphasizing its traditional stance on foreign policy, which President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has expanded with the help of his long-time advisor on international affairs, Celso Amorim. The fact that soldiers from the superpowers are in Brazil is a sign of how the country is seeking to play an important role in global politics. “Brazil wants to be a mediator in the international system, to mediate between the South and the North, and between those antagonistic universes of geopolitics that are Eurasia, led by China and Russia, and the Atlanticist bloc, led by the United States and Europe,” explains Pedro Costa Júnior, an international analyst from the University of São Paulo.

Continue reading.

[bpod-bpod]

Exercise vs Cancer

Exercise inhibits bone cancer metastasis as it mechanically-stimulates osteocytes [bone-forming cells] to secrete extracellular vesicles containing tumour suppressing microRNAs

Read the published research article here

Image from work by Jing Xie and colleagues

Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Bone and Joint Degeneration Diseases, Department of Cell Biology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China

Image originally published with a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Published in eLife, February 2024

You can also follow BPoD on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook

[sprites4ever]

From Putin updating the russian nuclear doctrine (aka, giving himself the right to whatever he wants, whenever he wants):

I would also like to draw your attention to something else in particular. The updated version of the document proposes that aggression against Russia by any non-nuclear-weapon state, but with the participation or support of a nuclear-weapon state, should be regarded as a joint attack on the Russian Federation. The conditions for Russia's transition to the use of nuclear weapons are also clearly set out. We will consider such a possibility if we receive reliable information about a massive launch of aerospace attack means and their crossing of our State border. I am referring to strategic and tactical aircraft, cruise missiles, drones, hypersonic and other aircraft.

SOURCE: Kremlin website http://kremlin.ru/events/president/news/75182

This is kept vague and as if it were an actual issue russia faces. But given the immense specificness of this scenario, it's clear that the vague wording only exists to justify a scenario that's specifically about them facing the consequences for the war against Ukraine which they started.

After all, equating an attack by a non-nuclear-armed state with a joint one by it and any nuclear-armed ones supporting it is a nonsensical concept which has nothing to do with how war works. Putin just wants to avoid getting hit with missiles from Ukrainian territory as the consequence of hitting Ukraine with missiles from russian territory since day 1 of his bullshit war. Obviously, doing that would not be an escalation on Ukraine's part, and if russia wants to equate Ukraine with its supporters, that logic could be applied to China, Iran and North Korea, too.

The idea that any conventional attack can justify a nuclear response is, of course, also completely false and uniquely russian, as is making clear that you have no no-first-use policy, while officially claiming to have one. This is Orwellian doublespeak and obviously an attempt at clothing blatant aggression as defense. It's not defense when territory you do not own is attacked by its owners, and that attack is not an aggression. It's justice, something the cowards in the Kremlin who hide their children at universities in the oh-so-evil US are deathly afraid of.

It may be the typical russian hypocrisy, self-righteousness, victim complex, rapist method of fusing victim-blaming with threats and cowardly aggression one should be used to by now, but the moral bankruptcy of it does not cease to disgust me. It's really difficult to put my hatred into words. I don't need any propaganda to hate russia, they're doing just fine instilling that feeling in me by themselves via their unending lies, crimes and global terrorism. I never cared much about russia before their invasion in 2022. Now I hate them.

While everyone would, for some reason, prefer to scream about the idiots in Israel and Palestine, this conflict has put all modern political customs and standards of humanity at stake. The aggressor commits war crimes with a frequency which I genuinely haven't seen matched by any power in any war over many decades and routinely threatens to destroy the entire world with nuclear weapons over their victim fighting back. Only NATO members talk about this and treat Ukraine's fight for survival as a side gig. The entire world fails to see the gravity of this, which must stop! They must come together to stop the obvious, literally evil villain, russia!

[elbiotipo]

Current worlds I'm building on my head:

Biopunk South America: where a biotechnology revolution and a worldwide ecocide changed the world forever, set in Buenos Aires in 2143. Six students set to make a grant project that would bring back the spirit of old biopunk. Inspired by Argentine rock and fútbol, hacker culture, and biopunk of course.

Campoestela: A 'classic' space opera setting, humanity has spread across the stars meeting hundreds of other civilizations, the focus here is on the cultural diversity of countless worlds. An Argentine space trucker finds a cringefail gamer girl from an extinct civilization and they try to cope with this. The theme is travelling but not for adventure but to work, like truckers or bush pilots.

The Alchemists: Set in the historical Republic of Florence in 1491, except the supernatural is very, very real. An alchemist and a witch deal with adolescence and their jobs while uncovering the secrets of Hermes Trismegistus (and eventually travel all the way to Egypt, China and beyond). A magical setting but based, as much as I can, in real historical conceptions of 'magic'.

Space Battleship Aurora: During the twilight years of the Space Roman Empire, the crew of a battleship rebel and they join a communist (not metaphorical, literal) revolution, as things fall apart. Basically a retelling of the Russian Civil War but in fantasy space.

METAL LML: This is just a rule of cool setting where everything that happens in Heavy Metal covers (the magazine and the genre) is real. A bunch of badass characters fly on their spaceship fighting hordes of evil demons with the power of METAL. With a found family, if you actually care about plot or stuff like that.

Argentina post-magiapocalíptica: Somewhere in 2012, the world changed and civilization collapsed with the "return" of magic. Argentina is a vast land full of wonders, all based in popular legends from the pre-columbian to current memes. Argentina-core basically. It has a lobizón and bruja characters too.

América Invicta: In this setting, the Inca and Mesoamerica remain unconquered, but they still have to deal with the contact of Europeans. This is a setting where every myth and legend about the Americas is real and then some. It's an excuse to present more Latin American mythology and legend.

The Greatest Scam: A hard (as it can be) sci-fi setting where the Solar System is turned into a dyson sphere to mine bitcoin, and the Socialist Interstellar roams the galaxy, safeguarding what remains of Earth from the ultimate apotheosis of capitalism

Concordia: (or Star Trek: Rebuild) An optimistic atompunk (but realistic) setting where the US and USSR decided to cooperate and do a joint atomic and space program, and things escalate from there. Humanity reaps the benefits of the peaceful Atomic Age, as ATOMIC ROCKETS explore the stars.

If you see me talking about worldbuilding, or reblogging very specific things, it's about some of these. EL BIOTIPO CINEMATIC UNIVERSE.

[the-bjd-community-confess]

Hello, this is your Oldie Chinese Diaspora Anon™️ I came across this Anon (https://the-bjd-community-confess.tumblr.com/post/757452685040631808/im-surprised-acbjd-isnt-an-official-dealer-for ) and their question-to-the-aether, and I think I know the answer. It’ll most likely answer a few other questions that have been floating around here as well. At least I think so, anyhow… I’ll try!

For starters, let me introduce you to something called the Universal Postal Union (Union postale universelle, UPU. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Universal_Postal_Union). For something so archaic, it is actually the largest reason why a lot of things that we complain about are the way they are. Anything shipped and mailed internationally follows the rate set up by the UPU. According to these international rates, it’s much cheaper to send anything by mail from Asia to Europe or North America. And it’s more expensive to send from South Korea than it is from China. This is why it makes sense that dealers based in China are able to offer free shipping – shipping is cheap enough originating from China that the dealers can absorb that cost. This is also why dealers based in China rarely deal for any company that are not Chinese in origin. It means the dealers will have to eat twice the amount of shipping (from country of origin to China and from China to final destination). It’s usually too cost prohibitive to do something like that, unfortunately.

This also reminds me of the question posted by an exasperated Anon a while back (https://the-bjd-community-confess.tumblr.com/post/748048371225346048/its-hysterical-that-divas-doesnt-understand-how ). Now, here’s a bit of a disclaimer: this specific dealer had shafted yours truly as well. After waiting for 2 years for a body with jointed hands, I was informed earlier this year that it was lost in transit. It’s a most dissatisfying result to a very long wait, and even if I was refunded the whole purchasing price, it was still left me with some distaste. I just wanted to make sure that nobody thinks the OCDA™️ is taking sides or deliberately speaking ill of either side of the conversation. Please understand, that is never the intention.

America-based dealers, like the ones mentioned in these conversations, are dealing with the unenviable position of paying two different shipping fees. They are also at a great disadvantage when it came to the UPU rates – shipping from the US is among one of the most expensive around the world, not to mention tariffs and import taxes. This is why Canadian collectors are usually disadvantaged when buying from US collectors. Even in the case where the overall distance between seller and buyer is shorter, as long as a package crosses national lines, the tariffs become significant.

Commercial shipping is, unfortunately, a little more complicated than someone shipping directly to the end-user after all. Trying to save on shipping becomes something that dealers try to do. One way of doing it is to take in the price difference and defray it on to the buyers, which is another reason why certain dealers have astronomical shipping/handling charges. Using land/water shipping is also a little cheaper than flying. But here is where the other conundrum lies – When a container tilts or falls into the water it’s considered lost. Recovery is a herculean task and it usually means the cargo in there is considered junked anyway (more information here: https://maritime-executive.com/editorials/what-happens-when-containers-are-lost-at-sea ) For smaller companies (BJDs are classified as micro-companies), they need to share containers with other people. This is something that’s actually badly controlled in China due to corrupt bureaucracy (so, once again, without taking sides, the OCDA™️ can vouch for what these guys said in this post to be true: https://www.facebook.com/BJDivas/posts/pfbid02tL96kt9R6vw546CZhe4V8EW7Fx7qqhx9NGzWjozVtbnqadR8yank69spfYjtMkn1l ) What they didn’t mention is what happens when a container falls over. While each container is insured, the value of the cargo is based on “What’s the declared content” and not “everything inside”. Imagine if a container that is filled with mostly clothes and it keels over, the insurance payout is relatively low due to the nature of -most- of its cargo. In that case, both the shipper and the receiver (the Dealer, in this case) incurs huge losses – a loss that cannot be defrayed on the final customer because they never received what they paid for.

As the child of parents who were importers and wholesalers, these intricacies of international shipping were something of a constant nightmare for us. You can imagine my surprise when I realised that the Chinese dealer ships to me for free… I was used the family business ordering enough stock to fill half a 50’ container about 6-12 months prior to it arriving. It’s the part of doing business that folks don’t really spend too much time thinking of, but it can really be at somewhere between 1/10 to 1/4 of the final MSRP. (If everything went well, of course. Because that’s not always possible for many, many reasons.) All of this need money, which means for a micro-company, the shipping is even more expensive. This is why while the labour cost in China is indeed quite low, the reason for the high price is -not- because of that.

Of course, the OCDA™️ would like to stress that while shipping is very difficult, it doesn’t fully absolve the dealer mentioned by the Exasperated Anon. There are a lot more things that could be done in terms of communication and streamlining the process. There’s just nothing for it. I’d like to extend my sympathy to anyone who feels that they are wronged by this dealer; heaven knows, I am one of you, too.

~Anonymous

[umichenginabroad]

Week 8: Cost Breakdown!

Okay 8 weeks in let's get down to business, how much money have I spent and where. First of all, there is the tuition which was base of $5,205 which includes housing and tuition for 3 months in addition to various trips that were planned by IPE. Through the trips, they likely spend a decent amount of money. However, I got a scholarship for $3,500 which most people in the program got if not more. The most pricy part of the program was probably the plane tickets which was approximately $2,000 for a round trip. Since coming to China, I’ve spent ~12,000RMB (1,500 USD). Here is a breakdown of my other expenses and how far everything can go.

In the first week, I spent a lot of my money on various dorm necessities like toilet paper, trashbags, and miscellaneous expenses. In total, it added up to approximately $300RMB (40USD) which is fairly cheap for all the little purchases that added up. Here is the rest of the breakdown for the past 8 weeks.

Utilities/Essentials: 504 RMB (68.85USD)

This includes hot water which we need to pay for separately which isn’t too bad since it is so hot I don’t end up using the hot water much and this also includes laundry which I do often because the hot weather makes me sweat through all my clothes at a lighting pace.

Food: 2043.18 RMB (279.12 USD)

This is crazy cheap considering I only eat out and I don’t pay attention to my food budget whatsoever (before I decided this blog was going to be a cost report). However, this is just my actual meals, I summed my snacks/drinks separately.

Snacks/Drinks: 1469 RMB (209.86 USD)

How have I spent almost the same amount on snacks and drinks as real food? I am ashamed but also it is so easy to buy snacks here and there when there is a convenience store everywhere (including in our dorm) and each snack is approximately 1 USD but those costs can add up for sure.

Shopping: 2964.3 RMB (404.92 USD)

It is sooo easy to spend so much on clothes when everything here is so cheap and cute. I also have been buying gifts and souvenirs for friends and family back home but I think I definitely need to reel in my shopping addiction.

Experiences: 1261.56 RMB (180.14 USD)

This includes fees and transportation for miscellaneous activities such as watching Inside Out 2 (which was really good), doing an escape room, going to a gaming cafe, or exploring downtown. This I would say was all 100% worth it.

Solo Trip: 3290 RMB (449.45 USD)

A few weeks ago, I went on a 4-day solo trip around Shanghai to Hangzhou and Nanjing. I ended up spending 449.45 USD for the train tickets which were approximately 120 RMB (17 USD) each and for the hotel rooms which were 340 RMB (48 USD) per night. Although, my friend who took a solo trip to Chongqing only spent 150 RMB on a hotel so it can definitely vary a lot. It was definitely worth the experience and you can definitely solo travel for even less money too!

Hopefully this helps put in perspective what studying abroad means in regards to money. To be honest, I have not been the most careful with money, because my parents have money in RMB that they won’t be using anytime soon. Regardless, hopefully my breakdown was helpful!

See ya next week!

Erin Xia

Mechanical Engineering

Shanghai Jiao Tong University Joint Institute

[mariacallous]

Three years after seizing power in Afghanistan, the cash-strapped Taliban are desperate to finally unlock the country’s bounty of copper, a crucial input in electric vehicle batteries and semiconductors. And they’re aiming to do so with the help of a key partner: China.

In the global scramble for raw materials to power clean energy technologies and advanced weapons systems, Afghanistan’s mineral wealth should position it for success—at least on paper. The country may hold as much as $1 trillion worth of valuable minerals, according to U.S. estimates from 2010, and is home to what could be the world’s second-biggest copper deposit. But decades of war, political instability, and uncertainty have long thwarted any efforts to extract those treasures, leaving the country’s resource riches untapped. 

The Taliban are eager to change that. At the center of their ambitions is finally transforming Mes Aynak, a massive copper deposit that lies southeast of Kabul at a historic archaeological site and is estimated to hold some 4.4 billion metric tons of copper ore. China—which commands many of the world’s critical mineral supply chains—is pivotal to seeing that vision through. 

The Taliban are “all in” on this project, said Michael Kugelman, the director of the South Asia Institute at the Wilson Center and the author of FP’s South Asia Brief newsletter. “The Taliban would see this project as very much a part of this broader vision that the Taliban have for making Afghanistan a bigger part of connectivity projects spanning South and Central Asia.” 

The Taliban’s interest in copper is nothing new; Afghanistan’s rulers have long sought to exploit the country’s mineral riches. The effort to transform Mes Aynak dates back to at least 2008, when the Chinese state-owned China Metallurgical Group Corp. secured a $3 billion, 30-year mining concession for the project. After 16 years of delays, the Taliban and Beijing appeared to turn back to the project this summer with a July ribbon-cutting ceremony for the construction of a road to the mine, which Chinese officials said marked a “significant step” forward.

Yet even with this apparent momentum, analysts warn that a raft of security, regulatory, legal, financial, and infrastructure challenges stand in the way of the project’s success, alongside concerns of how mining could damage historic ruins. Advancing a mining project in any country is a risky endeavor that requires years, if not decades, of investment and commitment.

“This is not easy, and investing in a mine like this requires not just a lot of money but a lot of stability,” said Jennifer Brick Murtazashvili, the founding director of the Center for Governance and Markets at the University of Pittsburgh. “China is not stupid. They do not want to waste a lot of money and scarce resources on an investment that will yield very little if [Afghanistan] blows up in civil conflict again.” 

China’s involvement in the project reflects Beijing’s broader desire to ensure regional security and minimize instability that could spill over its own shared border with Afghanistan. “Their primary interest in Afghanistan is not in the mines,” Murtazashvili said. “Their primary interest is in stability [and] security, and the Taliban understand that darn well.” 

Since the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021, experts said, China’s engagement with the Taliban has been largely driven by Beijing’s practical interest in maintaining productive ties with its neighbor and advancing its own security and political goals. “They’ve been very active in Afghan diplomacy, and they have been very pragmatic,” said Eric Olander, the editor in chief of the China-Global South Project. Beijing sees opportunity in the fact that “the United States has left and will not come back,” he added. 

China was the first country to name an ambassador to the country under Taliban rule, while Chinese firms have inked oil extraction deals with the Taliban and eyed the country’s reserves of lithium, another critical mineral. Beijing has given Afghanistan more than 350 million yuan (about $49 million) worth of humanitarian assistance since the Taliban’s takeover in August 2021, according to China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. 

“The Chinese always have this mindset that development leads to stability and peace,” Olander said. “My guess is that part of the political thinking is that economic engagement from Chinese entities will pave the way for more stability and contribute to a country’s development, which then contributes to peace.” 

Beyond politics, Beijing also has major commercial interests in the success of Mes Aynak specifically. “I think the Chinese are in a quite eager position to see some action about the resolution of this project,” said Yun Sun, the director of the China program at the Stimson Center, adding that the project has just been “sitting there.” “The Chinese have invested, they have spent their money, but nothing is really coming through—so of course they want to resume it.”

That is good news for the Taliban, who have been searching for new revenue streams and sources of foreign investment. After they seized power, foreign aid to the country plummeted as a result of international sanctions—a change that decimated the country’s economy and pitched millions of Afghans deeper into a humanitarian crisis.

“Ever since the Taliban took over, it’s faced a severe economic crunch because for so many years, Afghanistan’s economy had been so heavily reliant on international assistance,” said Kugelman, who noted that the group has struggled to secure foreign investment, particularly from capital-rich countries. 

Hungry for more cash and international legitimacy, the Taliban have actively sought out deeper economic ties with Beijing. Just last year, the group announced plans to officially join Chinese President Xi Jinping’s flagship foreign-policy program, the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), as well as the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, which emerged under the BRI.

“The Taliban is trying to prove to the world that it is not isolated,” Kugelman said. “I think that the symbolic implications of China—a very consequential global player—working with the Taliban on economic projects, that’s a pretty powerful message that I think that the Taliban would want to send out to the world.”

Still, many challenges loom. No matter how much Beijing and the Taliban expand their economic ties, any efforts to advance the Mes Aynak copper project will still come up against the threat of Islamic State-Khorasan attacks and other security concerns, along with enormous financial risks and legal and regulatory uncertainty—all of which could prove to be too difficult to overcome. Copper prices have also whipsawed in recent months, offering yet another indicator of how difficult the project will be to get off the ground. 

“There’s virtually no infrastructure in Afghanistan: power, water, trains,” said Olander of the China-Global South Project. “So there may be vast reserves of lithium and copper in Afghanistan, but extracting it and getting it out and getting it to port, every step along that supply chain is risk and is cost when you have lots of other alternatives that are far less risky, more developed, and arguably way more cost-efficient.”

[much-ado-about-whomst]

Securitywaiter/ dreamtheory as Fall Out Boy lyrics:

*Part-time soulmate, full-time problem, yeah. So hold me like a grudge (hold me like a grudge)

*You only hold me up like this, Cause you don't know who I really am. Sometimes I just want to know what it's like to be you (all of the gin joints in all the world)

*Letting people down is my thing baby (just one yesterday)

*I was just an only child of the universe. And then I found you And then I found you. You are the sun and I am just the planets. Spinning around you Spinning around you. You were too good to be true. Gold plated But what's inside you? But what's inside you? I know this whole damn city thinks it needs you. But not as much as I do As much as I do (the last of the real ones)

*One day we'll get nostalgic for disaster. We're a bull, your ears are just a china shop (hum hallelujah)

*I always made such expensive mistakes. I know it's just a number but you're the 8th wonder. (Wilson (expensive mistakes))

*I've already given up on myself twice. Third time is the charm, third time is the charm. Threw caution to the wind, but I've got a lousy arm (G.I.N.A.S.F.S.)

[zvaigzdelasas]

Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India received an enthusiastic welcome on Monday when he arrived in Port Moresby for the first visit by an Indian head of government and to meet with 14 visiting leaders of the Pacific Island Forum countries and territories. Papua New Guinea’s Prime Minister James Marape stooped to touch Modi’s feet on arrival, welcoming him as the “leader of the Global South”.

United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken also visited Port Moresby at the start of the week. Blinken was standing in for US President Joe Biden, whose much-anticipated stopover in the country was cancelled, along with his planned subsequent visit to Australia, because of the crisis in the US Congress over the federal debt ceiling. Blinken signed two important agreements with Papua New Guinea during his visit: a Defence Cooperation Agreement and an Agreement Concerning Counter Illicit Transnational Maritime Activity Operations.[...]

These two visits were only part of a broader, substantial uptick in external engagement in Papua New Guinea. In April, British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly visited the country, signing a defence framework agreement. It’s understood Indonesian President Joko Widodo will be there in June.

France has also recently signed a status of forces agreement with Papua New Guinea. Meanwhile, Australia is negotiating a security treaty that is expected to substantially upgrade its longstanding defence cooperation agreement.[...]

This activity all reflects the increasing importance of the Pacific Island countries in the strategic calculations of the democratic powers amid growing Chinese influence and heightened US-China tensions in the region. This is particularly true of Papua New Guinea. It’s the largest nation in the region by far, located only a few kilometres from Australia, near the intersection point between Asia and the Pacific.[...]

The updated defence arrangements between Papua New Guinea and the United States, combined with the now-established pattern of senior US-Pacific political dialogue, recent growth in regional US development support and the upgrading of its regional diplomatic network, provide some corroboration that a long-promised American recommitment to the Pacific is finally under way.

The text of the Defence Cooperation Agreement will not be officially released until it is formally adopted into US law. However, the signatories have indicated that it updates an old status of forces agreement and aims to strengthen Papua New Guinea Defence Force capabilities, including in humanitarian assistance and disaster response, and will allow for increased joint military training.

A draft leaked to the local media before the Blinken visit suggested the US might have substantial access to Papua New Guinea facilities.

Students at several Papua New Guinea universities protested against what they saw as a lack of transparency about the defence agreement. They expressed fears it compromised the country’s independence by bringing it more firmly into the US sphere of control. Some opposition political figures spoke of the risk of angering China and thus inviting potentially harmful repercussions for Papua New Guinea’s economic security.

But Marape and his government stood their ground. Marape argued the agreement had “nothing to do with China” and Papua New Guinea’s sovereignty remained intact. He also pointed to his government’s “healthy” relationship with Beijing and China’s status as an important trading partner for Papua New Guinea. He has firmly rejected accusations that the arrangements for visiting US military personnel would violate Papua New Guinea law.[...]

Papua New Guinea will nonetheless remain committed to its “friends to all, enemies to none” foreign policy approach. It will continue to leverage its growing array of relationships for its economic development.[...]

While Chinese investment and development support for Papua New Guinea actually remains very limited compared to that of Australia, it looms large as a trading partner. Chinese state-owned enterprises are now heavily engaged in Papua New Guinea, particularly its construction sector.

27 May 23

[moon-stu-dios]

REWIND is a 9-member girl group under Moon Studios, consisting of Rosy, Clara, Mae, Emiko, Danbi, Julie, Dolly, Meizhen, and Emma. They originally debuted on October 21st, 2016 under SM Entertainment, as the 4th sub-unit of the former co-ed group NCT. The group officially departed from the agency, and NCT as a whole, on May 22nd, 2023, following the expiration of their contract, and re-signed under Moon Studios.

Fandom Name | -

Official Fan Colour | -

REWIND Official Accounts |

Instagram | @ ms_rewind

Twitter | @ ms_rewind

Facebook | REWIND

Youtube | MS.REWIND

Official Website | rewind.mstudios

REWIND Members Profile |

Stage Name | Rosy (로지)

Birth Name | Rosy Moon

Korean Name | Moon Ri Na (문리나)

Position | Leader, Main Dancer, Sub Vocalist, Producer

Birthday | June 9, 1996

Zodiac Sign | Gemini

Chinese Zodiac Sign | Rat

Nationality | Korean-Australian

Height | 168.4cm (5'5")

Weight | 57kg (125lbs)

Blood Type | O

MBTI | INFJ-T, Advocate

Rosy Facts |

Born in Sydney, Australia

She has an older sister (Melissa) and a younger sister (Daisy).

Rosy is a former YG Entertainment trainee (2009-2014)

Rosy was scouted by a member of staff from YG Entertainment when she was free styling with a group of buskers, whilst visiting her family in Seoul in 2009.

She trained for seven years.

She has a circle-shaped birthmark on her left ankle.

Her younger sister is partially deaf, so Rosy and her family learnt Australian Sign Language.

Rosy is short-sighted.

She's been taking ballet classes since the age of six.

Rosy has a scar above her left eyebrow, from where she had to get stitches after tripping and hitting her head on a concrete wall at the age of six.

At the start of 2023, Rosy established her own independent entertainment agency, Moon Studios.

Stage Name | Clara (클라라)

Birth Name | Choi Bong Cha (최봉차)

Position | Main Vocalist, Lead Dancer

Birthday | November 15, 1994

Zodiac Sign | Scorpio

Chinese Zodiac Sign | Dog

Nationality | Korean

Height | 164.7cm (5'4")

Weight | 55kg (121lbs)

Blood Type | B

MBTI | ISFJ-A, Defender

Clara Facts |

Born in Daegu, South Korea.

She has a younger sister (Bongsoo)

Clara is a former FNC Entertainment trainee (2008-2011).

She trained for five years.

She loves collecting vintage pieces, and sews a lot of the clothes she wears.

She has an oval-shaped birthmark on the back of her right shoulder.

Clara has a PHD in psychology from the University of California, Los Angeles.

Her left wrist is slightly weaker than her right, due to her falling out of a tree as a child and breaking it.

Clara was the original leader of Rewind, but stepped down as she felt Rosy was better suited to the role.

She is best friends with Blackpink's Jisoo.

Stage Name | Mae (매)

Birth Name | Lin Mingxia (林明霞)

Korean Name | Lin Min Soo (린민수)

Position | Lead Rapper, Sub Vocalist, Face of the Group

Birthday | January 17, 1996

Zodiac Sign | Capricorn

Chinese Zodiac Sign | Pig

Nationality | Chinese

Height | 170.6cm (5'6")

Weight | 54kg (120lbs)

Blood Type | AB

MBTI | ESFJ-A, Consul

Mae Facts |

Born in Guangdong, China.

She is an only child.

She trained for three years.

Mae graduated in 2020 from the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts, where she majored in vocal studies.

She is ambidextrous.

Mae starred in the remake of Chinese drama Meteor Garden in 2018, as the supporting role of Jiang Xiao You.

She also starred in the Chinese web series Legend of Awakening in 2020, as the role of Qin Sang.

Mae is double-jointed.

Stage Name | Emiko (에미코)

Birth Name | Kobayashi Emiko (小林恵美子)

Position | Lead Rapper, Sub Vocalist, Visual

Birthday | April 3, 1998

Zodiac Sign | Aries

Chinese Zodiac Sign | Tiger

Nationality | Japanese

Height | 168.7cm (5'5")

Weight | 56kg (123lbs)

Blood Type | AB

MBTI | ENFP-T, Campaigner

Emiko Facts |

Born in Kyoto, Japan.

She has a younger brother (Kaiyo).

She trained for four years.

Emiko was diagnosed with ADHD at the age of five.

Her cousin, Ryuji, is a member of the Korean co-ed band Setsunai. He debuted in 2017 under the stage name Ryu.

Her younger cousin, Risa, is a member of the Japanese kawaii-metal band Babymetal. She debuted in 2011 under the stage name Risametal.

Her younger cousin, Akemi, is a member of the Korean girl group Deity. She debuted in 2020 under the stage name Kemi.

Emiko's grandmother was the one who signed her up for the global SM auditions back in 2012.

She graduated from the School of Performing Arts Seoul (SOPA) in 2016.

She loves to bake and cook. She's known as Rewind's designated chef.

Stage Name | Danbi (단비)

Birth Name | Song Dan Bi (송단비)

Position | Main Dancer, Lead Vocalist, Centre

Birthday | September 30, 1999

Zodiac Sign | Libra

Chinese Zodiac Sign | Rabbit

Nationality | Korean

Height | 173.7cm (5'7")

Weight | 54kg (121lbs)

Blood Type | A

MBTI | ISTJ-A, Logistician

Danbi Facts |

Born in Cheongju, Chungbuk, South Korea.

She has two younger brothers (Dansoo and Danbin).

Danbi is a former Fantasia Entertainment trainee (2010-2015).

She trained for five years and five months.

Danbi and Astro's Moonbin were childhood best friends. She is very close with the boys of Astro, as well as Moonbin's younger sister Moon Sua (Billlie).

Has been in many kdramas, including Who Are You: School 2015, with BTOB's Yook Sungjae; and Bring It On, Ghost, with 2PM'S Ok Taecyeon.

Her mother was a principal with the Korea National Ballet Company, and she enrolled Danbi in ballet lessons at the age of four.

Danbi acted in Astro's 2015 web-drama To Be Continued, where she played the lead role of Jung Ah Win.

Her younger brother, Danbin, is a member of the boy group Enhypen. He debuted in 2020 under the stage name Dabin.

Danbi often takes sleeping pills, as she struggles getting to sleep.

Stage Name | Julie (줄리)

Birth Name | Juliette Leclair

Korean Name | Park Soo Jin (박수진)

Position | Lead Vocalist, Sub Rapper, Visual

Birthday | October 11, 2000

Zodiac Sign | Libra

Chinese Zodiac Sign | Dragon

Nationality | Korean-French

Height | 159cm (5'3")

Weight | 45kg (99lbs)

Blood Type | AB

MBTI | INTJ-T, Architect

Julie Facts |

Born in Bordeaux, France.

She has two older sisters (Esme and Genevieve), three older brothers (Frederic, Henri, and Theodore), and a younger sister (Madeleine).

She trained for 10 months.

Julie got scouted at an NCT127 fan sign that she attended with her brother Theo, who is a huge NCTzen.

She studied fashion design at ESMOD and graduated in 2022. Has said that she wants to go back and get her "Creative Director" Diploma when she has the time.

She is highly allergic to bee stings.

Julie starred as Kang Sun Min in the drama Midnight Cafe, alongside former group member Doyoung.

She has a birthmark on her nose.

Julie was diagnosed with epilepsy at the age of two.

She loves making her own jewellery; After debuting in Rewind, Julie made matching necklaces for each of the girls in their representative colours.

Stage Name | Dolly (돌리)

Birth Name | Okamoto Hoshi (岡本ほし)

Position | Lead Dancer, Sub Vocalist

Birthday | July 5, 2001

Zodiac Sign | Cancer

Chinese Zodiac Sign | Snake

Nationality | Japanese

Height | 161cm (5'3")

Weight | 48kg (106lbs)

Blood Type | A

MBTI | ISFP-A, Adventurer

Dolly Facts |

Born in Tokyo, Japan.

She is an only child.

She trained for three years in total, two years under up-front agency and a year under SM Entertainment.

Dolly is a former idol under Hello! Project as an 11th generation member of the Kpop group Morning Musume. She debuted with the group in 2012, at the age of 11.

She graduated from Morning Musume in 2018, alongside fellow member Ogata Haruna, to move to South Korea with her parents.

She's been a fan of classical music from a very young age, and can play the piano, the violin, and the harp.

Dolly has admitted that she used to get bullied by her classmates for having two mums.

Dolly graduated from the Toho Gakuen School of Music in 2021.

She has a scrapbook of candid polaroids of her members, friends, and family, including the Morning Musume and NCT members.

Stage Name | Meizhen (메이젠)

Birth Name | Tang Meizhen (唐美珍)

Korean Name | Tang Mi Jun (탕미준)

Position | Main Vocalist, Lead Dancer

Birthday | November 20, 2001

Zodiac Sign | Scorpio

Chinese Zodiac Sign | Snake

Nationality | Chinese

Height | 161.5cm (5'3")

Weight | 52kg (114lbs)

Blood Type | AB

MBTI | ENFP-A, Campaigner

Meizhen Facts |

Born in Shanghai, People's Republic of China.

She has a younger sister (Meixiu).

She trained for three years.

Meizhen never really wanted to be an idol; it was her parents who signed her up for the SM auditions in 2013.

During pre-debut, she was so close to leaving SM and moving back home, but Renjun joined the company and convinced her to stay after becoming close friends.

Her natural hair is actually pretty curly, however the stylists have a habit of straightening it.

Meizhen graduated from Shanghai Ocean University in 2023.

Her parents met at Shanghai Ocean University and , after graduating, opened up their own marine rehabilitation centre together.

Even though her parents worked primarily with marine animals, Meizhen grew up in a house full of all types of animals, including snakes and tarantulas.

Meizhen has a collection of stamps from all over the world, and purchases more every time they go on tour.

Stage Name | Emma (엠마)

Birth Name | Kang Eun Jeong (강은정)

English Name | Emma King

Position | Main Rapper, Lead Vocalist, Maknae

Birthday | August 7, 2003

Zodiac Sign | Leo

Chinese Zodiac Sign | Goat

Nationality | Korean-British

Height | 158.5cm (5'2")

Weight | 49kg (107lbs)

Blood Type | O

MBTI | INFJ-T, Advocate

Emma Facts |

Born in Greenwich, England, but grew up in Kingston-Upon-Thames, England.

She has six older brothers (Caleb, Sammy, Lewis, Calum, Finley, and Max), and two older sisters (Susie and Mia).

She trained for three years.

She graduated from the School of Performing Arts Seoul (SOPA) in 2021.

Emma was put up for adoption at birth as her biological mother was unable to take care of her. She was adopted by Ellen and David King at the age of two.

Emma is highly allergic to seafood.

She has a large circle-shaped birthmark on her upper left thigh.

Her older brothers, Calum and Finley, were the ones to introduce her to Cpop and Kpop.

Emma joined the Mickey Mouse Club in 2015 as a 'Mouseketeer', along with a few other SM rookies.

Apart from English and Korean, Emma can speak a lot of other languages fairly fluently, including Mandarin, Cantonese, Tagalog, Japanese, and Thai. She's currently learning French, Spanish, and German.

[beardedmrbean]

The Huntsman family has halted donations to the University of Pennsylvania due to its response to Hamas' terrorist attacks on Israel and the resulting war. It's the latest indication of the growing friction between elite colleges and their rich alumni over the conflict.

Jon Huntsman Jr. — the former governor of Utah and US ambassador to China, Russia, and Singapore — penned a letter to Penn's president Elizabeth Magill, alerting her of the Huntsman Foundation's decision.

"The University's silence in the face of reprehensible and historic Hamas evil against the people of Israel (when the only response should be outright condemnation) is a new low. Silence is antisemitism, and antisemitism is hate, the very thing higher ed was built to obviate," he wrote in the letter, which was published by the student newspaper. "Consequently, Huntsman Foundation will close its checkbook on all future giving to Penn."

The Huntsman family, which includes three generations of Penn graduates, has donated tens of millions of dollars to the school over the past three decades, including a $10 million gift in 1997 and a $40 million gift to its business school, Wharton, in 1998. The family has donated at least $25,000 annually to Wharton in recent years.

The late Jon Huntsman Sr. attended Wharton on scholarship and went on to become the billionaire CEO of chemical giant Huntsman Corp. Huntsman Jr. has had two stints on Penn's board of trustees.

Huntsman's letter was reportedly written before an email from Penn's president Magill went out to the Penn community on Sunday.

"I want to leave no doubt about where I stand," she wrote in the email, which was viewed by Insider. "I, and this University, are horrified by and condemn Hamas's terrorist assault on Israel and their violent atrocities against civilians."

The Huntsmans are the latest megadonors to pull back from from donations to the school: Last week, Apollo Global Management CEO Marc Rowan announced he would donate $1 — rather than his typical annual contribution — unless Magill and the chairman of its board of trustees, Scott Bok, stepped down. Rowan and his wife donated $50 million to Wharton in 2018. 

The campus has been mired in tensions over the Israeli-Palestinian conflict since September, when the Palestine Writes Literary Festival, which some said gave antisemitism a platform, was hosted at the university.

"The University did not, and emphatically does not, endorse these speakers or their views," Magill wrote in her email on Sunday. "While we did communicate, we should have moved faster to share our position strongly and more broadly with the Penn community."

Penn did respond to a request for comment regarding Huntsman's letter. The Huntsman family did not respond to requests for comment ahead of publication.

Across the country, campus conversations have boiled over into the real world, as alumni donors and prospective employers follow student and school leadership responses to the war between Israel and Hamas.

For the past week, Harvard has been grappling with the ramifications of a joint statement signed by more than 30 student groups, together dubbed the Harvard Palestine Solidarity Groups, that said the Israeli government was "entirely responsible for all unfolding violence." 

The statement launched a series of hostilities: Billionaire hedge fund manager Bill Ackman, a Harvard alum and donor, called on the university to release the names of students in the groups that signed the letter so he could avoid hiring them. A Harvard alum, who seemingly had nothing to do with the letter, said they were doxxed. Ackman's call for the list of names was likened to McCarthyism.

The joint statement was eventually deleted, but the fallout continues.

Idan and Batia Ofer, Israel's richest man and his wife, stepped down from the board of Harvard's Kennedy School of Government.

"Unfortunately, our faith in the University's leadership has been broken and we cannot in good faith continue to support Harvard and its committees," the Ofers said in a statement.

Yale, NYU, and Stanford have also been caught up in the escalating tensions, which have no signs of slowing down or staying on campus behind ivy-covered gates. 

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

September 24, 2023

HEATHER COX RICHARDSON

The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff is the nation’s highest-ranking military officer and the principal military advisor to the president, secretary of defense, and national security council. The current chairman, Army General Mark Milley, has served in the military for 44 years, deploying in Iraq, Afghanistan, Egypt, Panama, Haiti, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Colombia, Somalia, and the Republic of Korea. He holds a degree in political science from Princeton University, a master’s degree in international relations from Columbia University, and a master’s degree from the U.S. Naval War College in national security and strategic studies. 

Former president Trump chose Milley for that position, but on Friday night, Trump posted an attack on Milley, calling him “a Woke train wreck” and accusing him of betraying the nation when, days before the 2020 election, he reassured his Chinese counterpart that the U.S. was not going to attack China in the last days of the Trump administration, as Chinese leaders feared.  

Trump was reacting to a September 21 piece by Jeffrey Goldberg about Milley in The Atlantic, which portrays Milley as an important check on an erratic, uninformed, and dangerous president while also warning that “[i]n the American system, it is the voters, the courts, and Congress that are meant to serve as checks on a president’s behavior, not the generals.” 

Trump posted that Milley “was actually dealing with China to give them a heads up on the thinking of the President of the United States. This was an act so egregious that, in times gone by, the punishment would have been DEATH! A war between China and the United States could have been the result of this treasonous act. To be continued!!!”

In fact, the calls were hardly rogue incidents. Secretary of Defense Mark Esper, another Trump appointee, endorsed Milley’s October call, and Secretary of Defense Christopher Miller, who replaced Esper when Trump fired him just after the election, gave permission for a similar call Milley made in January 2021. At least ten officials from the Central Intelligence Agency and the State Department were on the calls. 

Trump is suggesting that in acting within his role and through proper channels, our highest ranking military officer has committed treason and that such treason in the past would have warranted death, with the inherent suggestion that we should return to such a standard. It seems much of the country has become accustomed to Trump’s outbursts, but this threat should not pass without notice, not least because Representative Paul Gosar (R-AZ) echoed it today in his taxpayer-funded newsletter.

In the letter, Gosar refers to Milley as “the homosexual-promoting-BLM-activist Chairman of the military joint chiefs,” a “deviant” who “was coordinating with Nancy Pelosi to hurt President Trump, and treasonously working behind Trump’s back. In a better society,” he wrote, “quislings like the strange sodomy-promoting General Milley would be hung. He had one boss: President Trump, and instead he was secretly meeting with Pelosi and coordinating with her to hurt Trump.”

Trump chose Milley to chair the Joint Chiefs but turned on him when Milley insisted the military was loyal to the Constitution rather than to any man. Milley had been dragged into participating in Trump’s march across Lafayette Square on June 1, 2020, to threaten Black Lives Matter protesters, although Milley peeled off when he recognized what was happening and later said he thought they were going to review National Guard troops. 

The day after the debacle, Milley wrote a message to the joint force reminding every member that they swore an oath to the Constitution. “This document is founded on the essential principle that all men and women are born free and equal, and should be treated with respect and dignity. It also gives Americans the right to freedom of speech and peaceful assembly…. As members of the Joint Force—comprised of all races, colors, and creeds—you embody the ideals of our Constitution.”

“We all committed our lives to the idea that is America,” he wrote by hand on the memo. “We will stay true to that oath and the American people.” 

Milley’s appearance with Trump as they crossed Lafayette Square drew widespread condemnation from former military leaders, and in the days afterward, Milley spoke to them personally, as well as to congressional leaders, to apologize. Milley also apologized publicly. “I should not have been there,” he said to graduates at National Defense University’s commencement. “My presence in that moment and in that environment created a perception of the military involved in domestic politics.” Milley went on to defend the Black Lives Matter protesters Trump was targeting, and to say that the military must address the systematic racism that has kept people of color from the top ranks. 

Milley’s defense of the U.S. military, 43% of whom are people of color, drew not just Trump’s fury, but also that of the right wing. Then–Fox News Channel personality Tucker Carlson made a special effort to undermine the man he said was “not just a pig, he’s stupid!” “The Pentagon is now the Yale faculty lounge, but with cruise missiles. That should concern you,” he told his audience. As Carlson berated the military for being “woke,” his followers began to turn against the military they had previously championed. 

Trump has made it clear he intends to weaponize the government against those he perceives to be his enemies, removing those who refuse to do his bidding and replacing them with loyalists. Ominously, according to Goldberg, another area over which Trump and Milley clashed was the military’s tradition of refusing to participate in acts that are clearly immoral or illegal. Trump overrode MIlley’s advice not to intervene in the cases of three men charged with war crimes, later telling his supporters, “I stuck up for three great warriors against the deep state.” 

Goldberg points out that in a second Trump administration packed with loyalists, there will be few guardrails, and he notes that Milley has told friends that if Trump is reelected, “[h]e’ll start throwing people in jail, and I’d be on the top of the list.”

But Milley told Goldberg he does not expect Trump to be reelected. “I have confidence in the American people,” he said. “The United States of America is an extraordinarily resilient country, agile and flexible, and the inherent goodness of the American people is there.” Last week, he told ABC’s Martha Raddatz that he is “confident that the United States and the democracy in this country will prevail and the rule of law will prevail…. These institutions are built to be strong, resilient and to adapt to the times, and I'm 100% confident we'll be fine."

Milley’s statement reflects the increasingly powerful reassertion of democratic values over the past several years. In general, the country seems to be moving beyond former president Trump, who remains locked in his ancient grievances and simmering with fear about his legal troubles—Adam Rawnsley and Asawin Suebsaeng of Rolling Stone recently reported he has been asking confidants about what sort of prison might be in his future—and what he has to say seems so formulaic at this point that it usually doesn’t seem worth repeating. Indeed, much of his frantic posting seems calculated to attract headlines with shock value.

But, for all that, Trump is the current frontrunner for the Republican presidential nomination. He has suggested that the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the nation’s senior military advisor, has committed treason and that such a crime is associated with execution, and one of his loyalists in government has echoed him. 

And yet, in the face of this attack on one of our key national security institutions, an attack that other nations will certainly notice, Republican leaders remain silent. 

—

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

HEATHER COX RICHARDSON

[the-garbanzo-annex-jr]

by Daniel Greenfield

The primary victim of this policy will be Ariel University and researchers there.

The Biden boycott was only revealed when researchers at Ariel University were turned down. The State Department then declared that in a complete reversal of Trump administration policy, “participation in joint projects with Israel in the fields of science and technology in areas that came under its control after June 5, 1967” was  “not consistent with American policy.” That would potentially include not only Ariel University, but also parts of Jerusalem.

While the names of the researchers involved have not been made public, Ariel University has many talented people working on a wide variety of problems like Dr. Michal Hochhauser who is working to help autistic children integrate better into society and Konstantin Borodianskiy, PhD who is investigating how to coat titanium implants, like those used in hip replacement surgery, with natural materials so that they bond more securely with bones in surgical patients.

The U.S-Israel Binational Science Foundation (BSF) encompasses BARD research on agriculture and BIRD research on industrial R&D including homeland security applications to counter terrorists. The Biden administration’s boycott of Ariel University and other researchers and facilities located in those parts of Israel claimed by terrorists cuts them out of the program.

While the Trump administration was unwilling to finance bat virus research in China, but was willing to work with Ariel University on medical, agricultural and national security research, the Biden administration will fund research in China, but not Israeli work on helping autistic kids..

During a better time, Ambassador David Friedman had joined Prime Minister Netanyahu at Ariel University to announce that the “geographic restrictions”, as they had persisted during the Obama administration and past administrations, “no longer comport with our foreign policy” of viewing Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria, known to some as the West Bank as “inconsistent with international law.”

Deleting a single sentence, Ambassador Friedman revealed, was anything but simple and required “an inter-agency process with numerous branches of Government.”