China’s Top Port Shuttered For Seventh Day As Congestion Crisis Spreads
ZeroHedge – Massive port backlogs continued to build for the seventh day in China at the world’s third-busiest container port. Vessels are being diverted away from Ningbo Meishan Container Terminal due to suspended operations following the COVID-19 Delta variant outbreak. This is having a profound impact on nearby ports in Shanghai and Hong Kong, according to Bloomberg.
Port congestion in nearby Shanghai and Hong Kong is increasing once again due to the closure of the Meishan terminal at Ningbo port, a major port and industrial hub in east China’s Zhejiang province, which lies south of Shanghai. Last week, a dock worker at the port became infected with the virus and forced the Meishan terminal closure.
At least a quarter of the port’s capacity has been brought offline, forcing some of the world’s biggest shipping lines to divert vessels to other surrounding ports.
Simon Heaney, senior manager of container research at Drewry Shipping Consultants Ltd., said Moller-Maersk A/S and CMA CGM SA, the world’s largest shipping line, is skipping Ningbo port after the closure has stretched into the seventh day.
The average count of container ships anchored off Xiamen, a port city on China’s southeast coast, across a strait from Taiwan, was 24 on Tuesday, up from 6 at the beginning of the month. Ships anchored off Shanghai and Ningbo ports were more than 141, 60 more than the average from April to August.
Ningbo is the third-largest container port globally after Shanghai and Singapore, but the busiest container port in the world by volume.
Palantir Buys Over $50 Million Of Gold Bars: “Preparing For A Future With More Black Swans”
ZeroHedge – Anyone watching Tuesday’s US market cash session sees red across the board. One of the strongest sell programs in months dumped stocks at the start of trading on Tuesday, and equity volatility spiked to the upside. As Nomura warned looking the arcane gamma topology underpinning the market, this could be the beginning of a market storm. And ahead of what could be further market turmoil, Palantir Technologies warned about an upcoming “black swan event,” according to Bloomberg.
The software company, co-founded by the technology billionaire Peter Thiel and CEO Alex Karp, wrote in a filing last week that it stockpiled $50.7 million in gold bars earlier this month. The filing also said it acquired technology startups, blank-check companies, and even cryptocurrencies.
Palantir had previously said it would accept Bitcoin as a form of payment for its services, along with payment in precious metals (however Bloomberg quoted a spokeswoman from Palantir who said no clients have paid in Bitcoin or gold yet).
Shyam Sankar, the COO of Palantir, said accepting nontraditional forms of payment “reflects more of a worldview,” adding: “you have to be prepared for a future with more black swan events.”
Palantir’s 100-ounce gold bars are expected to be stored in an undisclosed vault in the US Northeast.
“The company can take physical possession of the gold bars stored at the facility at any time with reasonable notice,” Palantir wrote.
None of this comes as a surprise that the loss of faith in those “who control the money” [Federal Reserve] – cryptocurrencies and precious physical metals are becoming a popular hedge for when the system implodes.
Palantir co-founder Joe Lonsdale was quoted not too long ago, saying, “idiots are running the Fed.” Lonsdale was referencing the unconventional monetary policy that has helped balloon the national debt by over $5 trillion since early March 2020, to $28.4 trillion and set the US dollar on collision course with loss of reserve status.
Canada Is Officially Getting Vaccine Passports By Early Fall
MSN – Canadians are getting a vaccine passport for international travel to prove they are fully vaccinated in the early fall, federal officials said on Wednesday, August 11.
Speaking via video conference, Immigration Minister Marco Mendicino said fully vaccinated Canadians will soon be sent a government document that will certify their COVID-19 vaccine history for international travel.
Ministers said they are working with provinces and territories on the “complex” matter and they believe this document is “another reason for Canadians to see the benefits of being fully vaccinated.”
Details on the document will include a person’s COVID-19 vaccination history, including what type of vaccine they received and the date and location the doses were administered. It will be made available to all Canadian citizens, permanent residents and temporary residents living in Canada.
3 Alberta universities announce mandatory masking, rapid testing for back to school
New measures apply at the U of A, U of C and the University of Lethbridge
CBC – Three Alberta universities have announced major changes to their back-to-school plans.
At the University of Alberta (U of A), the University of Calgary (U of C) and the University of Lethbridge (U of L), anyone not fully vaccinated will have to undergo regular rapid testing as of Sept. 1, the schools announced in a joint statement Tuesday morning.
The three schools are also requiring mask-wearing in public indoor areas where physical distancing is not possible.
Those who cannot be tested or vaccinated for medical reasons or on protected grounds recognized by the Alberta Human Rights Act can request an accommodation, the statement said.
“A safe return to campus in the fall remains our top priority, and in a rapidly changing situation, we recognize the urgent need for additional measures within our campus communities,” U of A President and Vice-Chancellor Bill Flanagan said in the statement.
Watch: Canadian PM Trudeau Admits Discussing Afghanistan Debacle with Hillary Clinton
Infowars – Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says he discussed the Afghanistan fallout with former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, amid reports Joe Biden hadn’t spoken to any world leaders.
“I also spoke last night with former U.S. secretary of state Hillary Clinton,” Trudeau stated on Tuesday, saying she “shares our concern for Afghan women and girls.”
“She welcomed our efforts and urged Canada to continue our work,” Trudeau added.
Did we miss something? When did Hillary Clinton become the US ambassador to Canada? Could this be a violation of the Logan Act?
The bizarre admission came one day after cabinet officials admitted Joe Biden hadn’t yet discussed the debacle with any world leaders.
“He has not yet spoken with any other world leaders,” White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters Tuesday, adding that he, Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and other foreign policy wonks are acting as Biden’s proxies.
Not so coincidentally, Hillary and former President Bill Clinton were both “vacationing” in Quebec over the weekend, so it’s possible she spoke with Trudeau in person.
Only Days After Afghanistan’s Fall, China Mobilizes Warships, Hits U.S. with Aggressive New Demands on Taiwan
Becker News – China isn’t wasting any time seizing upon a U.S. Commander-in-Chief’s weakness and inability to lead. The Communist nation is making overtures towards taking aggressive action against the island nation of Taiwan, which China has long claimed is actually its territory.
The communist country is now mobilizing warships, attack submarines and jet fighters off the coast of Taiwan, while hitting the United States with aggressive new demands over the Pacific nation.
“The Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) on Tuesday launched joint live-fire assault drills in multiple locations near the island of Taiwan in response to recent collusion and provocations by the US and Taiwan secessionists,” the Chinese mouthpiece Global Times reported.
“The PLA Eastern Theater Command on Tuesday dispatched warships, anti-submarine warfare aircraft and fighter jets in surrounding maritime and aerial areas near the southwest and southeast of the island of Taiwan for military exercises including joint live-fire assaults, and also for testing the command troops’ integrated joint operation capabilities, Senior Colonel Shi Yi, spokesperson of the command, announced on the same day,” the report continued.
China has also issued a warning to Taiwan, saying it should be “trembling” since the U.S. “won’t protect” the island from invasion. The CCP has also told Taiwan that it “can’t rely” on Biden in a crisis.
New data on coronavirus vaccine effectiveness may be “a wakeup call”
Axios – A new preprint study that raises concerns about the mRNA vaccines’ effectiveness against Delta — particularly Pfizer’s — has already grabbed the attention of top Biden administration officials.
What they’re saying: The study found the Pfizer vaccine was only 42% effective against infection in July, when the Delta variant was dominant. “If that’s not a wakeup call, I don’t know what is,” a senior Biden official told Axios.
Driving the news: The study, conducted by nference and the Mayo Clinic, compared the effectiveness of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines in the Mayo Clinic Health System over time from January to July.
- Overall, it found that the Moderna vaccine was 86% effective against infection over the study period, and Pfizer’s was 76%. Moderna’s vaccine was 92% effective against hospitalization and Pfizer’s was 85%.
- But the vaccines’ effectiveness against infection dropped sharply in July, when the Delta variant’s prevalence in Minnesota had risen to over 70%.
- Moderna was 76% effective against infection, and Pfizer was only 42% effective.
- The study found similar results in other states. For example, in Florida, the risk of infection in July for people fully vaccinated with Moderna was about 60% lower than for people fully vaccinated with Pfizer.
Why it matters: Although it has yet to be peer-reviewed, the study raises serious questions about both vaccines’ long-term effectiveness, particularly Pfizer’s.
The FDA has authorized an early COVID treatment protocol
American Thinker – After nearly a year-and-a-half and over 618,000 recorded COVID-related deaths in the U.S. alone, the FDA has finally released an emergency use authorization for REGEN-COV, a new drug that was being tested in 2020 (pre-Biden). Primary care physicians can now use it as an early treatment option. Before now, the only authorized COVID-19 early treatment my family doctor had, per the July 2021 update to NIH guidelines, was to recommend quarantine and then wait until symptoms go away or report to a hospital if they get worse. Of note, these updated guidelines continue to identify hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) as a prohibited drug – although this should not be a surprise considering the war on HCQ began soon after President Trump dared to recommend it.
REGEN-COV, however, is no simple take-home medicine like the familiar Tamiflu frequently prescribed in the past for the seasonal flu. For example, in the “old days” that ended in March 2020, my wife and I both caught the seasonal flu. Our doctor immediately prescribed Tamiflu and azithromycin because he knew that delaying even a few days would make Tamiflu less effective. Like Tamiflu, REGEN-COV is similarly recommended only for early use before severe symptoms can develop.
Once the initial surge of COVID-19 cases and deaths started in March-April 2020, the seasonal flu magically vanished along with Tamiflu despite some early indications it works on COVID. Coincidentally with its approving a new drug, the CDC is finally pulling the plug on the PCR test for COVID-19. The PCR test often gave false positives and can misidentify the seasonal flu as COVID-19 (although it will remain in use through the end of 2021).
According to the FDA fact sheet on REGEN-COV, the intravenous infusion process it requires appears time-consuming (it can take 20 to 50 minutes or more, with a one-hour monitoring period immediately after). For now, the FDA recommends it for use only on confirmed COVID-19 patients over the age of 12 who are at high risk of developing severe symptoms. However, the fact sheet permits some flexibility in using it as a preventative to especially high-risk patients. It sounds so promising that the FDA was careful to say it is not a substitute for the vaccines.
Potential Covid medication found among tapeworm drugs
StudyThe compound overcomes both issues, in mouse and cell-based tests, acting as both an antiviral and an anti-inflammatory drug-like compound
Deccan Herald – A group of medications long prescribed to treat tapeworm has inspired a compound that shows two-pronged effectiveness against Covid-19 in laboratory studies, a new study suggests.
The study, published in the journal ACS Infectious Disease, indicates that the compound, part of a class of molecules called salicylanilides, was designed in the laboratory by a team of researchers, including Kim Janda from Scripps Research. “It has…
Watch: Americans Speak Out Before Tx School District Defies Governor’s Executive Order Banning Mask Mandates
Infowars – Round Rock ISD held a last-minute meeting on Sunday regarding mandating masks for all schools.
Watch as students, teachers, school staff and health officials speak out against mask mandates.
Watch: Australian Health Minister Announces 24,000 Students Will Be Injected In Stadium Without Parental Supervision
Infowars – An Australian politician told parents that 24,000 children would be ushered into a stadium to receive the experimental COVID-19 shot without their presence.
New South Wales Minister for Health and Medical Research Brad Hazzard made the disturbing announcement at a press conference earlier this month, calling the students’ conditional vaccine requirement to get jab to participate in school in the fall as a “golden opportunity.”
Questions Swirl Over Why Twitter Gives Taliban a Platform While Banning American Dissidents
Infowars – Questions continue to swirl over why some social media platforms like Twitter are giving the Taliban, a terrorist organization under U.S. law, a public platform having permanently banned American dissidents and the President of the United States himself.
After Facebook and YouTube moved to ban any accounts associated with the Taliban following their takeover of Afghanistan, Twitter faced scrutiny as to why it hadn’t followed suit.
When a Taliban representative was asked for a response on the ban, he chided Facebook for tacitly supporting free speech while silencing those who express the wrong opinions.
“This question should be asked to those people who are claiming promoters of freedom of speech, who do not allow publication of all information. I can ask the Facebook company. This question should be asked to them,” said the Taliban spokesman.
However, Twitter has yet to suspend any major Taliban accounts, having previously banned the sitting President of the United States, Donald Trump, back in January.
“A spokesman for the radical Islamist group that has seized control of Afghanistan, Zabihullah Mujahid, has been using the platform to give updates about the group’s advance,” reports Fox News.
“Mujahid’s account is not verified but has nearly 280,000 followers and is regularly cited by major news outlets.”
Twitter has indicated that prominent Taliban members will be free to continue to use the platform so long as they “obey the rules.”
The Babylon Bee joked that Trump had secretly sneaked back on Twitter by identifying as a Taliban spokesperson.
Boston Dynamics Drops New Video Of 5-Foot Atlas Humanoid Robot Effortlessly Doing Parkour
The Mind Unleashed – Robot maker Boston Dynamics has released new video of its two-legged Atlas robot effortlessly completing a parkour obstacle course, offering a new display of its humanoid machines’ unsettling repertoire.
In the video, a pair of Atlas robots can be seen leaping over large gaps, vaulting beams, and even performing backflips. The robot can even be seen jumping over a board while using its arm to remain steady.
While the display seems like anything but “free” running – as the original developers of parkour had envisioned – the routine does seem like an impressive, if terrifying, display of effective coding that took months to perfect, according to the Hyundai-owned robotics firm.
“It’s not the robot just magically deciding to do parkour, it’s kind of a choreographed routine, much like a skateboard video or a parkour video,” said Atlas control lead Benjamin Stephens.
See for yourself: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tF4DML7FIWk
3 Reasons Healthy Gut Flora Is Important
Written by Dr. Edward Group – Your gut is home to over 100 billion bacteria, but antibiotics, pesticides, stress, and genetically-modified foods are just a few of the things that can weaken that diversity. Your gut’s bacteria needs to stay healthy or concerns like irritable bowel syndrome, gluten allergies, and even obesity can be more likely. Some even think the recent rise in autism, Alzheimer’s, and multiple sclerosis could even be connected to an unhealthy gut! Let’s look at just 3 reasons why healthy gut flora are so important.
Why Is a Healthy Gut Flora Important?
- Discourages Crohn’s Disease
Crohn’s disease is often difficult to diagnose from stool samples, but the key to the disease could be found inside the gut. Researchers looked at tissue samples from the intestinal walls of “447 newly affected and 221 non-affected people” and found an overabundance of certain bacteria types was linked to inflammation levels. That’s just more reason to encourage healthy gut flora!
- Promotes Digestion & Digestive Health
This is the big one most people are aware of and it probably comes as no surprise that bacteria levels inside your gut can help with digestion. Recent evidence suggests a healthy and diverse microbiome could even help with intestinal integrity. Basically, that’s how the body separates the good from the bad. A healthy gut only allows what’s useful to pass through to the body.
- Supports Mental Health
When you eat a big meal, you stop when you’re full, right? Well, a healthy gut could even help your brain know when you’ve had enough by releasing specific satiety hormones. It could also play a role in depression and anxiety. Recent evidence even suggests a link between gut health and autism, with research showing that probiotic treatments could help autistic children by improving bacteria levels. Scientists are finding more and more about this gut-brain connection all the time!
How Can You Support Healthy Gut Flora?
Recent evidence suggests a good diet and exercise could influence gut flora, so why not start a new fitness habit? Of course, you could always just turn to probiotic-rich foods like fermented vegetables and yogurt. A high-quality probiotic supplement is another surefire way to bridge the gaps in your diet like Latero-Flora,which is the B.O.D. Bacillus Laterosporus strain
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