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The Center for Disease Control,s (CDC) Director Rochelle Walensky issues alert on Pfizer’s COVID-19 Pill, Paxlovid: ‘You Might Get Symptoms Again" Use of Pfizer's Paxlovid, authorized to treat newly infected, at-risk people in order to prevent severe illness, has soared as infections have risen. The Biden administration officials have pushed for wide use of Paxlovid, which the government purchased and provides free.
Earlier this month, the Department of Justice urged the US Supreme Court to reject a Bayer/Monsanto appeal of a California case and clear the way for potentially billions of dollars in lawsuits claiming that the weedkiller Roundup causes cancer. Bayer/Monsanto is challenging a $25 million award to Edwin Hardeman, who says decades of exposure to Roundup caused his non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Bayer argues that federal approval of Roundup’s label meant Hardeman’s suit under California law-- and others like it -- couldn’t go forward.
Just as Bayer/Monsanto has reached an approximately $11 billion settlement with most plaintiffs. Approximately 80% of filed Roundup lawsuits have been settled. Some NHL victims received settlement checks in 2021 and 2022. Many others will receive their Roundup settlement money later this year as their Roundup settlement gets processed.
Recently over 1000 scientists wrote A Scientific Dissent From Darwinism;" a simple, 32-word statement that reads: “We are skeptical of claims for the ability of random mutation and natural selection to account for the complexity of life. Careful examination of the evidence for Darwinian theory should be encouraged.”
And 50 years after DDT was banned, it's legacy is alive. A bleak reminder that thousands of products like Paxlovid, DDT and Roundup, have been approved using the scientific method. Most like DDT and Roundup have been banned, using the scientific method
If 50 years after DDT was banned, it's legacy is alive and teh CDC is warning about Paxlovid, imagine what we are going to find out about COVID Vaccine side effects 10 years from now!
Can you imagine how much Big Pharma & the government would have to pay out if the Covid Vaccine had been released using the same standards as Roundup? The Pharmaceuticals and Health Products Industry spent about $92 million on lobbying in the first quarter of 2021, more than any other industry - not including dark money. While Pharmaceutical Research And Manufacturers Of America, a trade organization, spent roughly $8.6 million on lobbying in the first quarter of 2021, & sued to block a policy proposals to import lower-priced prescription drugs.
According to a DOJ's Office of Public Affairs, four officials from China’s Ministry of State Security (MSS) and another man, were charged in an indictment, unsealed in federal court in Brooklyn yesterday, with conspiracy and other charges related to an espionage and transnational repression scheme.
According to court documents, Wang Shujun, 73, of Queens, New York; Feng He, aka Boss He, of Guangdong; Jie Ji, of Qingdao; Ming Li, aka Elder Tang and Little Li, of Guangdong; and Keqing Lu aka Boss Lu, of Qingdao, allegedly participated in an espionage and transnational repression scheme in the United States and abroad. Wang was arrested on March 16, pursuant to a criminal complaint, and will be arraigned at a later date. He, Ji, Li and Lu remain at large
Wang is a well-known academic and author who helped start a pro-democracy organization in Queens that opposes the current communist regime in China. However, since at least 2011, Wang has used his position and status within the Chinese diaspora and dissident communities to covertly collect information about prominent activists and human rights leaders on behalf of the MSS and PRC. He, Ji, Li and Lu acted as Wang’s handlers, directing Wang to target specific individuals and groups that the PRC considers subversive, such as Hong Kong pro-democracy activists, advocates for Taiwanese independence, and Uyghur and Tibetan activists, and obtain information on particular topics and matters of importance to the MSS.
Wang communicated and provided information to the MSS, including to He, Ji, Li and Lu, by using encrypted messaging applications and emails, as well as during face-to-face meetings in the PRC. Wang would often memorialize the information he collected in email “diaries” to be accessed by the MSS. These “diaries” included details about Wang’s private conversations with prominent dissidents, as well as the activities of pro-democracy activists and human rights organizations. A search of Wang’s residence incident to his arrest revealed approximately 163 “diary” entries Wang wrote to He, Ji, Li and Lu and other MSS officials.
In one series of communications on or about Nov. 22, 2016, Ji instructed Wang to interface with a particular attendee at an upcoming pro-democracy event and to “accomplish the task” assigned by the “Boss,” referring to Lu. Ji noted that the attendee of interest had contacts with “Tibetans, Uyghurs and Mongolians” and wished Wang luck at getting “good results.” In another exchange on or about Nov. 16, 2016, Wang informed Li that he “just finished chatting” with a prominent human rights activist, noting that he asked the “necessary questions” and received “candid” answers. Li responded “great” and with a thumbs-up emoji, instructing Wang to write it in a “diary.” At least one Hong Kong democracy activist and dissident that Wang reported on to the MSS, identified as “Hong Kong Dissident #1” in the indictment, was subsequently arrested by the PRC.
Additionally, the indictment alleges that Wang transferred and possessed telephone numbers and contact information belonging to Chinese dissidents to the MSS, as well as making materially false statements to federal law enforcement, falsely denying that he had contacts with PRC officials or the MSS.
The DOJ US Attorney's Office in Sothern District of California announced that Chenyan Wu and Lianchun Chen, a married couple who worked as research scientists for a major American pharmaceutical company, pleaded guilty in federal court today to criminal charges stemming from their efforts to gather confidential mRNA research from that company to advance the husband’s competing laboratory research in China. Yet another case of an Inside Job
According to her plea agreement, from as early as November 2013, through at least June 2018, Chen repeatedly accessed Company A computers and copied confidential Company A materials. She knew she was not allowed to copy these materials, much less provide them to an individual outside the company. Chen emailed those confidential Company A materials to her husband in China over her personal Hotmail account. These confidential Company A materials included PowerPoints and Word documents with DNA and mRNA sequencing data, marked “[Company A] Confidential” and “from [Company A] Vaccine Research & Development.” By 2013, Wu was no longer employed by Company A. He had started TheraMab, a competing laboratory in China focused on mRNA research.
In February 2021, Wu shut down TheraMab in China and attempted to move his laboratory to the United States. He packed up its contents into five suitcases. On May 8, 2021, Wu arrived with the five suitcases at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport on Delta Flight 288, originating in Shanghai, China. He planned to transit through Seattle and had a flight home to San Diego later that day.
Upon entry into the United States, Wu filled out a U.S. Customs form. He did not declare any biological or chemical items on the form, nor did he declare these items in person to the Customs officer while going through Customs Inspection. While inspecting the defendant’s suitcases, officers discovered chemical and biological samples, medical/biological equipment, and research documentation, all of which had been undeclared and was improperly packaged. They detained the items. Initial inspection revealed about 700 to 1,000 unlabeled centrifuge tubes, which appeared to contain proteins and multiple containers of lab chemicals. Labeled samples appeared to include potentially hazardous materials. In fact, one bottle contained a warning photo with the skull and crossbones image and the words “harmful if swallowed … toxic if inhaled.” Another bottle contained the warning statements “fatal if inhaled … harmful if swallowed.” Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials seized all five suitcases.
FBI Seattle’s Hazardous Evidence Response Team (HERT) deployed to Seattle Tacoma International Airport to help CBP inventory the items, field screen them for biological and chemical materials, and collect them as evidence. CBP transferred custody of the items to the Seattle HERT, which then repackaged the items safely and submitted them to an FBI laboratory for further analysis.
On June 25, 2021, the FBI Laboratory Division Scientific Response and Analysis Unit issued a report identifying imidazole, nickel sulfate, ethidium bromide, ammonium persulfate and chloroform in the bottles, which Wu brought with him from China. These are all identified as hazardous materials under U.S. Department of Transportation regulations and must be reported upon entry into the United States.
Chen is scheduled to be sentenced on August 11, 2022, before U.S. Magistrate Judge Andrew Schopler. Wu is scheduled to be sentenced on August 12, 2022, before U.S. District Judge Cathy Ann Bencivengo.
FBI Director Christopher Wray hosted a listening session with members of the Major Cities Chiefs Association to discuss issues impacting our law enforcement partners and the communities they serve, to include the alarming rate of violent crime plaguing some communities. Director Wray talked about the high levels of violent crime across the country said the FBI’s is committed to working closely with local law enforcement partners to combat this disturbing trend
Law Enforcement Today: M. Green's Op Ed
“Our most fundamental duty is to safeguard people’s right to live without fear of violence, making our communities safer places to live and work,” said FBI Director Christopher Wray. “While the FBI works to address a variety of threats, our bread-and-butter is fighting violent crime and being effective partners to state and local law enforcement.” Sadly, Wray agrees the high levels of violent crime across the country are not acceptable. This all means the FBI is not doing an effective job
At the conclusion of the discussion, Director Wray emphasized the value in developing strong relationships across all levels of government. Wednesday, the US Attorney's Office, The Northern District of Indiana issued a press release to thank the Police: Attorney General Garland said: “This week, we gather to pay tribute to the law enforcement officers who sacrificed their lives in service to our country. We remember the courage with which they worked and lived. And we recommit ourselves to the mission to which they dedicated their lives. On behalf of a grateful Justice Department and a grateful nation, I extend my sincerest thanks and gratitude to the entire law enforcement community.”
But a major problem is trust. According to Marjorie Green "The lack of transparency and political bias at the top echelon of the FBI, that is unfolding in the public eye, is deepening the public’s mistrust of the Federal Bureau of Investigations. With the recent news that the FBI somehow “lost” five months worth of text messages between FBI agents Peter Strzok and Lisa Page, the public is in an uproar and severely in unbelief as to how these messages were supposedly lost. Sadly, it is stories such as these that deepen negative public perception of those in law enforcement who strive to serve the public and do a good job. She added "Everyday, men and women of the profession work hard to protect the innocent, while they sacrifice much and sometimes they sacrifice all. It is a shame that scandals such as these may cause damage to how the many good LEOs are perceived. When there are headlines in the news and Congressional leaders such as Representative Trey Gowdy stating, “that is a level of bias that is stunning among law enforcement officers,” unknown damage to LEOs public perception is undoubtedly caused. However there are questions that must be asked."
What the Chiefs did not tell Director Wray Kevin McCarthy's , House Minority Leader in the United States House of Representatives reminder that "due to defund the police and soft-on-crime, cities across America have suffered a stark increase in crime, including record-breaking homicides last year. Violent crime has spiked 30% and close to 40% in NYC. Taking McCarthy's reminder into consideration, the best way to celebrate National Police Week is to uncuff them: Give police officers all the tools they need to do their
The FBI's own Hate Crime Statistics Report show who is more likely to commit a hate crime. It shows that parents who show up at school board meetings are not likely to be terrorists. Nevertheless, Attorney General Garland sends the FBI to "protect" school boards
The FBI knows which public officials spew hate and call for violence against the police: For example, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez expressed her solidarity with the antipolice demonstrations that raged in Brooklyn that included turnstile-jumping and defacing cop cars.
The FBI knows that Soros-backed District Attorneys and Prosecutors are way too soft on crime. For example: Mr Anh Le was savagely beaten with a bat by two people in Chinatown. Despite the high Hate Crime rate in the city, The San Francisco DA plea-deal so the perpetrators did no get jail time - Mr Le had to sue to get justice
US Rep. for California Maxine Moore Waters regularly incites violence. For example, Rep. Maxine Waters called for protesters to "stay on the street" and "get more confrontational" if former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin is acquitted in the killing of George Floyd.
Director Wray spot on when he says: “While the FBI works to address a variety of threats, our bread-and-butter is fighting violent crime and being effective partners to state and local law enforcement.” Being an effective partner requires trust and the FBI has a mountain to climb before Americans can see the bureau as trustworthy
Pope Francis to canonize Blessed Charles De Foucauld, considered to be one of the pioneers of interreligious dialogue, during a special Mass in St.,Peter's Basilica on May 15, 2022 along nine other.Blessed de Foucauld lost his faith during his adolescence. However, during a trip to Morocco, he saw how Muslims expressed their faith, so he returned to the Church After his ordination to the priesthood in 1901, he chose to live among the poor and finally settled in Tamanrasset, Algeria, until 1916, when he was killed by a band of marauders.
According to Vatican News, Pope Francis is scheduled to canonize in the Vatican ten new saints on May 15 2022: Blessed Titus Brandsma, a Dutch, Blessed Marie Rivier, French, Blessed Carolina Santocanale, an Italian nun, Blessed Charles de Foucauld, a French, Blessed Devasahayam Pilla from India, Blessed Cesar de Bus born in France, Blessed Luigi Maria Palazzolo, an Italian priest, Blessed Father Justin Russolillo was an Italian priest, Blessed Anna Maria Rubatto, Italian, Blessed Maria Domenica Mantovani, from Italy. You can read a brief introduction for each at end of this writing.
We are all called to become saints, to be perfected in charity, to grow in holiness. Not only are we called to that, it is made possible through Jesus Christ. In its dogmatic constitution on the Church, Lumen Gentium, the Second Vatican Council affirmed the teaching of Jesus Christ, the clear teaching and witness of the early Church and the consistent teaching of Church Councils throughout the ages - holiness of life is not an option, for any member of the Church. We are all called to Christian perfection, "all the faithful, whatever their condition or state, are called by the Lord, each in his own way, to that perfect holiness whereby the Father Himself is perfect" (Lumen Gentium, Light to the Nations, 11).
According to the Catholic Company, you don’t have to move mountains to be a saint. You don’t have to write theological works, be a visionary, or found a religious order. You certainly don’t need any kind of worldly standing or lofty profession. The humblest life can be the pathway to great sanctity. St. Isidore the Farmer comes to mind: was a simple man who worked all his life as a farmer for a wealthy landowner, Juan de Vargas, near Madrid. His wife Maria is also a saint. Together they were hardworking, charitable people, and generous towards the poor. St. Isidore often brought home hungry workers to share his table lest anyone suffer want. It is said that once, Maria ran out of stew to feed them—but it miraculously replenished itself, enough for them all! - You can read all about the the captivating story of St Isidore by contacting getting The Catholic Gardener’s Spiritual Almanac from The Catholic Company: Here is a sneak peek: St. Isidore’s fellow workers noticed that he was sometimes late coming to the field because he would go to Mass first. When his boss looked out the window to see if this was true, he saw an angel plowing the field in Isidore’s place. Another story says that the landowner, wondering how St. Isidore got so much done in so short a time, saw angels plowing on either side of him.
St. Isidor the Farmer and St. mary de la Cabeza by unknown artist, 18th century. Public Domain via Wikimedia.
So we can all be Catholic saints like Saint Isidore The Farmer? While all of us are called to be saints, not all of us can make it through the rigorous, scientific- based process used by the Catholic Church - just like passing through the eye of the needle. So how does one become a Catholic saint? According to the US Catholic Bishops website: All Christians are called to be saints. Saints are persons in heaven (officially canonized or not), who lived heroically virtuous lives, offered their life for others, or were martyred for the faith, and who are worthy of imitation.
In official Church procedures there are three steps to sainthood: a candidate becomes "Venerable," then "Blessed" and then "Saint." Venerable is the title given to a deceased person recognized formally by the pope as having lived a heroically virtuous life or offered their life. To be beatified and recognized as a Blessed, one miracle acquired through the candidate's intercession is required in addition to recognition of heroic virtue or offering of life. Canonization requires a second miracle after beatification. The pope may waive these requirements. A miracle is not required prior to a martyr's beatification, but one is required before canonization Elizabeth Melimopoulos and Anna Nigmatulina have compiled an extensive list of the process that a Cartholic saint must go through and as always, there is the simpler version.
Brief introduction to the Ten New Saints as of May 15, 2022
Blessed Titus Brandsma, a Dutch Carmelite friar who was arrested in January 1942 and sent to Dachau for treason after defending Jews and freedom of the press. He was one of more than 2,700 clergy — 2,400 of them Catholic priests, who were detained at the Nazi concentration camp in Germany after he urged editors of the Dutch Catholic press to violate a new law of the Third Reich and not print any Nazi propaganda. .
Blessed Marie Rivier born in France experienced a bad fall as a baby and was left severely handicapped, but her pious mother faithfully carried her to a statue of the Pieta every day. Marie meditated often on the great love she beheld in the Pieta. She became convinced the Blessed Mother would cure her. On September 8, 1774, Marie walked! Blessed Marie founded the Sisters of the Presentation of Mary in 1796 during the time of the French Revolution, when many Catholic convents were closed and religious activities were outlawed.
Blessed Carolina Santocanale, an Italian nun founded the Congregation of the Capuchin Sisters of the Immaculate of Lourdes. Born in nobility class near Palermo, as she grew older, she felt called to the religious life. In the end, Carolina began going door to door in poor neighborhoods, wearing a backpack of supplies to assist the sick and the poor. On 24 January 1923, she founded the Capuchin Sisters of the Immaculate of Lourdes.
Blessed Charles de Foucauld was born in Strasbourg, France, left an orphan at only six years old. Although his grandfather attempted to raise him and his sister in the Church, he strayed from his faith during his adolescence. He became a soldier, but, lazy and restless. Like the prodigal son, he threw parties and spent money that he had inherited when his grandfather died.. After leaving the army, he decided to explore parts of Morocco. During his time there Charles recognized how devoted many of the Muslims were to their faith, and this inspired him to look at his own faith. When he returned to France e met with a priest, Fr. Huvelin, and after an encounter with Christ during confession and Holy Communion, he felt his life had forever changed. He wanted to found an order and after a long period it was finally given setting out to Tamanrasset, Algeria, where he founded the Little Brothers of Jesus. as left orphan an a He would spend the rest of his life there serving the poor and immersing himself in a life of prayer, but no one would join him as a follower. In 1916, he was killed by a band of marauders. His writings inspired the foundation after his death of the Little Brothers of Jesus and the Little Sisters of Jesus. Many pray his prayer of abandonment.
Blessed Devasahayam Pillai, known as Lazarus, an Indian layman converted to Catholicism from Hinduism, and was killed in 1752 for refusing to refute his faith despite being brutally tortured. Pillai was an official in the court of the king of Travancore, Maharaja Marthanda Varma, when he came under the influence of Dutch naval commander, Captain Eustachius De Lannoy, who instructed him in the Catholic faith. He is believed to have been killed by the Travancore state for upholding his Christian faith.
Blessed Cesar de Bus was born in France became the founder of the Fathers of Christian Doctrine, a religious congregation dedicated to education, pastoral ministry, and catechesis. Cesar de Bus began his career in the army but after a serious illness he began to consider that the priorities of his life were out of order. Soon after looking at this, he began to seriously pray and discern God's will for his life. He became a priest and worked with the poor and underprivileged in rural areas. Always emphasizing catechism, he believed that learning about God belonged first in the home. The term "family catechesis" was coined at this time following his teaching.
Blessed Luigi Maria Palazzolo, an Italian priest and founder of the Congregation of the Sisters of the Poor. The youngest of 8 boys, his father died when Luigi was about 10 years old. Ordained a priest in the diocese of Bergamo, Italy, in June 1850, he would devote his life to the care of neglected children. He founded several homes and orphanages to this end. Along with Venerable Maria Teresa Gabrieli, he founded the Congregation of the Sisters of the Poor for the care and education of neglected girls. He suffered from severe respiratory problems and had to sleep sitting up during the last year or so of his life.
Blessed Father Justin Russolillo was an Italian priest who founded the Society of Divine Vocations for men and the Vocationist Sisters for women. He was ordained a priest in 1913 and founded the Society of Divine Vocations for the purpose of developing and fostering vocations to the priesthood and religious life.
Blessed Anna Maria Rubatto, and Italian, was the founder of the order now known as the Capuchin Sisters of Mother Rubatto. Anna Maria was orphaned at an early age. According to an article on the saint. At the age of 38, a Capuchin priest convinced Anna Maria to enter their community. A year later she did and took the name Sister Maria Francesca of Jesus. Mother Rubatto opened 18 Capuchin houses in 20 years and died of natural causes in Uruguay in 1904.
Blessed Maria Domenica Mantovani, from Italy, co-founded the Little Sisters of the Holy Family. When Pope John Paul II beatified her in 2003, he said: "This praiseworthy daughter of the region of Verona, a disciple of Bl. Giuseppe Nascimbeni, was inspired by the Holy Family of Nazareth to make herself "all things to all people," ever attentive to the needs of the "poor people." She was extraordinarily faithful, in all circumstances and to her last breath, to the will of God, by whom she felt loved and called. What a fine example of holiness for every believer!"
In 1962, President John F. Kennedy signed proclamation 3466 which designated May 15 as Peace Officers Memorial Day and the week in which that date falls as Police Week. Part of proclamation 3466 is included here for convenience:
Whereas our law enforcement agencies play an essential role in safeguarding the rights and freedoms which have been guaranteed by the Constitution to every American citizen; and
Whereas it is important that people throughout our country know and understand the problems, duties, and responsibilities of their police departments and that members of our law enforcement agencies recognize their duty to serve the people by safeguarding life and property, by protecting them against violence or disorder, and by protecting the innocent against deception and the weak against oppression or intimidation; and
Whereas the Nation's police departments have grown to be modern and scientific law enforcement bodies which unceasingly provide a vital public service; and and
Whereas the Congress, by a joint resolution approved June 21, 1961 (75 Stat. 94), has designated the week of May 13-19, 1962, as Police Week in recognition of the contribution the police officers of America have made to our civilization through their dedicated and selfless efforts in enforcing our laws, and has also designated May 14th as Peace Officers Memorial Day in honor of the Federal, State, and municipal peace officers who have been killed or disabled in line of duty; and
Whereas the Congress, by a joint resolution approved June 21, 1961 (75 Stat. 94), has designated the week of May 13-19, 1962, as Police Week in recognition of the contribution the police officers of America have made to our civilization through their dedicated and selfless efforts in enforcing our laws, and has also designated May 14th as Peace Officers Memorial Day in honor of the Federal, State, and municipal peace officers who have been killed or disabled in line of duty;
The National Police Week 2022 website says its purpose is to offer honor, remembrance, and peer support, while allowing law enforcement, survivors, and citizens to gather and pay homage to those who gave their lives in the line of duty. Cannot argue with such mission
National Police Week 2022
Yesterday, the US Attorney's Office, The Northern District of Indiana issued a press release to thank the Police: Attorney General Garland said: “This week, we gather to pay tribute to the law enforcement officers who sacrificed their lives in service to our country. We remember the courage with which they worked and lived. And we recommit ourselves to the mission to which they dedicated their lives. On behalf of a grateful Justice Department and a grateful nation, I extend my sincerest thanks and gratitude to the entire law enforcement community.”
Kevin McCarthy Linked Post
Kevin McCarthy, House Minority Leader in the United States House of Representatives used the week as a reminder that "due to defund the police and soft-on-crime, cities across America have suffered a stark increase in crime, including record-breaking homicides last year.
While everybody seems to agree that the National Police Week should be used to offer honor, remembrance, and peer support, while allowing law enforcement, survivors, and citizens to gather and pay homage to those who gave their lives in the line of duty. This sounds like the Crime Survivors Awareness Mont in April and just like in the first week of May, we remember the Missing And Murdered Indigenous Women And Relatives (#MMIW.) All these celebrations make us feel good. As if we are doing something meaningful. Remembrance is necessary, but not sufficient. Statistics tell a different story: Violent crime has spiked 30% and close to 40% in NYC. Taking McCarthy's reminder into consideration, the best way to celebrate National Police Week is to uncuff them: Give police officers all the tools they need to do their j.
A business axiom says "don't ask for data you won't use." Yet All FBI field offices around the country regularly run "#reporthatecrime" Public Service Announcements. Its own Hate Crime Statistics Report show who is more likely to commit a hate crime. It shows that parents who show up at school board meetings are not likely to be terrorists. Nevertheless, Attorney General Garland sends the FBI to "protect" school boards
The knows which public officials spew hate & call for violence against the police: For example, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez expressed her solidarity with the antipolice demonstrations that raged in Brooklyn that included turnstile-jumping and defacing cop cars.
The FBI knows that Soros-backed District Attorneys and Prosecutors are way too soft on crime. For example: Mr Anh Le was savagely beaten with a bat by two people in Chinatown. Despite the high Hate Crime rate in the city, The San Francisco DA plea-deal so the perpetrators did no get jail time - Mr Le had to sue to get justice
Mr. Anh Le had to sue to get justice
US Rep. for California Maxine Moore Waters regularly incites violence. For example, Rep. Maxine Waters called for protesters to "stay on the street" and "get more confrontational" if former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin is acquitted in the killing of George Floyd.
Rep. Maxine Waters calling protesters to get more confrontational
While National Police Week may be the Democrats worse nightmare, the best way to honor the police is to uncuff them.
In a Friday news dump, the US Attorney Office In the Eastern District of Tennessee announced the sentence of Chinese national, Chemoist Dr. Xiaorong You for conspiracy to steal trade secrets, economic espionage, theft of trade secrets and wire fraud. You was sentenced to 168 months in prison. Following her imprisonment, You was also ordered to serve three years of supervised release and pay a $200,000 fine.
In April 2021, following a thirteen-day trial, a federal jury convicted You of conspiracy to commit trade secret theft, conspiracy to commit economic espionage, possession of stolen trade secrets, economic espionage, and wire fraud. A day earlier, the US Attorney Office announced the conviction of Chinese national and scientist, Gongda Xue, of charges related to his participation in a conspiracy to steal trade secrets from GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) pertaining to biopharmaceutical products under development from January 2010 to January 2016. Her sister and her associates pleaded guilty to IP theft. Gongda Xue worked as a scientist at the Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research (“FMI”) in Switzerland, while his sister, Yu Xue, worked as a scientist at GSK in Pennsylvania. Both conducted cancer research as part of their employment at these companies. While working for their respective entities, the Xus shared confidential information for their own personal benefit
Traditional Chinese Crafts
According to court documents, You stole valuable trade secrets related to formulations for bisphenol-A-free (BPA-free) coatings for the inside of beverage cans. You was granted access to the trade secrets while working at The Coca-Cola Company in Atlanta, Georgia, and Eastman Chemical Company in Kingsport, Tennessee. This is a classic example of the Insider Threat. The stolen trade secrets belonged to major chemical and coating companies, including Akzo-Nobel, BASF, Dow Chemical, PPG, Toyochem, Sherwin Williams, and Eastman Chemical Company, and cost nearly $120,000,000 to develop.
You stole the trade secrets to set up a new BPA-free coating company in China. You and her Chinese corporate partner, Weihai Jinhong Group received millions of dollars in Chinese government grants to support the new company. Documents and other evidence presented at trial, showed You’s intent to benefit not only Weihai Jinhong Group, but also the governments of China, the Chinese province of Shandong, and the Chinese city of Weihai, as well as her intent to benefit the Chinese Communist Party.
Until recently, BPA was used universally to coat the inside of cans and other food and beverage containers to help minimize flavor loss and prevent the container from corroding or reacting with the food or beverage contained therein. However, due to BPA’s potential health risks, companies began searching for BPA-free alternatives. As witnesses from the chemical and coating companies testified at trial, developing these BPA-free alternatives was a very complex, expensive and time-consuming process.
Evidence presented at trial showed that from December 2012 through Aug. 31, 2017, You was employed as Principal Engineer for Global Research at Coca-Cola, which had agreements with numerous companies to conduct research and development, testing, analysis, and review of various BPA-free technologies. Because of You’s extensive education and experience with BPA and BPA-free coating technologies, she was one of a limited number of Coca-Cola employees with access to BPA-free trade secrets belonging to Akzo-Nobel, BASF, Dow Chemical, PPG, Toyochem, and Sherwin Williams. From approximately September 2017 through June 2018, You was employed as a packaging application development manager for Eastman Chemical Company in Kingsport, Tennessee, where she was one of a limited number of employees with access to trade secrets belonging to Eastman.
Updated with sample of Andrew Goldstein's work May 9, 2022
Last week, our oldest daughter invited us to mass today, the First Saturday of May held at The Chapel of Mary, located in The National Sanctuary of our Sorrowful Mother, popularly known as The Grotto, a Catholic outdoor shrine and sanctuary located in the Madison South district of Portland, Oregon, United, After mass, there was going to be a concert by some members of the choir from Saint Michael's Parish in Olympia, WA led by Andrew Goldstein, Steward for Music Ministry
Chapel of Mary at the Grotto: The Grotto's website
As we are trying to get ready for Mothers Day, we reluctantly accepted and got reward bigly: While we have been to mass at the Grotto several times, this time the church was overflowing, as it coincided with the anointing of the sick The Anointing of the Sick is the sacrament in which the priest prays, lays hands and anoints the sick person with blessed oil in the name of the whole church. Anyone who is seriously ill due to sickness, injury or old age may be anointed. The sacrament is intended for serious mental or emotional illness as well. We were touched.
After mass, we were ready for the concert. It did not start on a good note, as the sound system was not in working order. Undaunted, Andrew kicked it off playing the piano and singing with a voice that is a cross between Sergio Pereira, founding member of the Tenors, my favorite monk, John Michael Talbot
and gospel singer Michael W. Smith. Saint Michael's website describes Andrew not as Music Director but as Steward for Music Ministry: "Andrew helps people encounter Christ through sung prayer. He shepherds the gifts of volunteers in the adult choirs, children’s choirs, orchestra, and contemporary band, as well as provides support for concerts and other music-related events."
Andrew Goldstein, Steward for Music Ministry, Saint Michael Parish
Such description reminded me of a conversation I recently had with my twin 9 year-old granddaughters. Because I usually stream Christian Music as we are driving, they asked why the genre. My response was that such music is a form of prayer. They nodded approvingly. It turns out they also sing beautifully, as biased as I may be. They are also in the church choir.
Andrew Goldstein's CD
Needless to say, we were double blessed: Attended a beautiful service and were treated to an outstanding free service. We just had to get Andrew's by donation CD. Life is good! If you want to hear Andrew's music so we can compare notes, perhaps is best to contact him at the Parish.
As I followed up with Andrew, I became even more impressed with this young man: the following is a description of his CD: “Wisdom to Wonder” revives the depth of musical content in the Catholic Church by uniting today’s songwriters with yesterday’s saints, poets, and writers. Throughout history, the Church has amassed profound texts by Catholic saints, poets, and writers. Past generations of composers would draw upon these texts to write hymnody (e.g. Louis Lambillotte’s (1796–1855) “Come Holy Ghost” draws upon writings of Archbishop Maurus (776-856)). Yet, despite modern abundance of literary sources, today’s Catholic songwriters have yet to mine this literature in a way that impacts the Church’s musical trajectory. “Wisdom to Wonder” was initiated by parish music director, Andrew Goldstein, in 2019. The pilot album released in January 2021, quoting text from: Bl. Fulton Sheen, St. Newman, St. Ignatius, poet Edith Sitwell, revolutionary Joseph Mary Plunkett, and JRR Tolkien. It was recorded live with the amazing support of volunteer musicians from Saint Michael Parish in Olympia, WA, alongside audio engineer Vince Byrne and videographers Dale Elliot and Rex Yabut.
And if you wish to check Andrews music using streaming services:
Today, United States Attorney Jennifer Arbittier Williams announced that Gongda Xue, citizen of China, was convicted after trial of charges related to his participation in a conspiracy to steal trade secrets from GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) pertaining to biopharmaceutical products under development from January 2010 to January 2016. Her sister and her associates pleaded guilty to IP theft.
Gongda Xue worked as a scientist at the Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research (“FMI”) in Switzerland, while hi sister, Yu Xue, worked as a scientist at GSK in Pennsylvania. Both conducted cancer research as part of their employment at these companies. While working for their respective entities, the Xus shared confidential information for their own personal benefit. Gongda Xue created Abba Therapeutics AG in Switzerland and Yu Xue and her associates formed Renopharma, Ltd., in China. Both companies intended to develop their own biopharmaceutical anti-cancer products.
Xue's IP Theft Scheme
Renopharma received direct funding and support from the government of China. Gongda Xue stole FMI research into anti-cancer products and sent that research to Yu Xue. Yu Xue, in turn, stole GSK research into anti-cancer products and sent that to Gongda Xue. Yu Xue also provided hundreds of GSK documents to her associates at Renopharma. Renopharma then attempted to re-brand GSK products under development as Renopharma products and attempted to sell them for billions of dollars. Renopharma’s own internal projections showed that the company could be worth as much as $10 billion based upon the stolen GSK data.
In January 2016, the FBI arrested Yu Xue and her Renopharma associates, seized e-mail accounts containing the stolen GSK data, and seized the funds in a Renopharma. Gongda Xue was charged in 2018 and extradited from Switzerland to the United States in December 2019.
Yu Xue and Lucy Xi, pleaded guilty for their roles in sending GSK trade secrets to Renopharma. Yu Xue's sister, Tian Xue, pleaded guilty to a money laundering conspiracy for agreeing to launder the substantial ill-gotten gains which Renopharma expected to receive. One of the directors of Renopharma, Tao Li, also pleaded guilty for his role in conspiring to steal GSK trade secrets. The other director of Renopharma, Yan Mei, is a fugitive who currently resides in China.
Yesterday was International Workers' Day, also known as Labor Day in some countries and often referred to as May Day, as celebration of the working classes, promoted by the international labor movement which occurs every year on May 1st. Some countries celebrate Labor Day on other dates, such as the United States and Canada, which celebrate Labor Day on the first Monday of September.
The International Worker's Day was chosen in 1889 by the Marxist International Socialist Congress, which met in Paris and established the Second International as a successor to the earlier International Workingmen's Association. They adopted a resolution for a great international demonstration in support of working-class demands for the eight-hour day. The date had been chosen by the American Federation of Labor to continue an earlier campaign for the eight-hour day in the United States. The 1904 Sixth Conference of the Second International, called on "all Social Democratic Party organizations and trade unions of all countries to demonstrate energetically on the First of May for the legal establishment of the eight-hour day, for the class demands of the proletariat, and for universal peace". “May Day” celebration is anti-religious, secular, Communists Commemoration of labor. To Lenin and his fellow communists, work was purely materialistic.
Photo: The Catholic Store: To Lenin and his fellow communists, work was purely materialistic.
To counter the communist view, Pope Pius XII placed before the faithful the example of St. Joseph the Worker, true model of all workers. Unlike the Communists, who viewed work in purely materialistic terms and cut God right out of the equation, St. Joseph’s work had a supremely spiritual dimension The Feast of Saint Joseph The Worker was to be held May 1st, the same day that the Communists held their celebration
The Feast of Saint Joseph is dedicated to a holy man who is the patron saint of all forms of labor, unskilled and skilled, and who was the ideal father of the nuclear family. On this day, the Church invokes all workers to pay reverence to a man who humbly dedicated himself to a professional vocation he enjoyed, and while exhausting, he performed with excellence.
The Church invites us to contemplate Joseph’s economic contribution to the common good: providing tables and chairs for family homes, desks for offices, and other products of his carpentry, such as structural beams for roofs and bridges. While we do not know precisely what St. Joseph produced and sold in his shop, we can imagine that he served the needs of his time, his particular market, and was reasonably successful. After all, the Holy Family had a stable home, with a breadwinner, and unlike his contemporaries, Jesus was not sent out to provide a second income and beg on the streets for his daily needs. Instead, he apprenticed with St. Joseph to learn a profitable and valuable trade.
What we also know about St. Joseph is, like his beloved Mary, his will was in constant union with God’s. St Joseph did his work, quite literally, for God. As a carpenter in Nazareth, he worked in order to support the Child Jesus and His Mother Mary. Jesus learned the carpenter’s trade from St. Joseph and worked for the majority of His life as a carpenter Himself. The life of the Holy Family shows us the value, beauty, and sanctity of work
Book Cover: St Joseph and His World
When contemplating and putting into practice Saint Joseph's example of daily labor, work was not just a job. Not unlike when the Apostles "went on their way from the presence of the Council, rejoicing that they had been considered worthy to suffer shame for His name" Acts 5:41
St. Joseph the Worker is the patron saint of all workers, especially husbands and fathers who get up and go to work every day to support the family they love and cherish. To learn more about St. Joseph, Refer to the Catholic Store
