Brandeis University • Oct 22, 2018In spirited discussion, Robert George and Cornel West hold firm on the value of open debate and liberal arts education at Brandeis University. The two leading public intellectuals model productive disagreement in an age of outrage.

Wuhan, China Edited By: Sneha Swaminathan

Updated: Dec 05, 2022, 03:56 PM IST (wionews.com)

Photograph:(Reuters)

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

COVID-19 was allegedly a “man-made virus” that escaped from a notorious research centre in Wuhan, China, according to a scientist now located in the US. Covid was reportedly released two years ago from Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV), a state-funded research facility according to the New York Post, which quoted a statement made by US-based researcher Andrew Huff in the British tabloid The Sun. In his most recent book, “The Truth About Wuhan,” epidemiologist Huff asserts that the epidemic was caused by the US government’s financing of coronaviruses in China. 

A US-based scientist who previously worked at the infamous Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV), China, has claimed that COVID-19 was a “man-made virus” that escaped from the facility. According to the New York Post, which cited a remark made by US-based researcher Andrew Huff in the British newspaper The Sun, Covid was released from WIV, a state-funded and operated research centre, two years ago. Epidemiologist Huff claims that the pandemic was brought on by the US government’s funding of coronaviruses in China in his most recent book, “The Truth About Wuhan.” Huff’s book excerpts have appeared in the UK tabloid The Sun.

According to the New York Post, Huff argues in his book that China’s gain-of-function tests were carried out with insufficient security, which led to a leak at the Wuhan facility.

The Wuhan facility has been the subject of contentious discussions over the Covid virus’s origins, with both Chinese government authorities and lab staff disputing that the virus was created there.

Also read | China services activity shrank to six-month lows in November: Caixin PMI

“Foreign laboratories did not have the adequate control measures in place for ensuring proper biosafety, biosecurity, and risk management, ultimately resulting in the lab leak at the Wuhan Institute of Virology,” Andrew Huff, claims in his book.

With support from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the organisation has been researching several coronaviruses in bats for more than ten years and has developed solid bonds with the Wuhan lab.

The NIH is the leading US government organisation in charge of biological and public health research.

According to Huff, who worked at EcoHealth Alliance from 2014 to 2016, the organisation spent several years helping the Wuhan lab establish the “best current tools to modify bat coronaviruses to infect other species.”

Also WATCH | China: Protesters in China angered against Xi’s Zero Covid policy

https://www.wionews.com/videos/china-protesters-in-china-angered-against-xis-zero-covid-policy-540150/embed

“China knew from day one that this was a genetically engineered agent,” Huff wrote. “The US government is to blame for the transfer of dangerous biotechnology to the Chinese.

According to a recent investigation by ProPublica/Vanity Fair, China’s most dangerous coronavirus research is conducted at the WIV, as reported by the New York Post. 

Despite its sparse funding, this research institute has been under intense pressure from the country’s ruling Communist Party to make scientific advancements that would boost its reputation internationally.

(Courtesy of Gwyllm Llwydd)

Pronoia is the Antidote for Paranoia: How the Whole World is Conspiring to Shower You With Blessings

by Rob Brezsny

Brezsny declares evil is boring, the universe is friendly, and life is a sublime gift created for our amusement and illumination. This witty, inspiring how-to shows how any reader can become a wildly disciplined, fiercely tender . . . lustfully compassionate Master of Rowdy Bliss.

(Goodreads.com)

The Aeon

The Aeon (or Judgement, Last Judgement, Atonement, Resurrection) is numbered twenty and often shows figures arising from graves in answer to the clarion call of an angel. The Thoth deck veers away from the Christian overtones and instead we see the goddess Nuit, a primal sky goddess from the beginning of creation. Her body is arched above our heads and curves to imply the ankh cross, a symbol of immortality and life. A child-like male figure stands within the ankh’s loop with his finger to his lips in the traditional mystical gesture of silence. A seated regal figure is behind him. Both figures are said to represent Horus, first as child and then as ruler.

Horus was the son of Osiris and Isis. When his father was murdered by his brother Set, Horus was protected and raised by Isis. Horus’ ascension to manhood triggered a series of battles with Set, culminating in his assumption to the throne of Egypt. Set was sent away defeated and thus Horus is seen as a god of redemption.

The Aeon forces us to acknowledge that our actions set up a chain of cause-and-effect for which we are solely responsible. Here we pass through the fire of purification, shedding dead and dying wood as we go. We judge ourselves frankly, forgive, and leave the past behind. And then we are free to step into the light.

This is a card of healing, especially on an emotional level. It promises hope and happiness, along with a new sense of safeness, protection and recovery. We are at the place where miracles happen.

(via angelpaths.com and Alan Blackman)

DW News Dec 1, 2022 Chinese leader Xi Jinping was just confirmed in office, securing a third term and eliminating political rivals. Now, the people are protesting against his regime. Tens of thousands in China are demonstrating against the government’s strict zero-COVID policy in several cities. The lockdowns have been going on for weeks and are costing jobs and wealth. Despite prevailing against his opponents in the Communist Party, some protestors are even calling for Xi’s resignation. So, on To the Point, we ask: Protests in China: How deep is public unrest? Our guests: Alexander Görlach (publicist), Qian Sun (freelance journalist), Felix Lee (taz)

Gemini Full Moon

With action-planet Mars so close to the Gemini Full Moon, we reel in our focus from future goals to heed the here and now. And since Mars is linked with challenge and combat, conflict may affect us or those close to us, requiring prompt action and courage to defend ourselves and deal with a certain situation — or even finding the gumption to bravely take on someone else, for a reason very logical to us.

Because the Moon and Mars are in Gemini, actions taken may be linked with particular communication systems or decision making approaches. Perhaps we become direct and find focus with something that was once vague, or more practical by noting down ideas and completing needed forms, or sending off significant emails or letters. One way or another, action is prompted and progress is increased, moving matters along faster than expected.

The Moon, linked by trine to Saturn — a planet associated with slowing things down or with progress made over a long period of time — shows us we can take our time with an interest or project. Not every option has to be associated with fast action! And not all interests may be best served with swiftness. This could also signify seeking assistance from someone with greater experience, especially in an area where we have little knowledge or in-depth insight — one who knows the ropes, as it were, who could help us avoid costly errors and show us a few shortcuts.

The Gemini Moon carries echoes of its natural 3rd-house focus and links to siblings, neighbors, and others we are close to, whether emotionally or through our physical location. This highlights opportunities to quickly join others (perhaps even briefly) or to make new contacts that may prove significant to us in some special way.

There is also a rather challenging square to Neptune, and because the Full Moon involves an opposition between the Sun and Moon, this forms a t-square pattern with the luminaries, reflecting a rather uncomfortable momentum of being pulled in two different directions at once. It can mean that we need to get clearer about the choices in front of us and decide where our commitments and loyalties lie.

This star formation is difficult because the apex planet — Neptune — has such a strong presence. It is hazy at the best of times, and we might associate it with the idea that everything is really part of the same, with blurry edges! We don’t want to single anyone out, or be pinned down to just one option! And yet, if we don’t manage that, maybe we don’t achieve anything at all.

On the flip side, the apex planet of a t-square can sometimes provide resolution to one issue or more. We may find a way to handle more than one problem within a relatively short time. Neptune encourages a “letting go” function — we resist insisting on certain actions and outcomes, or positions and preferences, which suddenly proves fruitful! Like a bamboo finger trap toy, where it seems that your fingers cannot be pulled out of the woven cylinder — the more you pull, the more it hurts! Yet, if we gently push the fingers inwards and surrender, the trap suddenly releases. It’s a reminder that the obvious action isn’t always the one that delivers good results.

This article is from the Mountain Astrologer by Diana McMahon Collis

ThinkingAllowedTV Feb 27, 2021 Great news!! Now watch every title and guest in the Thinking Allowed Collection, complete and commercial free. More than 350 programs now streaming. Visit our website at http://thinkingallowed.com or visit http://thinkingallowed.vhx.tv We have recently digitized and “up-resed” our entire video library. This is a previously unreleased video featuring one of our most fascinating guests. For Part 2 of this 90-minute program, subscribe to our new channel. Start today. Cancel any time. Use promo code THINKNOW for a 50% discount on your first month. World renown philosopher and religious scholar Huston Smith, Ph.D., describes his journey from his childhood in China to the American mid-west and his discovery of Western scientific philosophy and his deep explorations of the Eastern mystical traditions as a student of Vedanta, the Hindu philosophical tradition. He describes the notion of the deity as conceived across various religious traditions.

Andy Murphy

Spreading joy through writing and breathwork https://www.somabreath.com/#a_aid=AndyMurphy

Nov 13, 2022 (Medium.com)

His relationship with money wasn’t always easy but like most things in life, he came to understand how it worked (and his fortune today proves it)

Einstein had a difficult relationship with money, one that brought him out of the mystical and spiritual realms and into the material and capitalist ones.

He struggled in that regard because his philosophy was more aligned with things like:

“Try not to become a man of success, but rather become a man of value”

And:

“Only a life lived for others is a life worthwhile.”

Perhaps that’s why he said: “I refuse to make money out of my science. My laurel is not for sale like so many bales of cotton.”

Now, for what he contributed to the world, Einstein should have been one of the wealthiest people ever to have lived. Yet, at the time of his death in 1955, his net worth amassed to a total of $65,000 which isn’t a helluva lot to write home about.

Having said that, however, he still lived a fabulous life. One where he could ponder the mysteries of the universe until his heart was content, play his beloved violin Lena, enjoy the rapture of being a father, swim, dance, and ride his bicycle, listen to Beethoven and Bach with a childlike wonder, and occasionally let his in-house chef know that “I am not a tiger” after becoming a vegetarian in his later years.

The mere fact that he had an in-house chef reveals that he lived a certain luxurious existence.

However, even with his seeming lack of interest in the matter, he did come to understand money like pretty much everything else he turned his attention to.

And although he barely spoke about it, the one time he did it was truly enlightening.

Here’s what he had to say:

“Compound interest is the eighth wonder of the world. He who understands it, earns it … he who doesn’t … pays it.”

Nothing highlights this more than his own wealth because today his net worth of $65,000 is now a whopping $12 million.

His patents and publications on well-known theories have been building compound interest for 75 years now and they are behind his slow and steady growth.

Clear Wealth Asset provides a brilliant insight into how it all works:

“Let me give you an interesting example: if I were to offer you the choice between an immediate cash payment of one million dollars or a magic penny that doubled every day for 30 days, which one would you take?

Now, if you are like most people, at first you might jump on the million dollar deal. But if you break out your calculator and double one penny for 30 days you will be amazed that on day 30 your penny would be worth over $5,000,000.”

That’s compound interest, baby. And Einstein knew the value of it.

A quick word of warning

One of the reasons why Einstein didn’t give particular attention to money was because he saw its destructive nature.

The people he admired most, after all, were those who embodied value and not success.

It was people who found wonder and awe in the mysteries of life and not in the material gains they could earn.

His idols were people like Jesus, Moses, Mohammed, Gandhi, and the like. And none of them exactly pop to mind when thinking about money.

So, in honour of balance, here’s a word a warning from the man himself:

“I am absolutely convinced that no wealth in the world can help humanity forward, even in the hands of the most devoted worker in this cause. The example of great and pure individuals is the only thing that can lead us to noble thoughts and deeds.

Money only appeals to selfishness and always tempts its owners irresistibly to abuse it. Can anyone imagine Moses, Jesus, or Gandhi armed with the money-bags of Carnegie?” — Albert Einstein

From monetary value to self-worth

James Clear provides us with a beautiful example of how compound interest works for self-development.

He’s what he has to say:

“Often we convince ourselves that change is only meaningful if there is some large, visible outcome associated with it. Whether it is losing weight, building a business, traveling the world or any other goal, we often put pressure on ourselves to make some earth-shattering improvement that everyone will talk about.

Meanwhile, improving by just 1 percent isn’t notable (and sometimes it isn’t even noticeable). But it can be just as meaningful, especially in the long run.”

Here’s a graph he put together to highlight his point.

So, here’s the key take home:

“If you get one percent better each day for one year, you’ll end up thirty-seven times better by the time you’re done.” — James Clear

To break it down even further, say you’re awake for 12 hours a day, 1% of 12 hours is 20 minutes.

So, setting aside just 20 minutes a day has the potential to make significant gains!

For me, that looks like doing my favourite breathwork practice every day. But find your way, double down on taking tiny steps forward, and compound interest the shit out of yourself 🙂

Your future self will hi-five you when you get there.

Please be aware that there is a more direct hotline than 911 for People in emotional distress.988 is a new National hotline to help people in a Mental Health Crisis. A number for anyone in mental distress to call for help.

Please pass this information on to anyone else that may work in counseling or coaching.

Yours in service
Calvin Harris, H. W., M.

New Thinking Allowed with Jeffrey Mishlove Dec 6, 2022 James Tunney, LLM, is an Irish barrister who has lectured on legal matters throughout the world. He is a poet, a scholar, and author of The Mystery of the Trapped Light: Mystical Thoughts in the Dark Age of Scientism plus The Mystical Accord: Sutras to Suit Our Times, Lines for Spiritual Evolution; also Empire of Scientism: The Dispiriting Conspiracy and Inevitable Tyranny of Scientocracy, TechBondAge: Slavery of the Human Spirit, and Human Entrance to Transhumanism: Machine Merger and the End of Humanity. His most recent book is Plantation of the Automatons. His website is http://www.jamestunney.com. Here he argues that society itself is turning into a giant machine, like an automaton and that individuals are, slowly, becoming integrated into this machine, and thus losing their autonomy. The antidote to this situation is the cultivation of a strong inner, spiritual life. However, societal mechanisms operate in a manner as to suppress the inner life with the many distractions of technology. He warns that many technologies, such as genetic engineering, sold to the public as beneficial – have the potential to be used by corporate entities for purposes of social control. New Thinking Allowed host, Jeffrey Mishlove, PhD, is author of The Roots of Consciousness, Psi Development Systems, and The PK Man. Between 1986 and 2002 he hosted and co-produced the original Thinking Allowed public television series. He is the recipient of the only doctoral diploma in “parapsychology” ever awarded by an accredited university (University of California, Berkeley, 1980). He is also the Grand Prize winner of the 2021 Bigelow Institute essay competition regarding the best evidence for survival of human consciousness after permanent bodily death. (Recorded on November 7, 2022)