- after gaining your Open University certificates/qualifications you may want to rename them to something more useful. That's the purpose of the following script:
rename_open_uni_certs-1.00.zip
https://drive.google.com/file/d/19XbjjOSpzn9kZB4JMRmhdjEtlsr_86Qc/view?usp=sharing
- description is as follows:
# Once you're done getting free certificates from Open University
# you may like to rename them to something more reasonable (as opposed
# to something more akin to SK195_5_statement.pdf). This script
# takes PDF certification complete files from your personal
# achievement section (viewable when you login) and then renames
# them to something that is more sensible to the human mind.
# Use a browser based download manager (such as DownloadThemAll)
# if you have many certificates to download. This means you don't
# have to figure out how to deal with bypassing authentication issues
# on the CLI.
# https://www.open.edu/openlearn/profiles/zy934084/achievements
# https://www.open.edu/openlearn/profiles/zy194210/achievements
# https://www.open.edu/openlearn/profiles/zy513282/achievements
# https://www.open.edu/openlearn/free-courses/full-catalogue
# http://dtbnguyen.blogspot.com/2020/08/corbett-report-podcast-downloader.html
# http://dtbnguyen.blogspot.com/2020/11/get-free-open-university-course-scripts_3.html
#
# As this is the very first version of the program it may be VERY buggy.
# Please test prior to deployment in a production environment.
- you may be interested in the following posts as well:
http://dtbnguyen.blogspot.com/2020/11/get-free-open-university-course-scripts_3.html
http://dtbnguyen.blogspot.com/2019/08/getting-free-education-and-training.html
https://dtbnguyen.blogspot.com/2020/01/it-business-startup-resources-random.html
http://dtbnguyen.blogspot.com/2020/10/cvresume-harvesting-research-notes.html
https://dtbnguyen.blogspot.com/2020/01/email-harvesting-notes-sperminator-ari.html
http://dtbnguyen.blogspot.com/2018/09/seek-email-crawler-random-stuff-and-more.html
http://dtbnguyen.blogspot.com/2018/08/create-usernames-security-script-random.html
https://dtbnguyen.blogspot.com/2019/08/finding-fundinginvestment-making-money.html
https://dtbnguyen.blogspot.com/2019/07/comparing-icos-random-stuff-and-more.html
https://dtbnguyen.blogspot.com/2019/07/online-marketing-and-sales-notes-random.html
https://dtbnguyen.blogspot.com/2019/02/cryptocurrency-market-manipulation.html
https://dtbnguyen.blogspot.com/2019/01/free-online-advertising-and-marketing.html
https://dtbnguyen.blogspot.com/2018/03/social-media-bot-coding-notes-random.html
http://dtbnguyen.blogspot.com/2018/01/social-media-comment-bot-random-stuff.html
https://dtbnguyen.blogspot.com/2018/03/compare-social-media-script-random.html
https://dtbnguyen.blogspot.com/2018/03/whitepaper-examine-script-random-stuff.html
https://dtbnguyen.blogspot.com/2018/03/random-picture-makingblending-script.html
https://dtbnguyen.blogspot.com/2018/02/email-address-harvesting-script-random.html
https://dtbnguyen.blogspot.com/2017/08/cryptocurrencies-cryptocurrency-mining.html
https://dtbnguyen.blogspot.com/2017/08/the-big-5-us-it-firms-arent-unbeatable.html
http://dtbnguyen.blogspot.com/2017/04/youtube-news-downloader-script-music.html
http://dtbnguyen.blogspot.com/2018/01/net-neutrality-or-googleyoutube.html
http://dtbnguyen.blogspot.com/2015/01/building-reaktor-synthesisers-download.html
http://dtbnguyen.blogspot.com/2017/04/linux-planet-blog-checker-script-github.html
http://dtbnguyen.blogspot.com.au/2017/03/prophetspre-cogsstargate-program-8.html
http://dtbnguyen.blogspot.com/2015/10/geo-politics-soundcloud.html
http://dtbnguyen.blogspot.com/2019/09/4coder-website-downloader-script-random.html
http://dtbnguyen.blogspot.com/2018/02/bypassing-ejay-downloader-manager.html
http://dtbnguyen.blogspot.com/2020/08/corbett-report-podcast-downloader.html
Random Stuff:
- as usual thanks to all of the individuals and groups who purchase and use my goods and services
http://sites.google.com/site/dtbnguyen/
http://dtbnguyen.blogspot.com.au/
- latest in science and technology
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https://www.dw.com/en/spectacular-ice-age-rock-paintings-found-in-colombian-rainforest/a-55960718
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https://www.wsfm.com.au/entertainment/youll-be-able-to-see-planets-kiss-this-week-in-a-once-in-20-year-event/
https://www.theguardian.com/science/2020/dec/14/digital-technology-reveals-secrets-of-uks-earliest-bristol-dinosaur
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2020/dec/23/elon-musk-i-tried-to-sell-tesla-to-apple
https://www.theverge.com/2018/11/26/18113539/facebook-messenger-old-threads-conversations-resurfacing-no-reason
https://www.afr.com/markets/equity-markets/afterpay-storms-the-market-s-most-exclusive-club-20201214-p56nab
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-12-16/accc-takes-federal-court-action-against-facebook/12988974
https://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/parenting/kids/new-rules-to-prevent-child-deaths-from-button-batteries/news-story/28bb82d39538d87325270cf442653098
https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/australia/australian-super-seaweed-supplement-to-reduce-cattle-gas-emissions-wins-1m-international-prize/ar-BB1c1utF?pfr=1
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-12-16/arctic-sea-ice-dramatic-transformation-as-seen-by-satellites/12961584?nw=0
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-12-19/inside-covid-19-vaccine-development-in-india/12980614
https://sputniknews.com/viral/202012261081573640-loud-booms-and-bangs-mysterious-fireball-crashes-in-china--video/
- latest in finance and politics
https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/world/philanthropy-is-still-dominated-by-the-ultrawealthy-but-asking-billionaires-to-solve-inequality-is-colossally-stupid/ar-BB1bG8us?getstaticpage=true
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-12-22/inside-renos-overflowing-coronavirus-hospital/13002874
https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/australia/almost-500-million-of-unclaimed-money-available-for-nsw-residents/ar-BB1bW4iq?pfr=1&c=1926525302346318136&mkt=en-us+
https://www.ibtimes.co.in/what-else-can-be-done-imran-khans-shocking-response-pakistans-rising-inflation-831336
https://edition.cnn.com/interactive/2017/05/world/chinas-new-world-order/
https://www.afr.com/policy/foreign-affairs/can-australia-cope-with-china-s-new-world-order-20201026-p568l6
https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/australia/former-premier-labels-ashley-a-mini-risdon-prison-urges-its-closure/ar-BB1bWey9
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2020/dec/14/the-usaustralia-refugee-deal-couldnt-have-been-handled-much-worse
https://www.news.com.au/travel/travel-updates/health-safety/us-shocked-that-australians-will-be-stranded-abroad-this-christmas/news-story/a460c72a91844196d987f86cd01d7666
https://www.9news.com.au/national/school-banking-programs-commonwealth-dollarmites/075816f5-07d1-47f9-a4cc-bfd26aaa18c6
https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/australia/china-accuses-australia-of-playing-the-victim-and-politicising-trade-says-coal-ban-is-responsible-act/ar-BB1bWG0N
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-12-24/ashley-youth-detention-centre-workers-compensation-revealed/13013034
https://www.afr.com/work-and-careers/education/unis-give-up-teaching-indonesian-just-when-we-need-our-close-neighbour-20201209-p56m3a
https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/australia/hospitality-workers-can-earn-a-1000-bonus-by-signing-up-to-a-new-job/ar-BB1bT6Ik?item=flights%3aprg-enterpriseblended-t%2c1s-ent-microsoft
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-12-11/jessica-camilleri-decapitation-of-mother-rita-found-guilty/12971564
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/dec/13/joe-bidens-bid-to-rally-the-free-world-could-spawn-another-axis-of-evil
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/dec/15/scott-morrison-lashes-china-over-reported-ban-on-australian-coal-imports
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-12-12/australia-recognised-threat-png-vulnerability-represents-china/12974846
https://www.news.com.au/technology/environment/natural-wonders/vanished-todd-river-suddenly-reappears/news-story/bad3fa608d65f0b3c6408189d11a87e0
- latest in defense and intelligence
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Homecoming
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Floyd_James_Thompson
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disappearance_of_Robert_Levinson
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/dec/04/china-super-soldiers-biologically-enhanced-john-ratcliffe
https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/commentary/china-jet-fighter-plane-america-more-powerful-military-air-force-13776138
https://www.miragenews.com/tsu-is-supplying-wall-penetrating-radars-to-china/
https://www.rt.com/usa/510105-pentagon-afghanistan-lost-equipment/
https://www.news.com.au/finance/coronavirus-has-helped-china-close-the-economic-and-political-gap-with-the-united-states/news-story/b3ea5e70a2f6fd9c25d592b7c9e1e145
https://www.dw.com/en/gwadar-why-is-pakistan-fencing-chinas-belt-and-road-port/a-56026436
https://sputniknews.com/russia/202012261081575312-russian-doomsday-plane-theft-details-of-equipment-heist-emerge/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boeing_E-4
https://military.wikia.org/wiki/Boeing_E-4
https://www.rt.com/usa/510096-cia-ufo-brennan-open-mind/
https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/38251/india-plans-to-kit-out-old-airliners-as-early-warning-jets-to-keep-pace-with-its-rivals
https://www.republicworld.com/india-news/general-news/super-hornet-fighter-jet-performs-ski-jump-launch-in-us-indian-embassy-officials-witness-boeing.html
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2020/dec/24/kevin-rudd-to-register-under-foreign-influence-scheme-but-labels-government-guidance-absurd
https://nationalinterest.org/blog/reboot/why-nothing-could-stop-6th-generation-f-22-stealth-fighter-jet-174811
https://seapowermagazine.org/boeing-super-hornet-demonstrates-ski-jump-launch-capability/
https://www.janes.com/defence-news/news-detail/greeces-rafale-buy-gets-the-green-light
https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/37647/pilot-in-a-real-aircraft-just-fought-an-ai-driven-virtual-enemy-jet-for-the-first-time
https://www.rt.com/news/508962-israel-space-chief-alien-federation/
https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/37964/france-confirms-that-indonesia-wants-to-buy-rafale-fighter-jets
https://www.weeklyblitz.net/news/al-qaeda-man-on-the-streets-of-britain/
https://nypost.com/2020/12/24/china-second-warship-to-trial-as-south-china-sea-tensions-rise/
https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/38114/no-russia-really-doesnt-need-a-new-single-engine-fighter
https://www.portsmouth.co.uk/news/defence/repair-bill-fix-royal-navys-leaky-aircraft-carriers-set-hit-ps55m-3072338
https://www.defenseworld.net/news/28565/China_Scoffs_at_Taiwan_s_First__Aircraft_Carrier_Killer__Corvette
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https://www.rt.com/russia/509625-bear-shelter-collects-thousands-dollars/
https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2020/dec/23/australias-grumpy-cat-shelter-staff-bent-on-finding-demonic-chester-a-home
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Random Quotes:
- Amid a round of international events in the coming weeks to examine the UN's sustainable development goals (SDGs), Alston suggests the framework they provide for poverty eradication appeared more tailored for "colourful posters" and "bland reports".
...
Although the World Bank claims that the number of people in extreme poverty fell from 1.9 billion in 1990 to 736 million in 2015, says Alston, he adds that is "scandalously unambitious", and evidence shows it doesn't even cover the cost of food or housing in many countries.
The poverty decline it purports to show is due largely to rising incomes in a single country, China. And it obscures poverty among women and those often excluded from official surveys, such as migrant workers and refugees.
Speaking to the Guardian from New York, Alston expanded on his point about China, saying that while the country's leaders did appear genuinely committed to poverty reduction – like other countries – that often amounted to a statistical exercise in pushing people over the World Bank's $1.90 threshold.
"One of 'miracle' case studies always used is China. But I remember visiting China, and meeting with key people in charge of a taskforce eradicating extreme poverty, where it would be clear the discussion was how you could take [a] village or situation to get people the extra three cents a day [to get them over the threshold], not about how to improve their miserable situation. It was a statistical challenge."
Remarking on his period in the past he added: "I think saddest things in the west is that support for poverty elimination has largely evaporated."
Alston explained it largely in terms of the focus of political interest. "It was [senator] Bernie Sanders who said to me at one stage, look how many colleagues have rallies in very poor areas. They don't see votes in them. And the overwhelming success of the ideological campaign that supports neoliberal policies is that it has succeeded in convincing people that those in poverty have no one to blame but themselves, while supporting the notion that trickle down policies will address it."
https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2020/jul/07/we-squandered-a-decade-world-losing-fight-against-poverty-says-un-academic
- China is beginning "mass production" of fifth-generation J-20B stealth fighter jets in a bid to seize control of the local airspace from neighboring U.S. allies.
"It's going to be really hard for us to keep up with the numbers that China's going to have," said the American Enterprise Institute's Zack Cooper, a former Pentagon official who specializes in the U.S.-China military competition. "That's going to be a really big struggle."
Chinese officials announced the manufacturing initiative last week, just as State Department officials finalized plans to approve a $23 billion deal to sell 105 F-35 fighter jets to Japan.
"The U.S.-Japan Alliance is the cornerstone of peace, security, and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region," a State Department official said. "We value Japan's purchase of advanced U.S. defense items, taking on new roles and missions within the alliance and contributing more to international security."
That reference to Japan's "new roles and missions" likely will deepen Beijing's belief that Tokyo's military buildup represents a threat. "Washington is a wolf," the Global Times, a Chinese state-run propaganda outlet, said of the U.S. decision to approve the sale. "Wolves always go hunt in group. And as an alpha wolf, it is leading a so-called international coalition with wolf pack tactics."
For China, stealth fighter jets could prove valuable in a prospective invasion of Taiwan — the island refuge of the government overthrown during the Chinese Communist revolution, analysts say.
"The Chinese are interested in air superiority because air superiority is seen as an important prerequisite" for any conflict on the ground or at sea, the Heritage Foundation's Dean Cheng said. "Advanced surface-to-air missile systems are very, very lethal, so the idea that you're going to fly a combat mission with non-stealthy aircraft is pretty much a nonstarter."
Japan, on the other hand, could use the F-35s to defend its interests in the Senkaku Islands, which are claimed by both Beijing and Tokyo, as well as other small islands south of Okinawa and near Taiwan. These islands have outsized military importance because they can hold outposts for observing or even interfering with Chinese efforts to sail warships from the mainland into the open ocean.
"So, one of the fears is that in the event of a conflict between China and Japan, or China and the United States, or even China and Taiwan, that maybe the Chinese would try to grab these little islands," Cheng added.
That's an important issue for American strategists. Not only does the U.S. have a security treaty with Japan and a long-standing policy of buttressing Taiwanese defenses against China, but constraints on Beijing's ability to flex military muscle in the region are also valuable in light of Washington's perception that the rising communist power is engaged in "a cold war" with the U.S.
Still, the lethality of China's new challenge is unknown. "We're not going to really know how good the J-20 is until we see it in combat," Cooper said. "And hopefully, that's not going to happen for quite some time."
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/policy/defense-national-security/china-begins-mass-production-of-new-stealth-fighter-jet
- On Sunday, The New York Times said it had obtained details of an 18-page proposed agreement that would vastly expand Chinese presence in banking, telecommunications, ports, railways and dozens of other projects. In exchange, China would receive a regular supply of Iranian oil over the next 25 years, it said.
It confirmed that Iran and China were nearing conclusion of the roadmap in defiance of the US, saying the document foresees "a sweeping economic and security partnership."
The roadmap invites "billions of dollars" of Chinese investments in the Islamic Republic, thus undermining the administration of US President Donald Trump's efforts to isolate the country through its "maximum pressure" campaign. Especially, the cooperation would prove a "major blow" to the US administration's "aggressive" policy towards Iran since its withdrawal from the nuclear deal, The Times added.
Addressing the economic side of the roadmap, Aqa-Mohammad said the document would not just cover oil and gas sales, stretching as far as enabling Iran and China to cooperate in "all economic areas."
According The New York Times, the document also describes deepening military cooperation in a region that has been a strategic preoccupation of the United States for decades. It calls for joint training and exercises, joint research and weapons development and intelligence sharing.
The defensive collaboration is aimed at fighting "the lopsided battle with terrorism, drug, and human trafficking and cross-border crimes," it added.
"The draft agreement with Iran shows that unlike most countries, China feels it is in a position to defy the United States, powerful enough to withstand American penalties, as it has in the trade war waged by President Trump," The Times said.
http://www.presstv.com/Detail/2020/07/13/629497/Iran-China-roadmap-Leader-advisor-economic-defensive-cooperation
- So, why donate to the chimps? "The answer for me," he said, is "because humans put these chimps in harm's way in the first place, robbing them of a healthy, happy fulfilling natural life — and because we're the only ones who can right the wrong."
https://www.latimes.com/environment/story/2020-07-15/fundraiser-will-help-build-permanent-new-homes-for-32-stranded-chimpanzees
rename_open_uni_certs-1.00.zip
https://drive.google.com/file/d/19XbjjOSpzn9kZB4JMRmhdjEtlsr_86Qc/view?usp=sharing
- description is as follows:
# Once you're done getting free certificates from Open University
# you may like to rename them to something more reasonable (as opposed
# to something more akin to SK195_5_statement.pdf). This script
# takes PDF certification complete files from your personal
# achievement section (viewable when you login) and then renames
# them to something that is more sensible to the human mind.
# Use a browser based download manager (such as DownloadThemAll)
# if you have many certificates to download. This means you don't
# have to figure out how to deal with bypassing authentication issues
# on the CLI.
# https://www.open.edu/openlearn/profiles/zy934084/achievements
# https://www.open.edu/openlearn/profiles/zy194210/achievements
# https://www.open.edu/openlearn/profiles/zy513282/achievements
# https://www.open.edu/openlearn/free-courses/full-catalogue
# http://dtbnguyen.blogspot.com/2020/08/corbett-report-podcast-downloader.html
# http://dtbnguyen.blogspot.com/2020/11/get-free-open-university-course-scripts_3.html
#
# As this is the very first version of the program it may be VERY buggy.
# Please test prior to deployment in a production environment.
- you may be interested in the following posts as well:
http://dtbnguyen.blogspot.com/2020/11/get-free-open-university-course-scripts_3.html
http://dtbnguyen.blogspot.com/2019/08/getting-free-education-and-training.html
https://dtbnguyen.blogspot.com/2020/01/it-business-startup-resources-random.html
http://dtbnguyen.blogspot.com/2020/10/cvresume-harvesting-research-notes.html
https://dtbnguyen.blogspot.com/2020/01/email-harvesting-notes-sperminator-ari.html
http://dtbnguyen.blogspot.com/2018/09/seek-email-crawler-random-stuff-and-more.html
http://dtbnguyen.blogspot.com/2018/08/create-usernames-security-script-random.html
https://dtbnguyen.blogspot.com/2019/08/finding-fundinginvestment-making-money.html
https://dtbnguyen.blogspot.com/2019/07/comparing-icos-random-stuff-and-more.html
https://dtbnguyen.blogspot.com/2019/07/online-marketing-and-sales-notes-random.html
https://dtbnguyen.blogspot.com/2019/02/cryptocurrency-market-manipulation.html
https://dtbnguyen.blogspot.com/2019/01/free-online-advertising-and-marketing.html
https://dtbnguyen.blogspot.com/2018/03/social-media-bot-coding-notes-random.html
http://dtbnguyen.blogspot.com/2018/01/social-media-comment-bot-random-stuff.html
https://dtbnguyen.blogspot.com/2018/03/compare-social-media-script-random.html
https://dtbnguyen.blogspot.com/2018/03/whitepaper-examine-script-random-stuff.html
https://dtbnguyen.blogspot.com/2018/03/random-picture-makingblending-script.html
https://dtbnguyen.blogspot.com/2018/02/email-address-harvesting-script-random.html
https://dtbnguyen.blogspot.com/2017/08/cryptocurrencies-cryptocurrency-mining.html
https://dtbnguyen.blogspot.com/2017/08/the-big-5-us-it-firms-arent-unbeatable.html
http://dtbnguyen.blogspot.com/2017/04/youtube-news-downloader-script-music.html
http://dtbnguyen.blogspot.com/2018/01/net-neutrality-or-googleyoutube.html
http://dtbnguyen.blogspot.com/2015/01/building-reaktor-synthesisers-download.html
http://dtbnguyen.blogspot.com/2017/04/linux-planet-blog-checker-script-github.html
http://dtbnguyen.blogspot.com.au/2017/03/prophetspre-cogsstargate-program-8.html
http://dtbnguyen.blogspot.com/2015/10/geo-politics-soundcloud.html
http://dtbnguyen.blogspot.com/2019/09/4coder-website-downloader-script-random.html
http://dtbnguyen.blogspot.com/2018/02/bypassing-ejay-downloader-manager.html
http://dtbnguyen.blogspot.com/2020/08/corbett-report-podcast-downloader.html
Random Stuff:
- as usual thanks to all of the individuals and groups who purchase and use my goods and services
http://sites.google.com/site/dtbnguyen/
http://dtbnguyen.blogspot.com.au/
- latest in science and technology
https://freec.asia/
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Random Quotes:
- Amid a round of international events in the coming weeks to examine the UN's sustainable development goals (SDGs), Alston suggests the framework they provide for poverty eradication appeared more tailored for "colourful posters" and "bland reports".
...
Although the World Bank claims that the number of people in extreme poverty fell from 1.9 billion in 1990 to 736 million in 2015, says Alston, he adds that is "scandalously unambitious", and evidence shows it doesn't even cover the cost of food or housing in many countries.
The poverty decline it purports to show is due largely to rising incomes in a single country, China. And it obscures poverty among women and those often excluded from official surveys, such as migrant workers and refugees.
Speaking to the Guardian from New York, Alston expanded on his point about China, saying that while the country's leaders did appear genuinely committed to poverty reduction – like other countries – that often amounted to a statistical exercise in pushing people over the World Bank's $1.90 threshold.
"One of 'miracle' case studies always used is China. But I remember visiting China, and meeting with key people in charge of a taskforce eradicating extreme poverty, where it would be clear the discussion was how you could take [a] village or situation to get people the extra three cents a day [to get them over the threshold], not about how to improve their miserable situation. It was a statistical challenge."
Remarking on his period in the past he added: "I think saddest things in the west is that support for poverty elimination has largely evaporated."
Alston explained it largely in terms of the focus of political interest. "It was [senator] Bernie Sanders who said to me at one stage, look how many colleagues have rallies in very poor areas. They don't see votes in them. And the overwhelming success of the ideological campaign that supports neoliberal policies is that it has succeeded in convincing people that those in poverty have no one to blame but themselves, while supporting the notion that trickle down policies will address it."
https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2020/jul/07/we-squandered-a-decade-world-losing-fight-against-poverty-says-un-academic
- China is beginning "mass production" of fifth-generation J-20B stealth fighter jets in a bid to seize control of the local airspace from neighboring U.S. allies.
"It's going to be really hard for us to keep up with the numbers that China's going to have," said the American Enterprise Institute's Zack Cooper, a former Pentagon official who specializes in the U.S.-China military competition. "That's going to be a really big struggle."
Chinese officials announced the manufacturing initiative last week, just as State Department officials finalized plans to approve a $23 billion deal to sell 105 F-35 fighter jets to Japan.
"The U.S.-Japan Alliance is the cornerstone of peace, security, and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region," a State Department official said. "We value Japan's purchase of advanced U.S. defense items, taking on new roles and missions within the alliance and contributing more to international security."
That reference to Japan's "new roles and missions" likely will deepen Beijing's belief that Tokyo's military buildup represents a threat. "Washington is a wolf," the Global Times, a Chinese state-run propaganda outlet, said of the U.S. decision to approve the sale. "Wolves always go hunt in group. And as an alpha wolf, it is leading a so-called international coalition with wolf pack tactics."
For China, stealth fighter jets could prove valuable in a prospective invasion of Taiwan — the island refuge of the government overthrown during the Chinese Communist revolution, analysts say.
"The Chinese are interested in air superiority because air superiority is seen as an important prerequisite" for any conflict on the ground or at sea, the Heritage Foundation's Dean Cheng said. "Advanced surface-to-air missile systems are very, very lethal, so the idea that you're going to fly a combat mission with non-stealthy aircraft is pretty much a nonstarter."
Japan, on the other hand, could use the F-35s to defend its interests in the Senkaku Islands, which are claimed by both Beijing and Tokyo, as well as other small islands south of Okinawa and near Taiwan. These islands have outsized military importance because they can hold outposts for observing or even interfering with Chinese efforts to sail warships from the mainland into the open ocean.
"So, one of the fears is that in the event of a conflict between China and Japan, or China and the United States, or even China and Taiwan, that maybe the Chinese would try to grab these little islands," Cheng added.
That's an important issue for American strategists. Not only does the U.S. have a security treaty with Japan and a long-standing policy of buttressing Taiwanese defenses against China, but constraints on Beijing's ability to flex military muscle in the region are also valuable in light of Washington's perception that the rising communist power is engaged in "a cold war" with the U.S.
Still, the lethality of China's new challenge is unknown. "We're not going to really know how good the J-20 is until we see it in combat," Cooper said. "And hopefully, that's not going to happen for quite some time."
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/policy/defense-national-security/china-begins-mass-production-of-new-stealth-fighter-jet
- On Sunday, The New York Times said it had obtained details of an 18-page proposed agreement that would vastly expand Chinese presence in banking, telecommunications, ports, railways and dozens of other projects. In exchange, China would receive a regular supply of Iranian oil over the next 25 years, it said.
It confirmed that Iran and China were nearing conclusion of the roadmap in defiance of the US, saying the document foresees "a sweeping economic and security partnership."
The roadmap invites "billions of dollars" of Chinese investments in the Islamic Republic, thus undermining the administration of US President Donald Trump's efforts to isolate the country through its "maximum pressure" campaign. Especially, the cooperation would prove a "major blow" to the US administration's "aggressive" policy towards Iran since its withdrawal from the nuclear deal, The Times added.
Addressing the economic side of the roadmap, Aqa-Mohammad said the document would not just cover oil and gas sales, stretching as far as enabling Iran and China to cooperate in "all economic areas."
According The New York Times, the document also describes deepening military cooperation in a region that has been a strategic preoccupation of the United States for decades. It calls for joint training and exercises, joint research and weapons development and intelligence sharing.
The defensive collaboration is aimed at fighting "the lopsided battle with terrorism, drug, and human trafficking and cross-border crimes," it added.
"The draft agreement with Iran shows that unlike most countries, China feels it is in a position to defy the United States, powerful enough to withstand American penalties, as it has in the trade war waged by President Trump," The Times said.
http://www.presstv.com/Detail/2020/07/13/629497/Iran-China-roadmap-Leader-advisor-economic-defensive-cooperation
- So, why donate to the chimps? "The answer for me," he said, is "because humans put these chimps in harm's way in the first place, robbing them of a healthy, happy fulfilling natural life — and because we're the only ones who can right the wrong."
https://www.latimes.com/environment/story/2020-07-15/fundraiser-will-help-build-permanent-new-homes-for-32-stranded-chimpanzees
