10 Steps We Can Take to Never Have a Year Like 2020: #7 Get a Better Understanding of Remote Teaching

Again the Quebec magazine L’actualitê has an interesting feature article in its April edition dealing with COVID-19 and translated it means what are the steps we can take to ensure we don’t have a year like 2020?

The seventh step to get a better understanding of remote teaching.

The pandemic has created the need for remote teaching causing many professors to suffer from mental distress!

Quebec experts in remote learning have said it is important to prepare teachers, students and parents for the next crisis. A recent poll in Quebec amongst 15,000 parents and children about their remote learning experience in the spring of 2020 showed the biggest difficulties was not to master the technology but rather how to learn on-line. It is not simply a question of turning on the camera and talk. It is necessary to intervene with the students, to give them tasks and have them work in groups.

It is necessary students have a good internet connection, that students can rapidly be contacted, that there is a rapid exchange between student and teacher, that the content and length of the lesson be reduced and that there be good group engagement.

Remote learning seems less effective the younger the student is. Remote learning really emerged as a tool for adults as a certain independence is necessary to make it effective.

“Mutantism on the March”: Chapter 29 “The Charter for Mutant Rights”

The international media picked up the story of the 4N attack focusing global attention on the southern coast of Columbia. Survivors recounted bizarre stories of attacking apes, a man in a loin cloth swinging on vines, hails of poison darts and a reindeer led aerial attack. Most of the surviving 4N executives suffered nervous breakdowns. Others were pensioned off early and given a cash incentive payment to accompany their nondisclosure agreement. The popular CIA inspired story was that this was a Cuban attack lead by revolutionary Chi Chi Guava. The junta was indignant but wasn’t that always the case when things were not going their way. Cuban American relations sunk to all time lows and the 4N attack was known as the Cuban Monkey Crisis. The most important result was that the 4N Company was driven out of Columbia.

Santa, Tarzan and Squid formed a deep and lasting friendship. The leader of the junta, Pepe Liquita, was humiliated and as the value of 4N stock slumped he committed suicide which was followed by a large-scale revolution that sent the junta scuttling off to the countries that maintained their secret accounts and safety deposit boxes.

The resistance fighters formed the Mutanto Politico and captured 70% of the vote in hastily called elections. Drug smuggling co-operatives were strengthened and a secret squad called the Cocaine for Columbians was dispatched to assassinate the drug czars who were attempting to industrialize cocaine production and enslave the peasantry as a cheap labour force. The cocaine Mafia was eliminated and the economy was falling back into the hands of the people where it belonged.

Before the three friends parted they agreed to the formation of a political grouping dedicated to struggling for the rights of the disadvantaged mutants including for those mutants labelled anti-capitalist. The Charter for Mutant Rights was established in Bogota and over 700 people from 39 countries signed the Charter, the Founding Fathers if you wish.

                                         The Charter for Mutant Rights

The rights of mutants are as sacred as those of any other citizen. It is well known that mutants have been subject to constant vilification throughout the ages. Too many mutants due to their nonstandard physical appearance or opposite political views are seen as inferior and are excluded from the political and economic system. We mutants loathe this behaviour. This disrespect can be done with sophistry and politeness but more often it is ugly.

We mutants are left to rot in hospitals, 4th rate circuses, reservations, basket weaving enterprises and have the most difficult time in underdeveloped countries where greed eclipses any degree of compassion. We shall work to stop the discrimination against mutants. If necessary, we shall resort to force.

Mind mutants are often subjected to the worst treatment in these so-called days of enlightenment. These misfortunates are often subjected to the worst treatment and are labelled as political dissidents and deviants. In reality they are basically like a normal citizen but it is for their ideas or appearance they are discriminated against and persecuted. They suffer because they look different than the majority or have non-conforming political ideas. Instead of being honoured for their uniqueness they are carted off to mental institutions or the gallows. Many are left in mental institutions where white clad techno princes “make them well”.

While the case of mind mutants is often more subtle, physical mutants are the most exposed and made to feel ashamed of their “handicap”. What is wrong with a mental case or a physical mutant? Nothing except for the fear of the “abnormal”. Special institutions are created for them. What mutants need to replace the demeaning charity of diamond studded patrons is money for themselves and an organization that fights for their rights instead of “well meaning” people holding lavish fund raisers for them. We do not want their guilt. We want their power.

War veterans are a case in point. The ruling classes of the state send them to fight while they grow rich off profits made in the industrial military complex. While the mentally and physically disfigured combatants sit isolated at home or in institutions the rulers of the state that sent them to war ignore them and perhaps toss a few coins their way and enjoy the profits generated by the military industrial complex. What generosity! And we are expected to act gracefully and like pious monks. Forget that shit. The hobbling and mentally damaged are confined to their beds and wheelchairs yet the wealthy socialize at their clubs and drive their luxury cars.

Perhaps the most crucial issue we are dealing with is subjectivity. How one perceives the world is largely subjective. Everyone’s view of reality may differ but who is to say what is right? Mutants share a radically different view of society and are persecuted as a result. If you don’t agree with the subjectivity of the mutants do not prosecute them, let them be. If a tiger is chasing you well then you run and what is wrong with that?

The mutants of the underdeveloped countries are the most repressed as their governments sell out their own countries and line their pockets leaving mutants on the sidelines in slums unemployed. Only the few grow rich and fat. Many mutants are left alone: let alone to starve.

We wish not to be categorized as Marxists as that group simply uses a different language to prosecute mutants than the capitalists do. We mutants seek self determination. You will be hearing more from us world.

This Charter appeals to the world to cease harassment of mutants, to provide a decent living for mutants, to stop imprisoning mutants and to release inmates from mental institutions except those convicted of murder, arson, child molestation and rapists. We will determine a just way to treat the “untreatable”.

This Charter demands equal treatment for ALL for that is the only way humanity and mutants can be freed.

This Charter challenges all mutants to establish Mutant Councils as weapons in the fight for respectability and power.

“The Road to Sparta”: Get’s you thinking who are the modern-day Persians?

This is a documentary on the Spartathlon which is a 246-kilometre marathon from Athens to Sparta. You probably know the story about how the word marathon found its way into the English language.

The Athenians refused to submit to Darius the King of Persia and Darius sent a fleet of Persian warships with soldiers that dropped anchor in the Bay of Marathon 40 kilometres northeast of Athens in 490 BC catching the vastly outnumbered Athenians by surprise. Athenian General Miltades sent a runner Phedippides on a 246 km run to Sparta asking for help. He then ran back with the reply. The Spartans were in the midst of an important festival and would not send the help requested. The Athenians launched a successful surprise attack killing 6,000 Persians losing only 192 of their soldiers.

To commemorate this heroic run the Spartathlon is run each September attracting marathoners from all over the world. So you’ll hear some of their stories and it is a gruelling blood and guts run which in this year only 205 of the 349 contestants finished the race all kissing the feet of a statute of the great Spartan general Leonidis. The runners all have their interesting personal stories. It is tough, brutal and punishing but set to Greek music and poetry and the scenery becomes more spectacular as the race progresses making this almost a work of art as opposed to a mundane sport documentary. But unlike many marathons this one is highly symbolic and patriotic to Greeks, perhaps even an event of national pride. A Belgian Ivan Cudin wins the race for the third time with a time of 22 hours, 29 minutes and 29 seconds.

Perhaps as a bit of a teaser the film starts with the Greek riot police pushing back demonstrators and ends with a shot of a man with a sign asking for money to buy food and antibiotics. Why these scenes? Obviously, no accident but for me begs the question about the effects of the Greek government’s austerity programmes and bailout taking a punishing toll on Greeks. The enemies of Greece then are no longer Persian warships but the brutality of its lenders, the Greek government cutbacks, the rise of the New Dawn far right party and the weaponization of immigration and threats of Turkey’s President Erdogan? I am not sure who the enemies are the director had in mind but I think I am fairly accurate in my interpretation.

The film is brought to you by the Hellenic Film Society USA through their website https://hellenicfilmusa.org/https://hellenicfilmusa.org/ . It runs until March 28th. You can catch the trailer here   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T5Z9-_UFG2Q

This 2016 60-minute film is in Greek and English with English subtitles where needed and is part of the celebration of 200 years of Greek independence. It is directed by Roddy Gibson and Barney Spender.

Passage of the Day: William Thackeray “Vanity Fair”: Death

“The doctor will come up to us too for the last time there, my friend in motely. The nurse will look in at the curtains and you take no notice- and then she will fling open the windows for a little and let in the air. Then they will pull down the front blinds of the house and live in the back rooms-then they will send for the lawyer and other men in black-Your comedy and mine will have been played then, and we shall be removed, Oh how far, from the trumpets, and the shouting, and the posture making. If we are gentlefolk they will put hatchments over our late domicile, with gilt cherubim, and mottoes stating that there is “Quiet in Heaven”. Your son will new furnish the house, or perhaps let it, and go into a more modern quarter: your name will be among the “Members Deceased” in the lists of your clubs next year. However much you will be mourned, your widow will like to have her weeds neatly made-the cook will send or come up to ask about dinner-the survivors will soon to bear to look at your picture over the mantlepiece, which will be presently be deposed from the place of honour, to make way for the son who reigns.”

“God Loves Caviar”: Ioannis Varvakis: Pirate, Merchant and Greek Revolutionary

Ioannis Varvakis (1745-1825) was born on the Greek island of Psara then under the control of the Ottoman Empire. His real name was Ioannis Leontides but Varvakis was a nickname that he received in childhood due to his imposing eyes which were like those of a bird of prey which lives on the island of Psara.

He started his career as a pirate in the Aegean Sea specializing in plundering Turkish vessels. He offered his ship to Russian forces in the Russo-Turkish War of 1768-1774 and steered his explosive laden ship into the Turkish flotilla causing severe losses. The Ottomans signed peace treaty with Russia granting Russia the large portion of the northern Black Sea and lands but did not result in Greek independence.

For his service to the Russians Catherine the Great gave him 1,000 golden roubles, authorization for unlimited and duty-free fishing in the Caspian Sea, a lieutenancy in the Russian navy and a right to settle in Russia.

Varvakis made a fortune through his fishing rights in the Caspian Sea. He developed a method to transport Caspian caviar without spoiling it hence the title of the film King of Caviar. By 1778 the businesses of Varvakis employed more than 3,000 people.

In 1810 Varvakis was granted the title of hereditary nobleman with a family coat of arms by Alexander1 of Russia who also made him court counsel and granted him the Order of St. Vladimir and Order of St. Anne. He joined the Greek revolutionaries in 1824 and died in 1825 on the Island of Zakynthos leaving his entire fortune to promote education in the new Greek state. The foundation he established still is operative.

The 2012 film also includes Catherine Deneuve as Catherine the Great and John Cleese as McCormick the British warden of the “sanitorium” on Zakynthos however their roles are cameos and the heavy lifting is by the German actor Sebastian Koch playing Varvakis and his slave Ivan (Evgenly Stychkin).

The cinematography and costume design are first rate. But some doubt its historical accuracy. The movie could have been transformed into a splashy extravaganza but focuses on the various inter-personal relationships of Varvakis.

Unfortunately the British bankers wanted Varvakis out of the picture so in order for them to make a loan to the fledging state of Greece they wanted him transferred to a British controlled “sanitorium” in Zakynthos (which was agreed to by the temporary Greek Prime Minister) where he died shortly thereafter. The treacherous state of politics.

How historically accurate the film may be is open to debate but it makes for a good adventure film. Entertaining and engrossing as the story of a poor man raising himself up to nobility by itself is exciting! You can see the trailer here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qA4MSCV2kSw

The film is one of the films brought to you by the Hellenic Film Society USA https://hellenicfilmusa.org/  which you will have to access their website to see the film. It runs until March 28th. Today is the 200th anniversary of Greek independence which the Hellenic Film Society USA is celebrating through film.

Directed by Yannis Smaragdis and most of the film is in English but when there is Russian or Greek dialogue there will be English subtitles.

“Mutantism on the March”; Chapter 28 “Santa’s Reign of Terror; Tarzan Gets Involved”

It was with a great deal of curious pomp that Santa arrived in his sleigh. Squid had run over to greet him and the six burly elves he had brought along. Santa was already well briefed on the situation. Squid only threw in some recent information. Santa, Squid and the elves discussed strategy over the next three days. Then they conferred with the local resistance cells.

Santa would lead a heavily armed force in the northern coast area. It was to be a hit and run strategy to create the illusion of a much larger force. It was hoped troops then would be moved o the northern coast leaving the south coast underdefended which was key as that is where the 4N factory was being constructed. With weak defences Squid and his band would destroy the complex. Rudolph was to be in charge of aerial bombing from the sleigh.

Dates and times were established for the offensive. Santa headed north with his band and Squid ordered all demonstrations and attacks on the south coast to be placed on hold to create the impression of resignation. Perhaps then the authorities would be less reluctant to send reinforcements to the northern coast. To increase his comfort level Squid contacted his friend Tarzan who was, of course, an expert on jungle warfare.

Tarzan was slouched in his chair sipping White Russians when Squid’s call came in. He cursed at the phone profusely thinking it was Jane’s lawyer demanding he make the alimony payments. He grinned amiably with Squid on the other end of the line. He insisted upon helping without being asked so he chartered a Bawana Airlines plane with two hundred fighters including 25 grenade launchers. 200 apes followed in another chartered plane armed with poison blowdarts.

Santa was having great success in the northern coast. Reports and rumours from the capital indicated the government believed they were being attacked by a force of 6,000 and as hoped troops were airlifted from the south coast to battle the rebels. A small platoon was left. So with a force of 50 soldiers and 200 apes brought up from Africa by Tarzan they were joined by local animals who were all too aware their habitat was being destroyed.

As Squid and his gang approached the complex there was a fierce fire fight with the Colombian platoon. The apes and animals charged into the fire causing several elder American engineers to suffer cardiac arrest. The survivors ran away in terror many felled by a hail of poison darts shot out by the apes. With Tarzan’s fighters and apes the platoon never really had a chance

70 soldiers and 8 American 4N executives perished. The apes bludgeoned to death the survivors. Only six of Squid’s soldiers died and 11 were wounded. 23 apes died. Tarzan lost 4 soldiers. Rudolph dropped his payload from the sleigh and the jungle was thick with smoke. One more pass with napalm by Rudolph ensured the complete destruction of the 4N complex.

“Voluntary Sharing” of COVID Vaccination or COVID Tests

How can the sharing of your COVID test result or vaccination be voluntary? Your employer or the airline may require you to provide proof of COVID vaccination or your COVID test results and of course thanks to IBM and its Digital Health Pass at the end of the day is providing this information really voluntary? Sounds more like coercion to me.

New York and IBM Begin COVID-19 Digital Health Pass Pilot

March 2, 2021

By Steve LaFleche, General Manager, IBM Public and Federal Market

For the last several months, the preeminent puzzle for humanity has been figuring out how to emerge from the pandemic and responsibly return to a new version of business-as-usual. Absent any single quick fix, people around the world have relied on ingenuity and innovation to light a path forward.

The first piece of good news broke when scientists announced they had developed several vaccines in record time to combat the spread of COVID-19. Now, as governments and health providers manage the ongoing rollout of those life-saving vaccines, the public needs new tools to begin a gradual, confident return to normalcy. One of those promising tools has been developed by IBM, and it is about to get a test run in the United States.

This week, the State of New York shared that it began a pilot program based on IBM’s Digital Health Pass powered by blockchain. The aim is to eventually provide New York residents a simple, voluntary, and secure method for showing proof of a negative COVID-19 test result or certification of vaccination.

The pass would give the state’s residents the ability to voluntarily share their health status on their own terms using a tool that has been built from the ground-up with robust privacy protections in place. Each participant will determine what information they want to share, with whom, when and for what purpose – without sharing the underlying personal data used to generate the credential.

This is in keeping with IBM’s leadership in the responsible stewardship of technology and clients’ most valuable data. The IBM Digital Health Pass conforms to IBM’s high ethical standards, long-established Principles for Trust and Transparency, and guidelines for deployment of technologies in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Because the digital health pass runs on the open standards of blockchain technology, it can interoperate easily with other solutions so that people won’t have to rely on multiple apps when going about their daily lives. Its open architecture also allows other states to join the effort, which could provide the foundation for a secure and interwoven ecosystem enabling governments, businesses, and people nationwide to power a safer, trusted transition to a post-pandemic reality.

IBM supports the equitable and inclusive application of health passes, and expansive access to the COVID-19 vaccine, and other related healthcare services. So the tool can also be easily tailored to make it more convenient and accessible as states receive user feedback which could include support for multiple languages or giving users the option to revert to a paper-based pass.

In choosing to test a flexible and accessible tool that places the security and privacy of personal data at its core, this can be a national example of how new approaches can help safely reinvigorate economies while also protecting public health. New York is focusing their program on trust, inclusivity and convenience. And at IBM, it’s work we are proud to support.


Steve LaFleche,
General Manager, IBM Public and Federal Market

“Searching for Andreas: Political Leadership in Times of Crisis”: The complicated nature of Greek politics

Greek politics have never been easy to understand. How complex they can be are detailed in the 2018 Greek documentary “Searching for Andreas: Political Leadership in Times of Crisis” available until March 29th through the Hellenic Film Society USA https://hellenicfilmusa.org/

I have taken 5 pages of notes on this film and I don’t want to spoil the story nor do I want you to nod off.

For Greek political and history buffs this is a do not miss film.

For novices you might wish to say Greek politics has been rough and tumble since the 40’s and until recently with the election of Kyriakos Mitsotakis in 2019. Greece was occupied by Germany from 1941-44. Then the Metaxas dictatorship from 1936-41. Then a Civil War from 1946-49. Then another dictatorship from 1967-74 under Colonel George Papadopoulos. The far-right new Dawn in the 90’s until 2019.

Andreas Papandreou was born on the Greek Island of Chios in 1919 where his father George was the Governor of the Aegean Islands. George later became Greek Prime Minister on three separate occasions.

Andreas enrolled in the Athens Law School from 1937 until 1938 when he was arrested by the Metaxas dictatorship and left for the United States where he obtained a PHD in philosophy and economics. He then taught economics at the university level. Andreas divorced his wife and married an American woman with which he had three children. He returned to Greece in 1963 and his father George, newly elected Prime Minister, appointed Andreas as a Minister to the Prime Minister and Alternative Minister of Economic Co-ordination. Andreas was arrested in the Papadopoulos coup of 67 and left for the United States and Canada. In September of 1971 he returned to Greece and founded the Panhellenic Socialist Movement (PASOK). Andreas was a three-time Prime Minister of Greece in the late 1980’s and mid nineties.

All said and done Andreas was a perplexing figure many seeing him as a populist hero and socialist reformer. Others vilified him for the same reason. He did create a national health care system in his first term as Prime Minister (1981-85) but it was a series of reforms that led to ballooning state deficits and overextended banks on the verge of collapse.

At the end of his third term as Prime Minister (1993-96) he was removed as leader of PASOK in 1996 and died in June of 1996. His son George A. Papandreou become a PASOK Prime Minister from 2009-2011. Unfortunately, he walked into the Economic collapse of Greece that required three “bail outs” in 2010, 2012 and 2015.

The question is was Andreas a charismatic populist who introduced social reforms that bankrupted Greece? Did his time as Prime Minister cultivate a cult of populism?

As a political scientist states at the end of the film Greeks should not look for a political Messiah but instead focus on checks and balances in the system and reforms in the educational and judicial system that will affect the entire political system.

This 95-minute 2018 film is directed by Harris Mylonas and Theo Prodromidis and is in Greek with English subtitles.

The film is one of ten celebrating 200 years of Greek independence available through the Hellenic Film Society USA and runs until March 29th.

You can watch the trailer here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DKha7qmiHvE

You trust Big Pharma, technology companies and IBM with your personal information…….right? Who are these “organizations” accessing your health information?

Moderna and IBM Plan to Collaborate on COVID-19 Vaccine Supply Chain and Distribution Data Sharing

Initial focus on technologies aiming to bolster trust and help reduce community spread

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. and ARMONK, N.Y., March 4, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — Today, Moderna (Nasdaq: MRNA) and IBM (NYSE: IBM) announced their intentions to explore technologies, including artificial intelligence, blockchain and hybrid cloud, that could help support smarter COVID-19 vaccine management. Central to the effort will be a pilot of open, standardized, technology-enabled vaccine distribution approaches aimed to improve supply chain visibility and foster near real-time tracking of vaccine administration.

The aim is to identify ways technology can be used to help accelerate secure, information sharing between governments, healthcare providers, life science organizations and individuals. In so doing, Moderna and IBM seek to improve confidence in vaccine programs and increase rates of vaccination, thereby reducing community spread.

Initial work is planned to focus on exploring the utility of IBM capabilities in the U.S. including:

  • Vaccine management solutions that provide end-to-end traceability to address potential supply chain disruptions. The solutions enable governments and healthcare providers to quickly and securely share data regarding individual vaccine batches as they travel through the complex COVID-19 supply chain, from manufacturing facilities to administration sites.
  • Digital Health Pass, built on blockchain technology, is a solution designed to help individuals maintain control of their personal health information and share it in a way that is secured, verifiable and trusted. Organizations can use the solution to verify health credentials for employees, customers and travelers based on criteria specified by the organization, such as test results, vaccination records and temperature checks.

“Moderna is committed to working with a coalition of partners to increase education and awareness of the importance of vaccination to help defeat COVID-19,” said Michael Mullette, VP, Managing Director North America Commercial Operations of Moderna. “We look forward to working with IBM to apply digital innovations to build connections between organizations, governments, and individuals to instill confidence in COVID-19 vaccines.”

“If ever there was a time to rally around open technology and collaboration, it’s now,” said Jason Kelley, Managing Partner, Global Strategic Alliances Leader for IBM. “As governments, pharmacy chains, healthcare providers and life sciences companies continue to scale and connect their tools, and as new players enter the supply chain, open technology can help drive more transparency and bolster trust, while helping to ensure accessibility and equity in the process.”

The work with Moderna aligns with IBM’s efforts to help address the COVID-19 pandemic by providing access to its technology portfolio. At the outset of the pandemic, IBM joined the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy and other technology companies as part of the COVID-19 High Performance Computing Consortium, a partnership to give supercomputing resources to researchers to help speed the discovery and development of COVID-19 vaccines. IBM also offered its IBM Clinical Development (ICD) solution to eligible trial sponsor organizations as part of its medical community support efforts to help address the pandemic. The company received interest from numerous hospitals, sponsors, contract research organizations and academic institutions.

About IBM

Statements regarding IBM’s future direction and intent are subject to change or withdrawal without notice and represent goals and objectives only. For more information about IBM visit, www.ibm.com.

About Moderna

In 10 years since its inception, Moderna has transformed from a science research-stage company advancing programs in the promising-but-still-unproven field of messenger RNA (mRNA), to an enterprise with its first medicine having treated millions of people, a diverse clinical portfolio of vaccines and therapeutics across six modalities, a broad intellectual property portfolio in areas including mRNA and lipid nanoparticle formulation, and an integrated manufacturing plant that allows for both clinical and commercial production at scale and at unprecedented speed. Moderna maintains alliances with a broad range of domestic and overseas government and commercial collaborators, which has allowed for the pursuit of both groundbreaking science and rapid scaling of manufacturing. Most recently, Moderna’s capabilities have come together to allow the authorized use of one of the earliest and most-effective vaccines against the COVID-19 pandemic.

Moderna’s mRNA platform builds on continuous advances in basic and applied mRNA science, delivery technology and manufacturing, and has allowed the development of therapeutics and vaccines for infectious diseases, immuno-oncology, rare diseases, cardiovascular diseases and auto-immune diseases. Today, 24 development programs are underway across these therapeutic areas, with 13 programs having entered the clinic. Moderna has been named a top biopharmaceutical employer by Science for the past six years. To learn more, visit www.modernatx.com.

Forward-Looking Statement

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, as amended, including statements regarding: initiatives for IBM and Moderna to collaborate on technologies to facilitate COVID-19 vaccine distribution and the potential for these initiatives to increase vaccination rates and slow the spread of COVID-19. In some cases, forward-looking statements can be identified by terminology such as “will,” “may,” “should,” “could,” “expects,” “intends,” “plans,” “aims,” “anticipates,” “believes,” “estimates,” “predicts,” “potential,” “continue,” or the negative of these terms or other comparable terminology, although not all forward-looking statements contain these words. The forward-looking statements in this press release are neither promises nor guarantees, and you should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements because they involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors, which could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. These risks, uncertainties, and other factors those other risks and uncertainties described under the heading “Risk Factors” in Moderna’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020, filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and in subsequent filings made by Moderna with the SEC, which are available on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov. Except as required by law, Moderna disclaims any intention or responsibility for updating or revising any forward-looking statements contained in this annual report in the event of new information, future developments or otherwise. These forward-looking statements are based on Moderna’s current expectations and speak only as of the date hereof.

Canada Launches Economic Sanctions Against China

Special Economic Measures (People’s Republic of China) Regulations

Whereas the Administrator in Council is of the opinion that gross and systematic human rights violations have been committed in the People’s Republic of China;

Therefore, His Excellency the Administrator of the Government of Canada in Council, on the recommendation of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, pursuant to subsections 4(1)a, (1.1)b, (2) and (3) of the Special Economic Measures Actc, makes the annexed Special Economic Measures (People’s Republic of China) Regulations.

a S.C. 2017, c. 21, s. 17(1)

b S.C. 2017, c. 21, s. 17(2)

c S.C. 1992, c. 17

Definitions

Definitions

1 The following definitions apply in these Regulations.

People’s Republic of China includes

(a) any of its political subdivisions;

(b) its government and any of its departments or any government or department of its political subdivisions; and

(c) any of its agencies or any agency of its political subdivisions. (République populaire de Chine)

Minister means the Minister of Foreign Affairs. (ministre)

List

Listed person

2 A person whose name is listed in the schedule is a person who is in the People’s Republic of China, or is a national of the People’s Republic of China who does not ordinarily reside in Canada, and in respect of whom the Governor in Council, on the recommendation of the Minister, is satisfied that there are reasonable grounds to believe is

(a) a person who has participated in gross and systematic human rights violations in the People’s Republic of China;

(b) a current or former senior official of the Government of the People’s Republic of China;

(c) an associate or family member of a person referred to in paragraph (a) or (b);

(d) an entity owned, held or controlled, directly or indirectly, by a person referred to in paragraph (a), (b) or (c) or acting on behalf of or at the direction of a person referred to in paragraph (a), (b) or (c); or

(e) a senior official of an entity referred to in paragraph (d).

Prohibitions

Prohibited dealings and activities

3 It is prohibited for any person in Canada or any Canadian outside Canada to

(a) deal in any property, wherever situated, that is owned, held or controlled by a listed person or by a person acting on behalf of a listed person;

(b) enter into or facilitate any transaction related to a dealing referred to in paragraph (a);

(c) provide any financial or related services in respect of a dealing referred to in paragraph (a);

(d) make available any goods, wherever situated, to a listed person or to a person acting on behalf of a listed person; or

(e) provide any financial or related services to or for the benefit of a listed person.

Non-application

4 Section 3 does not apply in respect of

(a) any payment made by or on behalf of a listed person that is due under a contract entered into before the person became a listed person, provided that the payment is not made to a listed person or to a person acting on behalf of a listed person;

(b) any transactions necessary for a Canadian to transfer to a non-listed person any accounts, funds or investments of a Canadian held by a listed person on the day on which that person became a listed person;

(c) any dealings with a listed person required with respect to loan repayments made to any person in Canada, or any Canadian outside Canada, for loans entered into with any person other than a listed person, and for enforcement and realization of security in respect of those loans, or payments by guarantors guaranteeing those loans;

(d) any dealings with a listed person required with respect to loan repayments made to any person in Canada, or any Canadian outside Canada, for loans entered into with a listed person before that person became a listed person, and for enforcement and realization of security in respect of those loans, or payments by guarantors guaranteeing those loans;

(e) any benefit paid under the Old Age Security Act, the Canada Pension Plan or the Act respecting the Québec Pension Plan, CQLR, c. R-9, any superannuation, pension or benefit paid under or in respect of any retirement savings plan or under any retirement plan, any amount paid under or in respect of the Garnishment, Attachment and Pension Diversion Act or the Pension Benefits Division Act and any other payment made in respect of disability to any person in Canada or any Canadian outside Canada;

(f) financial services required in order for a listed person to obtain legal services in Canada with respect to the application of any of the prohibitions set out in these Regulations;

(g) any transaction in respect of any account at a financial institution held by a diplomatic mission, if the transaction is required in order for the mission to fulfill its diplomatic functions as set out in Article 3 of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations or, if the diplomatic mission has been temporarily or permanently recalled, when the transaction is required in order to maintain the mission premises;

(h) any transaction with any international organization with diplomatic status, with any United Nations agency, with the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement or with any entity that has entered into a grant or contribution agreement with the Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development; and

(i) a transaction by the Government of Canada that is provided for in any agreement or arrangement between Canada and the People’s Republic of China.

Assisting in prohibited activity

5 It is prohibited for any person in Canada or any Canadian outside Canada to knowingly do anything that causes, facilitates or assists in, or is intended to cause, facilitate or assist in, any activity prohibited by section 3.

Duty to determine

6 The following entities must determine on a continuing basis whether they are in possession or control of property that is owned, held or controlled by or on behalf of a listed person:

(a) authorized foreign banks, as defined in section 2 of the Bank Act, in respect of their business in Canada, and banks regulated by that Act;

(b) cooperative credit societies, savings and credit unions and caisses populaires regulated by a provincial Act and associations regulated by the Cooperative Credit Associations Act;

(c) foreign companies, as defined in subsection 2(1) of the Insurance Companies Act, in respect of their insurance business in Canada;

(d) companies, provincial companies and societies, as those terms are defined in subsection 2(1) of the Insurance Companies Act;

(e) fraternal benefit societies regulated by a provincial Act in respect of their insurance activities and insurance companies and other entities regulated by a provincial Act that are engaged in the business of insuring risks;

(f) companies regulated by the Trust and Loan Companies Act;

(g) trust companies regulated by a provincial Act;

(h) loan companies regulated by a provincial Act;

(i) entities that engage in any business described in paragraph 5(h) of the Proceeds of Crime (Money Laundering) and Terrorist Financing Act if the business involves the opening of an account for a client; and

(j) entities authorized under provincial legislation to engage in the business of dealing in securities or to provide portfolio management or investment counselling services.

Duty to disclose — RCMP or CSIS

7 (1) Every person in Canada, every Canadian outside Canada and every entity set out in section 6 must disclose without delay to the Commissioner of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police or to the Director of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service

(a) the existence of property in their possession or control that they have reason to believe is owned, held or controlled by or on behalf of a listed person; and

(b) any information about a transaction or proposed transaction in respect of property referred to in paragraph (a).

Immunity

(2) No proceedings under the Special Economic Measures Act and no civil proceedings lie against a person for a disclosure made in good faith under subsection (1).

Applications

Application — removal from list

8 (1) A listed person may apply to the Minister in writing to have their name removed from the schedule.

Reasonable grounds

(2) On receipt of an application, the Minister must decide whether there are reasonable grounds to recommend to the Governor in Council that the applicant’s name be removed from the schedule.

New application

9 If there has been a material change in circumstances since the last application was submitted, a person may submit another application under section 8.

Mistaken identity

10 (1) A person whose name is the same as or similar to the name of a listed person and who claims not to be that person may apply to the Minister in writing for a certificate stating that they are not that listed person.

Determination by Minister

(2) Within 30 days after the day on which the Minister receives the application, the Minister must,

(a) if it is established that the applicant is not the listed person, issue the certificate; or

(b) if it is not so established, provide notice to the applicant of his or her determination.

Application Before Publication

11 For the purpose of paragraph 11(2)(a) of the Statutory Instruments Act, these Regulations apply according to their terms before they are published in the Canada Gazette.

Coming into Force

12 These Regulations come into force on the day on which they are registered.

Schedule

(Sections 2 and 8)

Persons

Part 1

Individuals

  1. ZHU Hailun
  2. WANG Junzheng
  3. WANG Mingshan
  4. CHEN Mingguo

Part 2

Entities

  1. Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps Public Security Bureau

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