Monthly Archives: February 2022

Ukraine’s EU Membership Application Registered at Brussels

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As Russian military closes on Kyiv, Ukrainian president Zelenskiy addressed his nation on Sunday, that Ukraine is officially seeking fast track membership with the European Union. He announced that he has signed the membership application and sent it off to Brussels. As of March 1 local time, Brussels has confirmed receipt.

“Our goal is to be with all Europeans and, most importantly, to be equal. I’m sure that’s fair. I am sure we deserve it,” he said in a video speech shared on social media.

Many European countries have been open and welcoming of the influx of Ukrainian refugees as the Russian invasion of Ukraine continues.

Coree ILBO copyright (c) 2013-2022, All rights reserved.

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Russia Invades Ukraine; US will impose Sanctions

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National Flag of Ukraine

On Thursday, Russia launched a full on attack against Ukraine, unleashing air strikes on both cities and military bases, as well as sending in troops. Ukrainian officials warned that Ukraine had already lost control over the decommissioned Chernobyl nuclear power plant to Russia.

Putin has warned against interference, even suggesting a possible nuclear action.

“Russia has embarked on a path of evil, but Ukraine is defending itself and won’t give up its freedom,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy tweeted. The president has requested a more severe sanction by the western powers, and for military mobilization. Kyiv underground was blocked for hours as people fears Russian invasion.

Along with the US and western Europe, those in East Asia and Oceania such as South Korea and Australia, have also spoken up against Russia. Given the cheap access to Russian gas might likely be hindered, it is a question as to how stern the western European powers can remain.

Coree ILBO copyright (c) 2013-2022, All rights reserved.

This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed in whole, or part without the express written permission.

More Kung Fu Tea Coming to Loudoun County, Virginia

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The famous chain boba tea store, Kung Fu Tea will be opening more stores in Loudoun County. The first store will be arriving at Loudoun Station development off Shellhorn Road in Ashburn. There will be 4 more in Loudoun.

The Other areas involved include: Diamond Lake Drive next to the Lansdowne Town Center, Ashburn Village Shopping Center, and at the Dulles Landing shopping center near Stone Ridge.

Australia Warns of Impending Russian Invasion of Ukraine, Imposes Sanctions

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Flag of Ukraine

Australia has begun imposing sanctions against Russia, warning that Russia could invade Ukraine at any minute.

Australia plans to impose travel bans and otherwise put heavy financial sanctions against both Russia and the separatist pro-Moscow regions of Ukraine, Luhansk and Donetsk. President Putin of Russia recognized their independence on Monday.

Coree ILBO copyright (c) 2013-2022, All rights reserved.

This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed in whole, or part without the express written permission.

Navy Engineers Pleads Guilty to Conspiring to share Nuclear Sub Info

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Navy nuclear engineer from Annapolis in Maryland pleaded guilty to charges of attempting to sell nuclear secrets to a foreign country. He conspired with his wife. Jonathan Toebbe was originally from Martinsburg in West Virginia, he and his wife conspired to share “restricted data,” which violates the Atomic Energy Act.

This does not absolve the wife from the same crime, but it might lessen her sentence based on how much complicit she was in the conspiracy and the act.

Toebbe had agreed to help authorities recover all restricted and sensitive government data, as well as the money given by the FBI to gather evidence in a sting operation.

Bail was denied to both parties as the government deemed that they were flight risks, despite the plea from the wife that she needed to be home with their two school-aged children. It is unclear of their destinies.

Toebbe had worked on nuclear propulsion for submarines within the Navy for almost a decade. Toebbe wished to work in espionage and had been building up information slowly for the past decade. He will be serving at least 17 years in prison.

Coree ILBO copyright (c) 2013-2022, All rights reserved.

This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed in whole, or part without the express written permission.

Search for Universal Covid Vaccine Begins

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Until recently, researchers and scientists have attempted to tackle the variants as they became prevalent, such as the initial strain, the delta variant, and now, the omicron variant.

However, it is also true that by the time the vaccines may be ready for public release, the omicron variant is expected to relent. Mask mandates are easing in the United States, and Europeans are beginning to strongly oppose what they see as draconian measures in covid-19 prevention measures.

Therefore, scientists are now focusing their energy on a new tactic: finding a vaccine that will attempt to protect the body against all variants of the coronavirus, and any other variant or viral infections that might appear on the horizon.

The researchers are now ready to search for a truly variant-proof vaccine, which would also prevent a future pandemic, protect against unknown coronavirus that will likely jump from animals to humans in the near future.

Many scientists are thinking big, in hoping not only to solve the covid-19 problem, but even the virus variants that cause the common cold, middle east respiratory syndrome, and any other bat coronaviruses.

The first iterations of the Sar-Cov-2 vaccine focused on the simple spike protein. Future iterations will require more sophistication, as the vaccines attempt to capture more variants.

It seems clear that there is much research to be done in the field of vaccination, and the relative success with the covid-19 virus is giving researchers hope in producing vaccines that might solve even broader sets of viruses plaguing the human race today.

Coree ILBO copyright (c) 2013-2022, All rights reserved.

This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed in whole, or part without the express written permission.

Comedian Bob Saget’s Cause of Death Revealed

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Autopsy revealed that Bob Saget, known for his role as Danny Tanner in Full House and as a host of America’s Funniest Videos, passed away recently in his hotel room after a show.

The late comedian’s cause of death was finally revealed and was shown to be head trauma. Although how Saget received a head trauma is unknown, but it is likely that Saget did not think much of the injury and went to sleep. Drugs and alcohol were not found in his system.

Much condolences to the Saget family.

Coree ILBO copyright (c) 2013-2022, All rights reserved.

This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed in whole, or part without the express written permission.

2022 Beijing Olympics and Fake Snow

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The Winter Olympics at Beijing have begun, and the athletes are competing in entirely fake snow. Normally, the Winter Olympics are held in locations that see high snowfall; average of at least 300 inches per year or more, given the nature of winter games and generally needing snow.

However, as seen on the Olympics footage, the mountains and surrounding landscape in Beijing are brown, showing no snowfall. Beijing does not often see high snowfall or accumulation.

Real snow and fake snow are both made of frozen water, but most athletes can tell the difference, and it has to do with the process of freezing.

Natural snow starts as a tiny ice crystal in a cloud, and as the crystal falls through the air, the ice crystal grows into a six-sided snowflake. Human-made snow simply freezes from a single droplet of water, which results in snow with billions of tiny spherical balls of ice. The color may be the same, but when it comes to snowing on it, the results are very different.

Human-made snow is very dense, almost like ice. Powder snow or natural snow, has a weightless feel, as it is made of more than 95% air.

Of course, natural snow has its downsides; it’s harder to slide down natural snow, so Olympics organizers may pour water and harden the snow.

But the downsides are equally bad. The hardened snow made entirely of man-made snow, can be too hard which can make jump landings difficult. It also makes speed control harder for skiiers due to its smooth top.

Already, several athletes have lost control during the skiing events. It wouldn’t be too big of a deal, except these are world class athletes. How much performance this will impact is not yet known.

Coree ILBO copyright (c) 2013-2021, All rights reserved.

This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed in whole, or part without the express written permission.

Vitamin D and Covid-19 Severity Could be Linked

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Israeli researchers have revealed that they’ve found a link between vitamin D levels and covid-19 severity. Specifically, those with adequate vitamin D levels prior to contracting the disease suffered less severe symptoms than those who had less than sufficient vitamin D.

The research is the first to look at vitamin D as a major factor and studied the 253 people admitted to Galilee Medical Center in Nahariya, Israel between April 2020 and February 2021, right before the Omicron surge.

This does not advocate against vaccinations; ultimately, vaccinations will protect against severe symptoms with 90% efficacy, but also having high vitamin D intake in the system will increase the chance of reducing covid-19 severity.

Coree ILBO copyright (c) 2013-2021, All rights reserved.

This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed in whole, or part without the express written permission.

 

Which State is the Best Retirement State?

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As the Baby Boomer generation begins to prepare and enter into retirement, there are several options based on your financial state and needs.

The states that have no income taxes include: Washington, Wyoming, South Dakota, Nevada, Texas, Alabama, Tennessee (newest entrant as of January 1, 2021), and Florida.

New Hampshire however, will charge income tax on dividends and interest.

These states have flat income tax rates from 3.07% to 5.0% percent: Vermont, Colorado, Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, and Rhode Island.

These states do not charge corporate income tax: Washington, Nevada, Wyoming, South Dakota, and Ohio

Lastly, these states follow the community property, so if one of the partners pass away, marital property transfer is less of a hassle: Washington, Idaho, Nevada, California, Arkansas, New Mexico, Texas, Louisiana, and Wisconsin.

Coree ILBO copyright (c) 2013-2021, All rights reserved.

This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed in whole, or part without the express written permission.