Working long and hard-Dont believe a word of it

Working long and hard

Nov 30, 2018 / 7:00 pm | Story: 243387

Photo: Contributed

Yiyang Shen and Wei Liu came to Canada in search of a life that was more balanced between work and play and less interference. “It sounded to me to be more fair and more open-minded. You can speak your mind without fear of offending your boss or a friend,” explains Yiyang. They took the advice of a friend who recommended the Okanagan.

The couple met while attending university in the United Kingdom in 2010. Three years later they married and immigrated to Canada in April 2016.                        

They first settled in Okanagan Falls where a friend invited them to stay. They had trouble adjusting to the wide open spaces. “The town I come from in China has about five million people. Okanagan Falls has two or three thousand. So, I didn’t see many people. It took me a while to adjust to that kind of situation,” says Yiyang.

Wei loves the tranquility of Canada. “I was saying to my wife the other day. This is the first time in a while that I’ve been able to hear the crickets chirping before I fall asleep.” It reminds him of his childhood, growing up in China. His family lives in a northern town.

Wei is working as a translator at Phantom Creek Estates Winery in Oliver. Wei says one of the many attractions of working at the winery is the mix of different cultures.

“Our team is very international and diversified: Canadian, German, Austrian, Kiwi, Portuguese and Chinese. All team members are all very knowledgeable with listening ears, which definitely helps with our internal communications while working together toward our shared goals,” he says.

Because they have a small start-up team Wei has taken the opportunity to learn about the wine industry. He’s done everything from planting the grapes to harvesting them. “I’m not required to do so but I think it’s helpful just to gain more knowledge — hands-on experience. I like to learn something new all the time — that’s why I took this job. I didn’t shy away because it was something I had never done before. I’m always ready to take on new challenges.”

Yiyang also found work initially, in the wine industry. She worked at the Burrowing Owl Winery. “I really enjoyed that work. It was the first time I worked in that industry. It was a positive experience because most of the customers are there for a holiday. So, the time you spend with them is very pleasant.”

But it’s working with a law firm that Yiyang has gotten the most fulfillment. The firm does a lot of probate work with estate settlements. She has a lot of empathy for her clients and does her best to help them through their situation. “When I do the paperwork, I don’t see it as just doing paperwork. I’m trying to put our clients at ease. I am very careful about doing my work because I don’t want to send documents to the courts and have them sent back because they weren’t done properly — then the clients have to wait a longer period of time to have the process completed. I want to give them peace of mind.”

It’s not just the survivors that Yiyang has compassion for. She also thinks of the loved one that they lost. “When I see the death certificate, when I see previous bank statements, or even just their signature, I feel connected to those people. I want to know their life story.”                        

The couple says their immersion into Canadian culture has been largely a positive experience. They know there is some resistance to immigrants but they haven’t experienced any of it.

“I know, as Chinese, we are different from Canadian culture which might be misunderstood. I know that we have some habits some might consider offensive but overall, I feel we are all the same. We believe in love. We believe in working hard. We believe in people taking care of each other. We share a lot of basic values and beliefs. So, I hope people can be more open-minded. I hope people will see the benefits that all immigrants bring to Canada,” Yiyang says.

[I dont believe them one bit..me]

Shenzhen Half-Marathon cheating scandal, more than 250 bans handed down

Shenzhen Half-Marathon embroiled in cheating scandal, more than 250 bans handed down

Nov 2018

PHOTO: Chinese state media has labelled the cheating scandal "deeply shameful". (iStockPhoto/Sergey Ivanov)

RELATED STORY: Imposter cheats his way into marathon second place

More than 250 runners have been caught cheating during the Shenzhen Half-Marathon in China, with organisers handing out hundreds of bans after last weekend's race.

The majority of the bans were for runners taking shortcuts — 237 people were caught on traffic cameras cutting through bushes — while several other runners were found to be wearing fake bibs.

Organisers said those who took the shortcut would have run up to three kilometres less than the full 21.1km distance.

"We deeply regret the violations that occurred during the event," Chinese news outlet Xinhua quoted organisers as saying.

"Marathon running is not simply exercise, it is a metaphor for life, and every runner is responsible for him or herself."

Chinese media has come down harshly on the scandal, with the People's Daily calling on runners to "respect the marathon and respect sporting spirit", while Xinhua labelled it "deeply shameful".

"Don't run and forget why you run. Don't let the marathon turn sour," it said.

A sharp rise in the number of events in recent years and mass participation has also been blamed for the problem.

China has held 1,072 marathons and road races this year, up from 22 in 2011, according to the Xinhua report, quoting figures from the Chinese Athletics Association.

China orders scientists to stop work on gene-editing babies, calls it illegal

Nov 30 2018

ABOVE: China orders halt to gene-editing after outcry over babies.

China’s government has ordered a halt to work by a medical team that claimed to have helped make the world’s first gene-edited babies.

Vice Minister of Science and Technology Xu Nanping told state broadcaster CCTV Thursday that his ministry is strongly opposed to the efforts that reportedly produced twin girls born earlier this month.

READ MORE: Chinese scientist defends work, says 2nd gene-altered pregnancy may be underway

Xu called the team’s actions illegal and unacceptable and said an investigation had been ordered.

Researcher He Jiankui claims to have altered the DNA of the twins to try to make them resistant to infection with the AIDS virus. Mainstream scientists have condemned the experiment, and universities and government groups are investigating.

There is no independent confirmation of what He says he did. He has said a second pregnancy may be underway.

WATCH: Are gene-edited babies the future? How CRISPR technology works

The announcement came after a group of leading scientists declared it’s still too soon to try making permanent changes to DNA that can be inherited by future generations.

Although the science holds promise for helping people already born, the scientists said Thursday that it’s irresponsible to try it on eggs, sperm or embryos because not enough is known yet about its risks or safety.

Scandal in Britain as NHS plasma supplies sold off by Tories for £230 million, then sold on to the Chinese for £820 million

...May 2017

In 2013 the Tories sold off the state owned NHS blood plasma supplier,

Plasma Resources UK (PRUK) to US private equity firm Bain Capital for £230 million.

It’s now been revealed that the US firm has sold  the NHS plasma supply company – now renamed Bio Products Laboratory – to Chinese state-owned firm Creat, for £830 million.

Which means the hapless Tories have managed to cost the UK taxpayer £590 million – while at the same time ensuring essential supplies of plasma to UK patients are now in the hands of the Chinese government.

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Creat Group Corporation buys Bio

Products Laboratory Ltd.

May 18, 2016

ELSTREE, HERTFORDSHIRE, May 18, 2016 – Bio Products Laboratory Ltd. (“BPL”), a leading plasma biotherapeutics company, today announces that a group controlled by Creat Group Corporation (“Creat”), has signed a definitive agreement to acquire the company for a total cash consideration of £820 million.

BPL, headquartered in Elstree, Hertfordshire, provides lifesaving therapeutics for conditions related to immune deficiencies, bleeding disorders, and critical care. BPL’s plasma division, the largest supplier of US plasma to third parties, provides specialty and source plasma to manufacturers that also produce lifesaving therapies.

Creat, a leading Chinese investment group, will invest £100 million in BPL to expand production capacity of lifesaving therapies, develop new products and access new markets. BPL’s existing management team is staying with the company, which will remain headquartered in the UK. Creat will support management’s ambition to transform BPL into a global life-sciences champion, serving more customers and patients in a greater number of markets around the world. Creat is a long-term strategic investor with a track record of growing businesses and a deep knowledge of the plasma sector.

Currently, BPL is 80% owned by Bain Capital Private Equity and 20% by the UK Department of Health. BPL’s Board of Directors is unanimously supportive of the proposed sale of the company to Creat. Under Bain Capital’s ownership, the company has been transformed from a loss-making business to a profitable one. More than £50 million has been invested in the business, over 750 new jobs have been created, including over 150 at its UK headquarters, and sales have increased by 58%.

John Perkins, CEO of BPL, said: 
“I am delighted by our achievements at BPL in recent years. We have transformed BPL into a growth company by investing in people, production capacity, and new products. Ultimately, we have increased supply and introduced new therapies to better serve patients. Creat and the management team share a common set of values and a vision of what BPL can become. Creat is an ideal partner for BPL’s next phase of growth. The entire BPL management team is excited to be working with Creat and is committed to the future of BPL.”

Mr Ng Yuk, CEO of Creat Group Corporation, said: 
“We have come to know the management team at BPL well in recent years and have the highest respect for what they have achieved. We believe we can help BPL achieve its growth ambitions through our long-term investment approach and our deep knowledge of this sector. Our additional investment will create new highly skilled jobs in the UK, as well as increase the supply of important plasma biotherapeutic products for the UK and globally, serving the needs of patients who depend on these lifesaving products.”

About Bio Products Laboratory Ltd. 
BPL is a leading manufacturer of plasma-derived protein therapies with global headquarters in Elstree, England, US headquarters for its Therapeutics operation in Durham, NC. The company exports to more than 45 countries worldwide. BPL has over 60 years of experience developing and manufacturing plasma-derived therapies since being established as part of the Lister Institute in 1950, and currently markets a wide range of products including coagulation factors, human immunoglobulins, and albumin. BPL is committed to continued investment in research and development to maintain its key position as a reliable supplier of high-quality products to patients and healthcare providers worldwide.

About Creat Group Corporation 
Creat Group Corporation is a leading Chinese investment group founded in 1992 that has significant expertise in the plasma industry. It invests in healthcare and pharmaceuticals, manufacturing, energy, finance, natural resources, and real estate. The company is based in Beijing, China, with other offices in Hong Kong and Shanghai.

..............................................................

Creat Group has been trusted and respected by all circles since its establishment in 1992, and it has created value for the society and achieved certain development based on its focus on professionalism in financial sector, advantages on project judgment, innovation vitality of operation team, monitoring system for risk prevention and its employees, who believe in integrity and rightness, treat friends nicely, good at cooperation and willing to help others. While establishing strategic partnership with investee companies and providing them with fund supports, Creat has been enthusiastically helping enterprises optimizing their mechanism, expanding their markets, up-scaling and increasing their strengths to lay a solid foundation for their future development, allow them to take leading position in their industries, and increase return to shareholders. It has gone through a development path with Creat’s characteristics, and formed its core competence which integrates resources integration with investment service. 

Creat Group entered into the period of stable development after 2007, it has positioned the enterprise as a professional investment company, and made great efforts to build a century-old enterprise in the field of global investment. Accompany with the continuous outward expansion of company operations, Creat acquired another important strategic opportunity. Based on its profound understanding of China’s industrial transformation and development as well as its comprehensive advantages in acquiring resources at abroad, technologies, market, management, brands and projects, Creat has co-founded fund management organizations and China concept funds with international capital, and successfully facilitated many M&As and reorganizations at home and abroad in the fields of resources development, modern manufacturing and high technology.

Creat Group has gone through over 20 years of development. As a Chinese investment company guided by international strategy, Creat has built an excellent professional investment management team, which persisting in the core idea of  ‘attaching importance to integrity and moral principle, achieving win-win situation through cooperation, being perseverant and persistent and pursuing innovation and excellence’. We have made today’s achievement by being grateful, repaying society for its care and shouldering corporate responsibility. Looking forward to the future, we are willing to continue our cooperation with friends from different countries and share development opportunities. 

Zheng Yuewen

Chairman of the Board, Creat Group Corporation

B.C. woman who assaulted boy, faces deportation can re-appeal her sentence

A B.C. Supreme Court judge has found that Feng Eng, who faced deportation after using a kitchen knife to assault a four-year-old boy, wasn't properly informed about the immigration consequences of her sentence.

KEITH FRASER

Updated: November 8, 2018

The Scales of Justice statue at B.C. Supreme Court in Vancouver. Feng Eng, who has permanent resident status, pleaded guilty in June 2016 to one assault causing bodily harm and assault with a weapon. JASON PAYNE / PNG

The B.C. Supreme Court has given a woman who was convicted of assaulting a four-year-old boy a chance to fight potential deportation.

Feng Eng, who has permanent resident status but has not become a Canadian citizen since immigrating to Canada from China in 1992, pleaded guilty in June 2016 to one assault causing bodily harm and assault with a weapon.

The offences related to an incident on July 1, 2015 when the boy and his grandmother were in the backyard of a B.C. residence where Eng, a mother of two adult children who is now in her mid-50s, lived.

Angered by the noise they were causing, Eng seized a kitchen knife with a 12-inch blade, ran outside and attacked the boy, who is only identified with the initials D.W. in a court ruling on the case.

The grandmother tried to intervene but suffered cuts to her hand when she tried to grab the knife from Eng.

Hearing the screams, D.W.’s father came running, tackled Eng and took the knife from her.

D.W. suffered serious physical injuries, spending seven days in the hospital and requiring stitches to the front, back and side of his head.

Eng, who had a history of serious mental illness going back at least 15 to 20 years, was sentenced to six months less a day in jail.

The sentencing judge had received submissions that if a sentence of six months or more was imposed, Eng would be inadmissible to Canada and could potentially be subject to a deportation order and have no right to appeal that order.

The judge also noted that Eng had credit for pre-sentence custody amounting to 5 1/2 months but said that the sentence should not be looked at as an actual sentence of 11 1/2 months minus the 5 1/2 months.

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Eng appealed the sentence but abandoned that appeal in October 2017 when the Crown advised her that it intended to have the sentence increased.

She was released from prison on Oct. 31, 2017 but shortly afterward was served notice that immigration authorities might seek to have her removed from Canada.

In February, the Canada Border Services Agency issued a report recommending she have an admissibility hearing with the report writer being of the opinion that she was inadmissible.

She met with a new lawyer and learned that under the pertinent immigration regime and authorities, an offender’s credited pre-sentence custody period is considered together with their actual sentence in determining the term of imprisonment.

In other words, her total sentence for the purposes of determining her right to appeal a deportation order was 11 1/2 months, not the six months less a day jail term.

She sought clarification from the sentencing judge, who is not identified in the B.C. Supreme Court ruling, but was told that the matter would be left with the immigration authorities to decide the effect of his sentence.

Eng got the immigration matter adjourned and filed a motion seeking to have her sentence appeal reinstated.

In his ruling, B.C. Supreme Court Justice Peter Voith said he was unable to determine with any measure of confidence whether the sentencing judge gave her an effective sentence of 11 1/2 months.

Voith said it was clear that Crown and defence at the sentencing hearing did not understand the immigration regime or how pre-sentence custody should be considered.

“The sentencing judge, in turn and not surprisingly, does not appear, respectfully, to have fully understood the potential consequences that he determined was appropriate.”

The judge allowed the sentence appeal to be reinstated, noting that Eng had been in Canada for more than 25 years, had no other criminal record and had her husband and children living with her.

“She was not advised of, and did not properly understand, the potential consequences of her abandoning her sentencing appeal.

“In such circumstances, I do not think right-thinking members of the public would be disturbed by Ms. Eng pursuing her appeal or would believe that the interests of justice were not being served.”

Designer baby steps: [Shocking Development] World’s first ‘gene-edited’ children born in China

 26 Nov, 2018

First GMO/Designer Children... [why?]

FILE PHOTO. CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing process at the Max-Delbrueck-Centre for Molecular Medicine. ©Gregor Fischer/dpa via Global Look Press

Twin girls have been born in China after their genes were edited to resist the HIV virus, a first for mankind, a Chinese geneticist claims.

Gene-editing tool advancement during this decade has transformed tailoring human genes from the stuff of science fiction into a practical possibility. In 2015, Chinese researchers reported the first successful editing of a human embryo. While cautiously minded people advocated against experimenting in this area until the technology is more mature and humanity settles ethical issues with designer babies, a Chinese scientist may have already overseen research that has produced twin girls with edited genomes.

He Jiankui of Shenzhen says the babies are meant to be resistant to the HIV virus after he switched off a certain gene. The work was reported in Chinese medical documents published online. He confirmed that he had conducted such research to the Associated Press ahead of an international genetics conference held in Hong Kong this week. He said his pioneering efforts are meant to blaze a trail for other researchers.

Read more

No 'designer babies': Groups warn of potential dangers in human embryo modification

“I feel a strong responsibility that it’s not just to make a first, but also make it an example. Society will decide what to do next,” He told AP reporters. The scientist claims that while those involved in the research are not ethicists, they are “authorities on what is correct and what is wrong” in this case, “because it’s their life on the line.”

The tool called CRISPR-cas9 allows the relatively simple and cheap editing of genes. The method has been used to treat certain diseases in humans, but the editing didn’t affect what they could pass on to their children. Altering an embryo has a significant difference: the altered DNA can be inherited.

He says that he chose the HIV virus because it has become a serious problem in China, with between 500,000 and 1.5 million people infected. If the condition becomes publicly known, a person faces social stigma. The project offered couples infected with HIV a chance to have a child that would be resistant to their parents’ illness, an opportunity that some were eager to seize. The participants were also offered free fertility treatments. The parents of the twin girls have declined to be interviewed or even identified.

A number of scientists have reviewed the results provided to AP, but say that it is still too early to say whether or not the procedure was actually successful. The work is yet to be published in a peer-reviewed publication. Some scientists told the agency that the treatment itself has questionable value for patients, considering that effective treatment for HIV has been developed and that the editing he did may have made the babies more susceptible to other diseases like flu.

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AP also said that the consent forms for patients described the treatment as an HIV “vaccine” development program, indicating that the participants may have been misled. Bioengineering Professor Michael Deem, who was the scientist’s adviser when he studied in the US and who worked with him on the project, said he believes the participants were fully aware of the risks involved and that the consent forms were explaining the nature of the treatment in “layman’s terms.”

He runs a lab at the Southern University of Science and Technology of China in Shenzhen and owns two genetics companies in the country. Previously, he experimented on mice, monkeys and human embryos. He has already applied for patents for his methods, although no commercial applications were mentioned so far.