《BBC》2/21

*緬甸首都內比都（Nay Pyi Taw）週末示威人群眾多，他們為一名年輕女子的葬禮，上街抗議軍事政府。

Mya Thwe Thwe Khaing在她20歲生日前被槍殺，她是自2/2日起抗議軍事政變還緬甸民主示威中，至少三人喪生的第一人。

成千上萬的人在大街上向她表示致敬，示威者用三指代表他們致敬的心意。

緬甸軍方於本月初推翻了民選政府。抗議者也要求釋放領導人翁山蘇姬和她的全國民主聯盟（NLD）黨的其他成員。

軍方指出去年全國民主聯盟的壓倒性選舉勝利是欺詐性的，但沒有提供明確證據。

Myanmar coup: Huge crowds mourn woman killed in protests https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-56144904

* 英國首相承諾，到7月底，所有英國成年人可以得到至少第一劑冠狀病毒疫苗並且接種完畢。

自2020年12月英國推出Covid-19疫苗以來，已有1,700萬人接種。
但是首相Boris Johnson說，他現在希望施打的速度“走得更遠，更快”。

他說，七月份全體成人施打完成的目標將使“弱勢群體”得到“更快”的保護，並將助英國進一步放寬全國的封鎖規則。

醫療機構NHS英格蘭地區首席執行官西蒙·史蒂文斯爵士（Simon Stevens）表示，“早期跡象”顯示疫苗的推出，已導致住院人數下降。
英國首相將在周一制定完整的“路線圖”，與高級部長舉行最後會議，討論如何緩解英格蘭的封鎖。

Covid vaccine: All UK adults to be offered jab by 31 July - PM https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-56141867

* 澳洲總理莫里森（Scott Morrison）在全國準備本週開始接種疫苗時，先率先施打COVID 19冠狀病毒疫苗。
他在週日以電視現場直播轉播，公開注射，以增強人們對疫苗的信心。

疫苗正式於週一開始接種，預計下週將至少接種60,000劑。

星期六，一小群反疫苗接種示威者抗議發射。
澳大利亞總理斯科特·莫里森（Scott Morrison）在該國準備本週開始接種疫苗的同時，已接受了冠狀病毒疫苗。
週日對他的戳刺進行了電視轉播，以幫助增強人們對在澳大利亞各地推廣該疫苗的信心。
疫苗正式於週一開始接種，預計下週將至少接種60,000劑。

上星期六，一小群反疫苗接種示威者，曾上街抗議。

莫里森（Morrison）與一些前線衛生工作者和養老院居民一起在周日一起接受疫苗接種。澳洲的首席護士教授艾莉森·麥克米蘭教授和首席醫學官保羅·凱利教授也被加入施打範圍。

莫里森先生在接受疫苗接種之前說：“明天我們的疫苗接種計劃開始了，所以今天作為希望疫苗注射提高推動者，我們在這裡展現非常重要的觀點；安全性，重要性和意義，我們需要從那些最脆弱，處於前線醫護人員施打起。”

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has received the coronavirus vaccine as the country prepares to start inoculations this week.
His jab was televised on Sunday in order to help boost confidence in the vaccine rollout across Australia.
Vaccinations officially begin on Monday and at least 60,000 doses are expected to be administered next week.
On Saturday, small crowds of anti-vaccination demonstrators gathered to protest against the launch.
Mr Morrison was part of a small group of people vaccinated on Sunday along with some frontline health workers and care home residents. Australia's chief nurse Professor Alison McMillan and Chief Medical Officer Professor Paul Kelly were also immunised.
Speaking at ahead of his vaccination, Mr Morrison said: "Tomorrow our vaccination programme starts, so as a curtain raiser today we're here making some very important points; that it's safe, that it's important, and we need to start with those who are most vulnerable and are on the front line."

Australian PM is vaccinated as rollout begins https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-australia-56143277

* 俄羅斯反對派領導人納瓦尼（Alexei Navalny）因違反監禁條款被判入獄，今天法院判決上訴失敗。

納瓦尼上個月從德國返回俄羅斯後被拘留，他在柏林遭遇了一次致命致命的神經毒劑襲擊。他將這次卑鄙襲擊歸咎於俄羅斯總統普丁（Vladimir Putin）。克里姆林宮否認中毒。

Alexei Navalny: Putin critic loses appeal against jailing https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-56137020

* 一架波音飛機的引擎之一，起飛失敗後，在丹佛附近的居民區散佈成碎屑。
波音777飛機上搭有231名乘客和10名機組人員，最後奇蹟安全返回並降落在丹佛機場。沒有人有受傷報告。
布魯姆菲爾德（Broomfield）鎮的警察在房屋前花園張貼了一張看起來像是引擎機殼前部的照片。
此飛機起飛後不久，機上乘客描述了一次“大爆炸”。美國聯邦航空局（FAA）表示，一架飛往檀香山的聯合航空飛機328航班的右引擎發生故障。
一位乘客告訴美聯社，當大聲爆炸時，飛行員向他們發出了緊急通知。

US plane scatters engine debris over Denver homes https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-56141673

* 印度喜馬拉雅山一個村莊，幾代居民一直相信核裝置被掩埋於高聳的山脈中雪和岩石下。因此，當Raini在2月初遭受大洪水襲擊時，村民們驚慌失措，謠言說這些設備已經“爆炸”並引發了洪水。

科學家認為，實際上，冰川破裂是造成北阿坎德邦喜馬拉雅州洪災的原因，當地有50多人死亡。

但是如果告訴雷尼人-一個有250戶家庭的農業山區村莊-許多人不太相信您。

Raini負責人桑格拉姆·辛格·拉瓦特（Sangram Singh Rawat）告訴我：“我們認為這些設備可能發揮了作用。冰川如何在冬天突然破裂？我們認為政府應該調查並找到這些設備。”

他們擔心的核心是有關高空間諜活動的一個有趣故事，其中涉及一些世界頂級登山者，運行電子間諜系統的放射性物質以及幽靈。

這是一個關於美國如何在1960年代與印度合作在喜馬拉雅山脈上安裝核動力監測裝置，以監視中國的核試驗和導彈射擊的故事。中國在1964年引爆了第一枚核裝置。

“冷戰妄想症已達到頂峰。沒有計劃太過奇，沒有太大的投資，也沒有不合理的手段，”美國《 Rock and Ice》雜誌的特約編輯Pete Takeda指出。

Did nuclear spy devices in the Himalayas trigger India floods? https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-india-56102459

痴線！！

[壓頸] [醫學角度看警暴]

警方一直強調使用「適當武力」制服「暴徒」。當然，邊個係「暴徒」，使用嘅武力又係咪「適當」，大家有目共睹啦。

今日要同大家分析嘅，係呢一個姿勢，我稱之為「壓頸」。千祈唔好以為呢個係「適當」武力，因為壓頸嘅後遺症隨時可以致命。

首先，「壓頸」可以導致頸椎過伸 (hyperextension)。頸椎之間嘅連繫，本身就比其他脊椎鬆動；要使頸椎移位 (dislocation)，需要嘅力度一啲都唔多。咁樣「壓頸」、將成個身體嘅重量施於頸部，極有可能將頸椎後部嘅骨頭壓至骨折；而頸椎前方嘅結構，亦可以因為承受唔住張力而斷裂。其他嘅病狀（例如椎間盤損壞）亦會發生。如果壓住第 1 同第 2 頸椎體，更有機會引致絞死者骨折 (Hangman’s fracture)，存活率極低。

另外，如果力度夠大，頸椎係可以骨折。咁樣嘅後果更大：骨折部分會壓住脊髓，使頸部以下失去感覺同活動能力。更大嘅問題在於，如果損傷發生喺第 5 頸椎體或以上，就會影響控制橫隔膜活動嘅膈神經 (phrenic nerve)，導致呼吸衰竭，繼而死亡。

喺頸部創傷之後，亦多見頸椎椎間盤突出 (cervical disc herniation) ，導致四肢疼痛、無感，而且失去反射能力，需要手術治療。

唔知各位「執法者」喺「壓頸」之前，有冇用過 0.01 秒去學以上知識呢？

[Pressurising the neck] [Analysing police brutality from a medical aspect]

The HKPF had always claimed that they used “suitable force” to put “rioters” under control. Of course, who is the actual “rioter” and whether the force used is of “suitable compatibility” is yet for us to see and judge.

Today the focus is about this particular position - what I call “pressurising the neck” position that the HKPF used frequently. Never categorise this as “suitable” force - it brings severe and even fatal complications and harms.

First, severe hyperextension of the neck can cause dislocation of cervical vertebral arches, as the cervical vertebral arches are less tightly interlocked than other vertebrae. Such dislocation is easily attainable with less force than required. With the whole body sitting on the protestor, cervical fracture can also occur, severing posterior bony structures. Anterior structure (such as the anterior longitudinal ligament) an also get torn and injured due to tension. Other clinical entities like cervical disc damage can also occur. Specifically, compression of C1 and C2 vertebral bodies may lead to Hangman’s fracture, which has a very low survival rate.

Also, if the force is large enough, the cervical vertebral bodies can fracture. This brings along a grave problem: compression of the cervical spinal cord by the vertebral debris can lead to anaesthesia and paresis from the neck down. If the damage is above the C5 body, the phrenic nerve that controls the diaphragm is affected, leading to respiratory failure which is fatal.

Moreover, cervical disc herniation is often observed after trauma to the neck, leading to quadriplegia, quadrianaesthesia and loss of reflexes. Treatment of this condition is often surgical.

I often wonder if these “law enforcers” ever learn about these potential harms of “pressurising the neck” before sitting on the neck of a protestor.

#警暴 #壓頸 #坐頸
#醫言憤怒

《和屍體說話的人》

Do you believe in past life, and its strong invisible influence over your present life?

He was the Sherlocks Holmes of Taiwan.

The modern day Justice Pao (現代包青天), known to bring justice to murdered victims.

楊青天大人, he was nicknamed by his countrymen.

I had never heard of 楊日松博士, Dr Yang Jih-sung.

Till I read the story written by my Grandmaster, Living Buddha Lian-Sheng, which I posted two days ago.

That was donkey years back.

In my decade long of mastering Chinese Metaphysics, I have amassed hundreds, if not thousands, of Bazi in my crumpled dog-eared notebooks.

One continuous homework that I have been doing since 2006, is to study the Bazi, faces, bodies and lives of not just famous people, people featured in the newspapers (hit-and-run victims, suicide victims, criminals, scholars, helpful people etc.) but as well as people around me.

Shifu said, the more we study, the better and faster we get at dissecting a person's Bazi and people reading.

The goal is to train our eyes and brain so well that we can see a person naked (figuratively, of course) within one split second.

And when a person walks past, without turning our heads to look, we must be able to tell Shifu the current financial state and luck of the person. #aurareading

Such training was very strenuous in the beginning. When I didn't pass the impromptu tests given by Shifu, I was meted harsh punishment and disallowed further learning, till I passed with flying colours.

.

I got curious about Dr Yang about a month ago. He had a very fascinating career history.

What does he have in his Bazi, that determines him to be a righteous and dedicated forensic expert with such top-notch crime-solving skills?

What had he done to be bestowed the divine title of 城隍爺 (City God), after his death?

I read that he allegedly handled more than 30,000 bodies over the course of his 62-year career. I took out my calculator. That worked out to 484 bodies every year. 40.3 bodies every month, which is about 1.34 bodies every day.

While all his classmates went off to become doctors, Dr Yang was the only one from his class to take up forensics. It was a decision he made after his brother was forcefully coerced into a confession by the Japanese that he was a spy and wrongfully jailed, and another friend was unfairly charged of being a thief.

Dr Yang learnt early in his life, that eye witnesses were insufficient to solve a case. There was a pressing need for strong scientific evidence.

What caught my eye about Dr Yang was his utmost respect to the dead bodies.

He would always take a bow to the victim before starting work on the dead body.

Through the decades, he had never wore any protective gear like masks and gloves during autopsies.

In his biography:

"A forensic expert’s job is more than just studying and dissecting the bodies. If necessary, we need to taste the contents of their stomachs and determine the time of death from the acidity. We can also tell from the bitterness whether there was poisoning involved.”
He cites a case where three charred bodies were brought in from the same incident.
“They smelled the same, so I could tell that they were burned at the same time. If I wore a mask, I would not be able to observe this subtle detail,” he says. “And, I believe that wearing a mask is disrespectful toward the deceased.”
Finally, he explains that he “cannot feel the elasticity of the skin” if he has gloves on.

.

I don't know if you have ever smelt a corpse. But it is known to be extremely foul.

Especially when the bodies have been thrown into the sea, or buried deep in the soil, before digging out much later.

Dr Yang never feared infection by the bacteria in the corpses.

Those were the days when CSI kind of science did not exist.

.

楊日松法醫：「你沒有良心，做不了。」

Dr Yang solved his first case when he was just an intern and still a student at Taipei Medical University in 1949. A pair of university lovers supposedly hung themselves by the Tamsui River, but the man survived. Later on, Dr Yang quickly proved that the noose was too small for two persons to be hung together. The man had murdered his girlfriend and staged a suicide attempt, complete with a forged suicide note, to cover up.

Dr Yang was only 21 years old then. (Jeez...what was I doing at 21?)

He went on to solve many difficult cases, which shocked Taiwan's society. Here are just 3 of them:

1. September 1977. It was Taiwan's 1st dismemberment murder case.

Two plastic bags containing about 6 pieces of body parts were found along the Dahan River.

DNA tests were non-existent then.

Dr Yang was called in, and his examination showed that the body parts belonged to the same person. He also provided the victim's age and possible identity at a reporters' conference, where he displayed the body parts on a table, and listed 10 areas of identification.

Including, the mammary glands were not enlarged, proof that the woman had never been pregnant.

And how the woman was possibly murdered and mutilated.

The police soon tracked the murderer to a ex-convict, who put up a false hiring notice, to trick young ladies.

.

2. 1990. The murder of a young Japanese undergraduate.

The body could not be found till a year later.

The young lady came to Taiwan for solo free and easy travel. She got onto a taxi, with a friendly driver who showed her around Taiwan. Iguchi Mariko agreed to staying at the driver's home for the night, when she could not find accommodation.

Her body was mutilated into 100+ parts and buried under a big tree. Her head was thrown into a rubbish bin.

When the police caught the taxi driver, Dr Yang provided scientific evidence that the taxi driver washed his home walls with strong chemicals and the water usage during the month of murder was 5 times the usual amount.

While the bones were too damaged to be tested for DNA, Dr Yang could piece them together that they belonged to the same person.

This case shocked both Taiwan and Japan.

3. 1993. The dead Marine Captain Yin Ching-feng (尹清楓)
The Captain was discovered dead along the coast of Yilan. The military claimed it was suicide by drowning. Dr Yang examined the corpse and discovered many wounds. There was no ocean debris in the lungs or other drowning symptoms.
Dr Yang announced that the Captain was murdered before being disposed into the ocean.
His honest words unscrambled a huge military scandal in Taiwan and caused many high-ranking officials to lose their jobs.
.
楊日松法醫：「法醫學是人權保障醫學。」

Dr Yang was also involved in the examination of 17-year-old Bai Hsiao Yen's mauled body. During the examination, Bai Bing Bing, the famous Taiwanese actress, mother of the victim, requested to be present.
Calling Dr Yang a Bodhisattva to the family of the victims, Bai Bing Bing was deeply moved by Dr Yang's comforting words to her:
我只能幫你瞭解真相。我沒有辦法再騰出我的手，再來救一個萬一昏倒的人。妳放心，妳信任我，我等一下一定會給妳最清楚的答案。
(I can only help you find out the truth. I am unable to lend another hand, to save a person who might faint. Don't worry. Trust me. Later I will definitely give you the clearest answer.)

Due to the nature of his work, Dr Yang contracted a skin disease, which caused great itchiness. Two months of seeing the doctor and injections did not help. Eventually, Dr Yang learnt of using rice water to wash his skin. Neighbours and Taiwanese who knew of Dr Yang's condition would bring rice water all the way to his home. It took 6 months before Dr Yang's skin ailment was under control.

#好人有好報

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楊日松法醫：「對屍體要誠實。沒有誠實的人，不要來當。」

There were many cases that Dr Yang solved, with supernatural help.

Once, when he was on a car together with his friends, he spotted a lady sitting beside him. He kept quiet as he assumed she was the friend of one friend. Later on, the car was stopped at a roadblock, where the officer told Dr Yang that he was needed at a crime scene. By then, the lady had mysteriously disappeared.

When Dr Yang reached the scene, he saw that the corpse looked exactly like the lady in the car. He knew immediately it wasn't a suicide case, as seen from the surface.

Another time, Dr Yang was at home when there was a knock on his door. He opened the door and saw a lady in a tracksuit with her head down. The lady sought Dr Yang's help to examine her injury. Dr Yang replied that he didn't have his equipment right now and asked the lady to go to the police station tomorrow. The next morning, during an autopsy, Dr Yang saw a body which didn't have clear facial features, as the body was rescued from the river.

He asked for the police to show him the clothes the body was found in. It was the EXACT same tracksuit as the lady who knocked on his door last night.

One day after work, Dr Yang's car was flagged down by a lady standing by the road. It was pouring heavily. Dr Yang got the chauffeur to stop his car and the lady asked to hitch a ride. Dr Yang agreed. The lady remained silent and kept her head down throughout. Dr Yang found her vaguely familiar.

After she disembarked, for some reason, Dr Yang's chauffeur got lost and could not find his way home. For over an hour, his car kept turning around the same spot.

Feeling something was amiss, Dr Yang headed back to Yilan, and re-examined the corpse. He had initially deduced that the corpse had committed suicide by drinking pesticide. On his 2nd examination, he discovered that the pesticide was found in the lungs. Usually for such suicide case, pesticide would be present in the esophagus. But if one was forced to drink it, the pesticide would leak into the lungs. Dr Yang amended his autopsy conclusion of suicide to murder.

Many supernatural incidents like these had alerted Dr Yang to correcting his initial findings, and solving mysterious cases.

.

Yet, there were times when Dr Yang was unable to reach a conclusive result despite many rounds of autopsy.

Then, Dr Yang would pray to the "Floating Head" in his autopsy laboratory. It belonged to a murdered victim, whose case was also resolved by Dr Yang. For some reason, the family/friend didn't want to claim the head. The head had been preserved in a glass container of formalin for 50 over years and its hair and moustache would grow. It was the Guardian Protector of Dr Yang and his team.

Each time after Dr Yang prayed to it, he would gain new insights into the case on hand.

During the Hungry Ghosts' Festival, Dr Yang would lead his entire team to pray to the "good brothers" and made many offerings. He had never missed a year of prayers.

While most educated people turn their noses up at the talk of ghosts and gods, this is one Doctor who will bow humbly before them and ingrain into his team the importance of respect.

.

Dr Yang told my Grandmaster that in his past life, he was the confidential secretary to the King of Hades. Hence in this lifetime, he took on the role of a forensic expert, helping murdered victims to redress the injustice they suffered.

Dr Yang's Bazi was an interesting revelation to his life and character, and why his occupation suited his Bazi to a T.

During his time, there were less than 10 forensic experts in the whole of Taiwan.

His integrity, courage, care to minute details, diligence, quest to find the truth and dedication are qualities I deeply admired. The same qualities my Shifu had been drilling into me for the past 11 years to be a very competent practitioner.

In this era where most people worship the famous and the rich, it is very rare to find a noble character like Dr Yang, who also respected the spiritual world.

Before he passed on due to colon caner, Dr Yang had expressed no regret over his career choice. The only thing he felt bad about was not being to provide more for his children, as public servants in Taiwan earned much less than doctors.

But Dr Yang, your heroic legacy is one that your children and descendants can speak proudly of for decades. The merits you left for them can guarantee them a better life than money ever can buy.

Dr Yang was born on 23 November, 1927. He passed away on the same day, in 2011.

I wanted to post this article yesterday, on his birthday and death anniversary. I took too long to write and am a day late. But I still wish to share Dr Yang's great life story with you.

Congratulations on your promotion to be the righteous City God. You totally earned it. 🙏

城隍境主楊日松法醫，Happy Belated Birthday, Dr Yang. 🙇🏻‍♀️

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

Photo credit to Apple Daily, TVBS Taiwan, and respective owners.

You can learn more about Dr Yang and his work on Youtube by searching for "楊日松".

To read my post where I posted my Grandmaster's article on Dr Yang, link in comment.