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THE LOST CITY

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China has launched a massive amphibious assault ship to its expansive naval force as it races against time to rival the military arsenal of the United States, shortly after debuting a stealth jet that flexes Beijing's burgeoning military muscle. China's increased joint military activity with Russia , including a Chinese warship partaking in Russia's Navy Day celebrations in St. Petersburg in July, has raised global concern. Beijing also unveiled a chilling "hit list" of US naval targets it could potentially strike should a war break out between the two nuclear behemoths in the future. Before China's launch on Friday, the United States Department of Defense released its annual report on China's military prowess last week. With more than 370 naval ships and submarines, including three Type 075 amphibious assault ships, China has the largest naval force in the world. The Chinese navy "continues to develop into a global force, gradually extending its operational reach beyond East Asia," hoping to expand operations in places further away from mainland China, the report added. The new Type 076 amphibious assault is named the CNS Sichuan, after the southwestern province in China. The ship has a full load displacement of more than 40,000 tons, a tad bit less than the new American assault ship with 44,000 tons. It is, however, longer than the 844-foot America class. The Type 076 is 853 feet long and has a double island superstructure on the flight deck, called the "island" which has the control center. Each island may be dedicated to only one task, either navigating the ship or fighting operations, War Zone, a defense news and analysis website, said. DON'T MISS: This assault ship debuted on the waters on Friday at a shipyard in Shanghai, the People's Liberation Army Navy said in a statement. It is now a "key asset" to enhancing the Chinese Navy's long-range operations, the statement said. Following its launch, this ship will undergo planned tests like equipment commissioning, sea trials and mooring tests. It also has an electromagnetic catapult system that allows the ship to carry fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, and amphibious equipment in these kinds of warships, PLAN added. This new technology will allow the ship to launch larger and heavier aircraft that have more fuel and expansive range as well as more bombs or missiles, making them dangerous. This is the second warship in service to employ the electromagnetic catapult system, besides the US Navy's newest aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R Ford. Although it is yet to be commissioned and is currently undergoing sea trials, China's new aircraft carrier Fujian also has an electromagnet system. According to an August report by the Center for Strategic and International Studies based on satellite imagery of the ship that was under construction, Sichuan can be used as a massive drone launchpad. "If it is limited to unmanned systems, the Type 076's air wing will be highly capable. China boasts an advanced and growing arsenal of UAVs, including the GJ-11 stealth combat drone, the WZ-7 reconnaissance drone, and the CASC Rainbow strike UCAV, among others," the report said.

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What better subject for a new year! Moses is dead; Joshua carries on. Here’s the story. The promised land has been spied out and all systems are go! The Israelites have followed Joshua to the Jordan River. The long-awaited-for promised land is just ahead. A new exciting day is dawning. But then it happens — trouble — an obstacle. These obstacles may be economic, political, social or personal — but they always come. The obstacle facing the children of Israel was the flooding of the Jordan River. There were no boats or bridges, just gallons of rushing waters. They were so close to their destination, could even see it, but couldn’t reach it. They had to be disappointed as they waited three days to cross over into the promised land. Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content. Please enable it in your browser settings. As property values continue to outpace inflation, property taxes are taking a bigger bite out of homeowners’ wallets. A new analysis from Construction Coverage breaks down property tax rates by state, county, and city to reveal where homeowners have the greatest burden. Click for more. Where Are U.S. Property Taxes Highest and Lowest? A State, County, and City Analysis

Q: This past spring, we tried starting some of our own plants from seed indoors, but they got tall, spindly and weak by the time we wanted to plant them outdoors. What did we do wrong? — Tyler P. A: Seedlings growing tall and spindly indoors is an age-old problem, and the same wisdom holds true now that it did years ago. The problem occurs if plants are started too early and the light level isn’t intense enough. ADVERTISEMENT Because plants grow at different rates, some types need to be started very early, while others should wait until April for seeding indoors. Begonias and onions require many weeks to grow and can be seeded in February. March 1 is the recommended date for seeding petunias, impatiens, coleus and snapdragons. March 15 is the date to seed peppers, cabbage, broccoli and cauliflower. Tomatoes and marigolds should wait until April 1, and zinnias until April 15. If seeds are started earlier than their recommended date, plants can languish indoors, becoming lanky and weak. In addition, seedlings need high light levels to remain stocky and strong. Plants grown with too little light often stretch and become weak-stemmed. Seedlings can be grown in a sunny window, but many windows don’t receive full, all-day sunshine as the sun moves across the sky, unless the windows are very wide. The short days of winter and early spring also keep light levels lower than seedlings prefer. A perfect way to provide seedlings with optimal light is with artificial lights, which can be standard LEDs, fluorescent, or special plant-type lights. Tube-type bulbs distribute light over seedling trays better than round bulbs. Seedling trays should be kept within several inches of the bulbs. Lights can be set on a timer with 16 hours on and eight hours off, similar to humans getting the recommended eight hours of sleep, which is how I remember it. Q: Thanks for the recent article on Blue By You salvia. Do you know where we can purchase this perennial come spring? — Rachelle S. A: Blue By You perennial salvia, an All-America Selections award winner and an outstanding feature in our perennial beds and landscapes, has been on the market for about two years, which is relatively recent as new plants go. ADVERTISEMENT As with many new cultivars, it takes time for new plant material to be widely available. Your best bet is to contact locally owned garden centers and inquire, which can be done now. This can give garden centers the opportunity to order the plants if they haven’t already. With the tens of thousands of plant cultivars available, no garden center can stock them all, but if they receive requests for specific types, they can often add them to their selection. Garden centers plan their inventory far in advance of the spring season, so the earlier a request is made, the more likely it can be fulfilled. Q: I know you prefer starting cuttings, such as houseplants, in mixtures of vermiculite, sand or potting mix instead of water. I’m curious why that is. Sometimes I have luck in water, but sometimes the cuttings rot. — Jenny S. A: Some plant types, such as pothos, root very easily in water and can even grow in water for many weeks. Other cutting types rot easily in water, which is why a solid-type medium often works best for coaxing cuttings to root. Sometimes I use high-quality potting mix, other times vermiculite, perlite or sand, and sometimes mixtures. Besides being less prone to rotting, starting cuttings in a solid-type medium has another important advantage. Roots that form in water are accustomed to growing in water, and when the cuttings are transferred into potting mix, there can be a stressful period of adjustment and shock. When roots begin forming in solid media, they are often more fibrous, well-branched and less gangly. Because they’re accustomed to growing in a solid medium, there’s usually less transplant shock when transferred into potting mix. For easy-to-root plants, rooting in water is handy, but solid media has distinct advantages. ADVERTISEMENT If you have a gardening or lawn care question, email Don Kinzler, NDSU Extension-Cass County, at donald.kinzler@ndsu.edu . Questions with broad appeal may be published, so please include your name, city and state for appropriate advice.