Reader’s Links for July 30, 2020

Daily Links Post graphic

Each day at just after midnight Eastern, a post like this one is created for contributors and readers of this site to upload news links and video links on the issues that concern this site. Most notably, Islam and its effects on Classical Civilization, and various forms of leftism from Soviet era communism, to postmodernism and all the flavours of galloping statism and totalitarianism such as Nazism and Fascism which are increasingly snuffing out the classical liberalism which created our near, miraculous civilization the West has been building since the time of Socrates.

This document was written around the time this site was created, for those who wish to understand what this site is about. And while our understanding of the world and events has grown since then, the basic ideas remain sound and true to the purpose.

So please post all links, thoughts and ideas that you feel will benefit the readers of this site to the comments under this post each day. And thank you all for your contributions.

This is the new Samizdat. We must use it while we can.

About Eeyore

Canadian artist and counter-jihad and freedom of speech activist as well as devout Schrödinger's catholic

102 Replies to “Reader’s Links for July 30, 2020”

  1. Portland Chief Just Fined Trump’s Feds – Every 15 Minutes Feds Protect Courthouse, They Are Charged $500

    Recently, the government sent Portland assistance in the form of federal officers. It was their job to protect the federal courthouse, which has faced damage from hundreds of protesters.

    Reports claim that the courthouse has been under attack almost nightly, and vandalism remains a very serious threat.

    https://thepatriotjournal.com/portland-chief-trump-feds-15-500/?utm_medium=email&utm_source=gjwhg

  2. NBA Coaches Expose Dealings in China: ‘We Were Basically Working For The Chinese Government’
    JULY 30, 2020 By Jonah Gottschalk
    After witnessing child abuse, deception, and life in a police state, coaches from the National Basketball have come out to criticize the organization’s programs in China, raising fresh questions about the league’s lucrative connection to the murderous Communist dictatorship.

    As part of its $5 billion connection to China, the NBA operates numerous “athletics programs” within the country, including, until recently, one in Xinjiang province, the site of an ongoing genocide against the Uighur ethnic minority. Much like China itself, these sites managed to keep a relatively low profile for years — until a storm of disturbing stories emerged from within thanks to a recent investigation from ESPN with the help of several NBA coaches.

    https://thefederalist.com/2020/07/30/nba-coaches-expose-dealings-in-china-we-were-basically-working-for-the-chinese-government/

  3. Note: the only new item in this article is that the shooting victim was an American.

    U.S. urges Pakistan to act after American charged with blasphemy shot in court
    2 MIN READ

    ISLAMABAD/PESHAWAR, Pakistan (Reuters) – The United States urged Pakistan on Thursday to take action over the killing of an American national in a crowded courtroom as he faced trial for blasphemy.

    https://www.reuters.com/article/us-pakistan-court-blasphemy/u-s-urges-pakistan-to-act-after-american-charged-with-blasphemy-shot-in-court-idUSKCN24V2RW?il=0&utm_source=reddit.com

  4. WASHINGTON (SBG) — Politician and businessman Herman Cain has died at the age of 74, according to a statement released on his official website.

    “Let me deal with some of the particulars of the last few weeks. We knew when he was first hospitalized with COVID-19 that this was going to be a rough fight,” the statement read. “He had trouble breathing and was taken to the hospital by ambulance. We all prayed that the initial meds they gave him would get his breathing back to normal, but it became clear pretty quickly that he was in for a battle.”

    https://news4sanantonio.com/news/nation-world/politician-and-businessman-herman-cain-has-died-at-74

  5. Daily Caller editor-in-chief Geoffrey Ingersoll has said that the conservative news website has experienced Google search suppression similar to that reported by Breitbart News yesterday. Based on Google’s defense that it manually blacklists “violent extremism,” Ingersoll pointed out: “We are not ISIS.”

    “Specifically we struggled with search slowly dwindling until May 4 exactly. We broke down the analytics. The May 4 flat line is clearly the result of the human hand in the process,” said Ingersoll in a series of tweets.

    https://www.breitbart.com/tech/2020/07/30/daily-caller-experienced-google-suppression-says-editor-in-chief/

  6. It was one of the most bizarre and commented on moments of the Kielburger brothers’ four hours worth of testimony on Tuesday: A question about whether the brothers or WE Charity hired a private investigator to snoop on members of the media and their young children.

    For most organizations, the answer would be a simply one, no. For Craig Kielburger, his response was far from answering the question, yet it told people so much.

    https://torontosun.com/news/national/lilley-committee-learns-we-hired-investigators-to-spy-on-children-of-journalist

  7. HOWSE/MADEJ: FRAUDULENT TESTING AND THE LOSS OF FREEDOM
    audio – 61 mins
    Part One with guest: Dr Carrie Madej. Dr Carrie is an internal medicine physician, and she joins Brannon today to talk about the Coronavirus, mandated vaccines, what is in the vaccine, the fraudulent testing and the loss of freedom. Dr Carrie also discusses Bill Gates, the WHO, CDC and population control. Topic: We take your calls.
    https://www.worldviewweekend.com/radio/audio/brannon-howse-july-27-2020

  8. ICE AGE FARMER: HARVARD WANTS TO DECEIVE, SELL LAB-GROWN PROTEIN AS MEAT WITHOUT TELLING YOU
    video – 10 mins 1 sec
    Harvard has petitioned the USDA to allow sales of lab-grown, FAKE meat as “Chicken” or “Beef,” and claims forcing them to tell the TRUTH would violate their FREE SPEECH! Christian breaks down this stunning deception, the latest salvo in the war on real food and the agenda for a total transhumanist takeover of our food supply.

    • This is an especially _STUPID_ conspiracy theory.
      LOSERS are as triggered by the word “HARVARD” as by the name “Rothschild”. Same frothing, reptile brain.

      The FDA mandates ingredients and nutritional content be specified on the label. I do not eat meat, yet I buy “bacon bits” made of textured soy protein. “Bacon”. Not. Pig.

      “Culturing” meat-like proteins is research popular in labs around the world. The technology holds promise for improving nutritional security where natural resources are scarce. FEEDING people, not ABORTING them.

      I’m intrigued by alternatives. And when the only meat available is HALAL, others might lose their taste for animal flesh.

  9. COVID-19 AND THE CENSORSHIP OF MEDICAL DOCTORS – PROF MICHEL CHOSSUDOVSKY
    video – 13 mins 19 secs

  10. WHO ARE THE JESUITS – AND SHOULD YOU BE CONCERNED TODAY
    This article will explore the historical record of nations that “denied residence to Jesuits”. We will also highlight current celebrities educated under the “nefarious schemes” of the Jesuits. Major players in the COVID crisis in the US are Jesuit alumni! They include: Dr. Anthony Fauci, Governor Andrew Cuomo of New York, Governor Gavin Newsom of California, and President Donald Trump![xxvii] (Trump studied for 2 years at the Jesuit Fordham University in New York.) Additionally, Dr. Robert Redfield, head of the US Center for Disease Control (“CDC”), is another Jesuit graduate and a key player in Operation Warp Speed.[xxviii] Former US President Bill Clinton graduated from the Jesuit Georgetown University.[xxix] Ivan Duque [xxx], President of Colombia, Alejandro Toledo, former President of Peru, Mario Draghi [xxxi], former head of the European Central Bank, and both brothers Fidel and Raul Castro, former and current head of Cuba, graduated from Jesuit schools.[xxxii] The Jesuits are just as influential and menacing today as they were 500 years ago. May we heed the words of Charles Spurgeon. He was quite familiar with the wiles of Rome and her Jesuits. Over 100 years later, his words of action are relevant for us as we face the same enemies he did. Let us pray to the Lord against the Antichrist of Rome: “It is the bounden duty of every Christian to pray against Antichrist, and as to what Antichrist is no sane man ought to raise a question. If it be not the popery in the Church of Rome there is nothing in the world that can be called by that name. If there were to be issued a hue and cry for Antichrist, we should certainly take up this church on suspicion, and it would certainly not be let loose again, for it so exactly answers the description.”[xxxvi] Stuart Quint
    https://bereanbeacon.org/who-are-the-jesuits-and-should-you-be-concerned-today/

  11. China Seeds: A Biological Attack on America?

    by Gordon G. Chang
    July 30, 2020 at 10:00 am

    Residents in all 50 states have received packages of seeds, sent unsolicited from China. Many of the packages, mailed through the Chinese state-run postal system, were mislabeled as “jewelry” for U.S. Customs purposes.

    “DO NOT plant them,” officials in every state have warned.

    “They could be invasive, meaning they may have the potential to introduce diseases to local plants, or could be harmful to livestock,” the Montana Department of Agriculture noted in a statement on Monday, referring to the Chinese seeds. “Treat them like they are radioactive, like they are Kryptonite,” said Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller.

    Trump administration officials now need to ask one question: Are the seeds a biological-warfare attack on the United States?

    China acceded to the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention in 1984 but today is almost certainly in violation of its obligations.

    The State Department’s most recent report to Congress on worldwide compliance with arms-control treaties, made public June 23, contends China possessed an “offensive biological warfare program from the early 1950s to at least the late 1980s.” There is, the report states, “no available information” to show Beijing fulfilled its treaty obligations “to destroy or to divert to peaceful purposes” its program.

    Moreover, China today is almost certainly conducting biological weapons research in violation of its obligations. “The United States has compliance concerns with respect to Chinese military medical institutions’ toxin research and development because of the potential dual-use applications and their potential as a biological threat,” the State Department report notes.

    https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/16293/china-seeds-biological-attack

    (Richard: Like I keep saying this is going to be a long war and before it is over everyone involved will be doing things that are now beyond the pale.)

    • A few months ago JohnnyU posted an article from Zero Hedge about how China realized that the Wuhan Flu was going to cause a massive collapse of the Chinese economy and probably the Chinese government. Because of this they deliberately spread the Wuhan Flu to the rest of the world to ensure that everyone would collapse and no one would be strong enough to conquer China. This theory fits in with the article and what is currently happening in China, the weather is tearing the Chinese economy apart and they are facing more internal problems because of this.

  12. Car Bomb Kills at Least 17 in Afghanistan Ahead of Ceasefire
    https://www.thedefensepost.com/2020/07/30/afghanistan-car-bomb/

    “At least 17 people were killed in a car bomb explosion in an Afghan city on Thursday as crowds shopped for the Muslim festival of Eid al-Adha, officials and a medic said.

    “Seventeen bodies and 21 wounded people were brought to our hospital,” Sediqullah, a senior doctor at a hospital in the city of Puli Alam in Logar province, told AFP.

    The interior ministry confirmed the blast, which came ahead of a three-day ceasefire starting Friday between the Taliban and Kabul.

    “It was a suicide car bomb in a crowded place where our people were shopping for Eid al-Adha,” Dedar Lawang, spokesman for Logar’s governor, told AFP.

    The interior ministry condemned the explosion.

    “The terrorists have once again struck on the night of Eid al-Adha and killed a number of our countrymen,” interior ministry spokesman Tariq Arian said.

    Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said the blast had “nothing to do” with the insurgents.

    The Taliban and Afghan government have agreed on a three-day ceasefire starting Friday, the first day of Eid.

    The truce is slated to last for the duration of the festival, which marks the end of hajj.”

  13. Gunmen Kill 14 Villagers in Central Nigeria: Police
    https://www.thedefensepost.com/2020/07/30/gunmen-kill-villagers-central-nigeria/

    “Gunmen killed 14 villagers in central Nigeria‘s Kogi state on Wednesday, police said, blaming the attack on communal violence.

    The night-time attack on Agbudu village in Koton-Karfe area also left six people seriously injured, said state police commissioner Ede Ayuba in a statement.

    “I was there and I was part of those who picked up some of the dead bodies we are talking about,” he said.

    He said 13 of the dead were members of the same family.

    “In that family, only one person survived. His uncle, his mother, his uncle’s wife, his younger brother, his senior brother’s wife, his wife, and all his children were killed,” he said.

    Ayuba said an investigation had been launched into the incident, adding that a long-standing row over land rights was a possible motive.”

  14. Iran-Iraq Ties at ‘Best Level’, PMU Chief Says
    https://www.tasnimnews.com/en/news/2020/07/30/2317495/iran-iraq-ties-at-best-level-pmu-chief-says

    “Head of Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Unit (PMU) – also known as Hashd al-Sha’abi – Falih Alfayyadh said relations between Tehran and Baghdad are at their best level.
    Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi’s first trip since taking office to Iran and his meetings with Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei and President Hassan Rouhani showed the “depth of ties and common interests” between the two nations, Alfayyadh told al-Mayadeen TV channel on Wednesday.

    He added that the ties between the two neighboring countries are at “its best level”.

    Heading a high-ranking politico-economic delegation, Kadhimi traveled to Tehran last week for a two-day visit. He also sat down with Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) Ali Shamkhani and Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf.”

  15. Enemies Unable to Make Iranian Nation Surrender: President Rouhani
    https://www.tasnimnews.com/en/news/2020/07/30/2317662/enemies-unable-to-make-iranian-nation-surrender-president-rouhani

    “Iranian President Hassan Rouhani praised the people’s steadfastness in the face of the enemies’ economic pressures, saying the Iranian nation will not give in to such pressures.
    “Just as it … has managed to stand up to the coronavirus and will succeed (in defeating it), the Iranian nation is standing up to the economic hardships imposed by the enemies through sanctions and will continue production and the development of the country,” Rouhani said on Thursday, addressing a ceremony held to inaugurate five major development, infrastructure and production projects in three provinces of the country.

    “The enemies will not be able to force the great Iranian nation to surrender through their economic pressures.”

    The nation is resisting well in the face of both the sanctions and the coronavirus pandemic, he added.

    The president went on to say that the weekly launches of major projects proves that the country is on the path of production and development.

    Such inaugurations will continue until the end of this administration, he stated.

    The US has ratcheted up pressure on Iran since May 2018 after withdrawing from the 2015 nuclear deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), and imposing sanctions on the country.

    In comments earlier this month, Rouhani said Iran has overcome the US sanctions and successfully dealt with the economic war challenges by cutting reliance on the oil incomes.”

  16. IRGC Warns of Iran’s Crushing Response to Any Aggression
    https://www.tasnimnews.com/en/news/2020/07/30/2317750/irgc-warns-of-iran-s-crushing-response-to-any-aggression

    “The Payambar-e Azam 14 (The Great Prophet) war game in Iran’s southern province of Hormozgan, western parts of the Strait of Hormuz, and the Persian Gulf was aimed at sending a message to global arrogant powers, the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) said.

    In a statement on Thursday, the IRGC announced the successful conclusion of the Payambar-e Azam 14 war game during which joint operations were carried out by missile units, vessels and drones from the IRGC Navy and missile, drone and radar units from the IRGC Aerospace Force.

    It said the message of the drills to neighboring and friendly countries was peace and friendship as well as security for the region while the global arrogance received the message of the Iranian nation and Armed Forces’ preparedness, vigilance and steadfastness in the face of enemies’ plots and threats.

    Iran will never initiate a war, but will give a decisive and crushing response to any action against the Islamic Republic as part of its defense strategy, the statement further read.

    On the second day of the war game on Wednesday, the IRGC Aerospace Force successfully fired ballistic missiles hidden in camouflage deep under the ground.

    The IRGC’s Sukhoi-22 fighter jets also destroyed targets on the Farur Island with winged bombs. A broad range of smart bombs were dropped to detonate the hypothetical enemy’s targets with great accuracy, as the targets have been designed on a much smaller scale than the actual size.

    Satellite images taken by Iran’s homegrown ‘Noor’ (light) satellite that was launched into space in April have been used to evaluate the situation in the war game zone.”

  17. “‘One Big Science Fiction Murder Mystery’ ft. Jeffrey Peterson 7/29/20”
    9:35 – Dr. Stella Immanuel
    Quite Frankly – July 29, 2020

  18. Pompeo Confirms he Wants to Remove Sudan from Terror List
    https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/2421111/pompeo-confirms-he-wants-remove-sudan-terror-list

    “US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Thursday he wants to delist Sudan as a state sponsor of terrorism, seeing a historic opportunity in its civilian transition.

    Pompeo has repeatedly indicated that the State Department hopes to remove the designation, which severely impedes investment to Sudan, but disputes have arisen on a compensation package over the 1998 bombings of two US embassies, Agence France Presse reported.

    Pompeo told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee that legislation on a settlement should come before Congress “in the very, very near term.”

    “I think lifting the state sponsor of terrorism designation there if we can… take care of the victims of those tragedies would be a good thing for American foreign policy,” Pompeo said.

    Pompeo said that the fall of president Omar al-Bashir following mass protests and the nearly year-old government of a civilian prime minister, Abdalla Hamdok, marked “an opportunity that doesn’t come along often.”

    “There’s a chance not only for a democracy to begin to be built out, but perhaps regional opportunities that could flow from that as well,” he said.

    Bashir had welcomed Al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden and Sudan was accused of aiding militants who blew up the embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, killing 224 people and injuring around 5,000 others.

    Sudan’s new government has agreed to a compensation package but a dispute has arisen over higher payments to Americans than to Africans, who accounted for the vast majority of the casualties, AFP reported.

    Senator Chris Coons, a Democrat known for his interest in Africa, urged Pompeo to “do everything you can” to support Hamdok and seize the chance “to build a new democratic partner in the region.””

  19. Yazidi children and rape survivors ‘abandoned’ after Islamic State captivity
    https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/yazidi-children-health-crisis-islamic-state

    “Almost 2,000 Yazidi children who were subject to rape and other abuses at the hands of the Islamic State (IS) group are not getting the help they need to deal with lasting trauma and health complications, Amnesty International said.

    In a report published on Thursday, the rights groups said that survivors – currently living in Iraq’s Kurdish region – had “effectively been abandoned” and were struggling to recover from the violence inflicted by the armed group…”

  20. Greece orders 50 Turkish drones, despite increased tension
    https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20200730-greece-orders-50-turkish-drones-despite-increased-tension/

    “A private drone manufacturer in Turkey has won a contract to sell 50 miniature tactical drones to the Greek Ministry of Defence, despite increased regional tension between the two neighbours over energy resources in the Eastern Mediterranean and Turkey’s maritime borders.

    According to an announcement by the Assuva Savunma Sanayi Company on Tuesday, two of its Proton Elic RB-128 drones were sent to Greece and passed the required acceptance tests. This is the company’s first export deal to a country which is both within the European Union and NATO. The same drone has been sold to a number of other countries, including China and Sri Lanka, as well as to the Turkish armed forces.

    The tactical drone can be used for search and rescue operations, and has a thermal camera which can capture images from a distance of 1 kilometre and up to 50 metres underground. It is thus capable of detecting underground bunkers, explosives, land mines and even chemical materials.

    Turkey’s domestic arms industry has made major strides in recent years, and its drones in use with the Turkish armed forces have provided invaluable aerial support in military operations in northern Syria, and in Libya in support of the UN-backed government.

    Such drones’ operational effectiveness was hailed by the British Defence Minister earlier this month, who called them “game-changing”.”

  21. Iraq sends reinforcements to Syria border after Daesh attack
    https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20200730-iraq-sends-reinforcements-to-syria-border-after-daesh-attack/

    “Iraq has sent reinforcements to its borders with Syria and other bordering countries after two senior army officers were killed in an attack by the Daesh in the western province of Anbar.

    Brigadier General Ahmed Al-Lami, the commander of the Army’s 29th Brigade, and a lieutenant were killed in a Daesh attack on Tuesday.

    One day after the attack, military reinforcements were sent to the borders with Syria and neighbouring countries in parallel with the launch of a military operation by the Iraqi army to prevent terrorists infiltrating the borders, according to army spokesman Yahya Rasool.

    In an interview with a local TV station, Rasool added that the forces securing the border are from the Iraqi army and the Border Guard as well as the Popular Mobilisation Forces.

    He added that modern technology, thermal cameras and drones are used in securing the Iraqi border.

    The Iraqi army has been launching continuous military operations in the country’s north, west and east against Daesh sleeper cells. The terrorist group has recently carried out attacks on military, security and civilian targets.”

  22. Iraq: 560 killed in anti-government protests since October
    https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20200730-iraq-560-killed-in-anti-government-protests-since-october/

    “The Iraqi government on Thursday said that 560 people were killed in the mass popular protests across the country against the former government led by Adel Abdul-Mahdi, Anadolu Agency reports.

    “The tally of martyrs since the outbreak of the protests in October has reached almost 560 including civilians and military personnel…The demonstrations were accompanied by unjustified violence against the demonstrators,” said Hisham Dawood, the advisor to the Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi, in a news conference.

    Dawood said that the Iraqi government has formed a fact-finding committee to reveal the perpetrators and those involved in violence against the demonstrators…”

  23. Australia rejects repatriation of wives and children of Daesh fighters
    https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20200730-australia-rejects-repatriation-of-wives-and-children-of-daesh-fighters/

    “The Australian government has resisted US pressure and announced that it will not repatriate the wives and children of Daesh fighters stranded in Syrian refugee camps, citing concerns over coronavirus and security.

    Speaking in Washington at the main annual forum for consultations between Australia and the United States, AUSMIN, Foreign Minister Marise Payne refused to budge on her country’s position on Australian citizens that left the country to join the Daesh militant group.

    “We will not put our communities at home at risk, nor our officials abroad, to extract people from Syria under current conditions,” she said, when questioned about the matter at the AUSMIN summit, pointing to the global pandemic.

    “Movement in Syria and in the region is now more complex than ever and at home, we see our states and territories very stretched, as an understatement in some cases, because of the impact of COVID-19 infections,” Payne explained.

    The Australian government’s hardened stance comes despite pressure from the US for countries to bring back and prosecute Daesh-linked nationals and their family members. Many European countries have also refused to repatriate their nationals who travelled to Syria to join Daesh and who are now being held captive by local authorities since Daesh lost its last territory in Syria in March last year.

    As many as 67 Australian women and children are said to be living in camps such as Al-Hawl refugee camp in north-east Syria, with many stuck for years after the fall of Daesh. Save the Children Chief Executive Mat Tinkler urged the federal government to repatriate the families pointing to many governments that have already repatriated citizens, including France.

    The British charity has warned for months about the danger of the “desolate” conditions in these camps, citing a lack of running water and limited health facilities. “There aren’t any excuses left. The Australian government needs to bring these Australian children and their mothers home,” Tinkler is reported saying.

    “The alternative – leaving Aussie kids languishing in a war zone – is unthinkable.”

    Up to 70,000 people are believed to be stranded in the Al-Hawl camp, which has limited food, flooded tents, harsh winter conditions and poor healthcare, with illnesses rampant in the setting.”

  24. Migrant landings intensify, EC says ready to help
    https://www.ansa.it/english/news/general_news/2020/07/30/migrant-landings-intensify-ec-says-ready-to-help_092b7a9f-4f67-4fa2-a80e-a1856b58d2ef.html

    “A European Commission spokesperson said Thursday that the EU executive was “aware” of the intensification of the arrival of migrant boats from North Africa in southern Italy, especially in Sicily and on the island of Lampedusa.
    The spokesperson said the EC was “following closely” the situation, especially Lampedusa where “the difficulties are significant”, with the migrant hotspot badly overcrowded.
    “Clearly it is the job of the member State to deal with these difficulties initially,” the spokesperson said.
    “But the European Commission, which has already given support to Italy, remains willing (to help) if there are more requests”.”

  25. Tunisian navy saves man held afloat by plastic for 4 days
    http://www.ansamed.info/ansamed/en/news/sections/generalnews/2020/07/30/tunisian-navy-saves-man-held-afloat-by-plastic-for-4-days_17bfcca2-1730-4917-b7e4-3a6d91cdde77.html

    “Units from the Tunisian navy on Wednesday afternoon rescued a young man clutching a plastic container and drifting at sea some 15 miles east off Chebba in the Mahdia governorate.

    The defense ministry reported the news in a statement, which noted that the man said he had left from Sfax four days before alongside 25 other Tunisians to try to reach the Italian coast illegally when the boat they were on sunk due to a problem with its engine.

    The man was taken to the Monastir port and then the regional hospital.

    The search meanwhile continues for any other survivors of the shipwreck.”

  26. Iran’s declining birth rate alarms country’s leaders
    https://www.dw.com/en/iran-birth-rate-decline/a-54371973

    “Iran’s spiritual leader is worried about his country’s low birth rate. Political measures aimed at helping people juggle work and family life haven’t made much of a difference.

    “I don’t want a child,” said Sarah, an Iranian woman who’s been happily married for eight years.

    “Having a child is a lot of responsibility that I don’t want, perhaps because I haven’t yet recovered from the constant competition in my own life,” the 38-year-old, who lives in Tehran and works for a food company, told DW.

    For Sarah, money isn’t a problem. She counts herself among Iran’s “baby boomer” generation, born after the 1979 revolution. Back in the 1980s, Iran’s birth rate was one of the highest in the world, with the population growing at an explosive rate.

    In 1979, the country had 37 million inhabitants. Family planning was the rule — the population even dipped slightly in the previous decade. But religious revolutionaries at the time rejected family planning as un-Islamic — they envisioned a powerful, populous, Shiite-dominated country in the Middle East. During the long bloody war against Iraq in the 1980s, Iranian authorities actively encouraged women to have babies.

    Sarah and her three siblings were born during those years. “We had a nice, big house with a garden,” she said. “But outside our home everything was scarce. Kindergartens and schools didn’t have enough space for our generation. The schools organized lessons on a shift basis to accommodate all the students.”

    That was only the beginning, she said, adding everyone knew there would be fierce competition for every spot in university, for every job. “I still have a feeling of insecurity. I’m afraid that someone more qualified might get my job,” she said.

    Tehran’s family policies reversal
    Iran’s population has more than doubled in the last 41 years, from 37 million to 84 million people. With that growth came a realization among politicians that the country’s education and health systems were overtaxed, and that sorely needed investments had been lacking during the war with Iraq. In December 1988, the Supreme Court paved the way for a modern program to promote family planning when it declared the practice was perfectly compatible with Islam.

    The new program foresaw families with an average of three children. The government promoted the distribution of modern contraceptives, and made counseling and education available across Iran. The plan worked: By 2010, the average number of births per woman had dropped from 5.1 to 1.7, a figure that has essentially remained stable to this day.

    According to the?Tehran Times, however, the number of annual births has been steadily dropping in recent years. About 1.48 million births were recorded between March 2016 and March 2017, 1.36 million the year after, and 1.2 million the year after that — a steady decline of around 100,000 births every year.

    Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has long criticized the low birth rate in the Islamic Republic. The spiritual leader wants the population to grow to 150 million, and in 2012 he enforced a turnaround in the country’s family policies that cut off funding for family planning education and contraceptive services. Two years later, Khamenei declared the increase of the country’s birth rate to be a strategic goal.

    Family-friendly measures not enough
    Since then, a number of family-friendly measures have been introduced, including an extended maternity leave of nine months. Pregnant women are free to take sick leave whenever necessary, with a simple medical certificate, and access to loans and jobs has also been facilitated for families with children.

    The measures have been accompanied by a massive propaganda effort in state media and institutions, including universities. However, they haven’t been enough to convince young people to change their minds, in a country where the average age is almost 31. Many young people just can’t see having a large family with several children.

    A mass exodus from the countryside to already overcrowded cities, continuing US economic sanctions and a persistent drought that has lasted 30 years — many Iranians are struggling. And like Sarah, they simply can’t imagine bringing children into the world under such circumstances.”

  27. Video of migrants landing in Italy with a poodle, fashionable sun hat, and smartphones goes viral
    https://rmx.news/article/article/video-of-migrants-landing-in-italy-with-a-poodle-fashionable-sun-hat-and-smartphones-goes-viral

    “League party leader Matteo Salvini posted a video to Facebook and Twitter showing migrants arriving by boat at the Italian island of Lampedusa carrying smartphones, a poodle, and leisurely smoking cigarettes, with many of them dressed as if they were going on vacation.

    In the video he posted to Facebook, which already has 3 million views, he wrote, “Here is the degree of ridicule and humiliation of Italy and the Italians this bankrupt government is causing us. We are now a joke abroad.”

    He also wrote on Twitter, “Cigarette, straw hat and a poodle on a leash. Are we serious?”

    Users on Facebook also shared their frustration with what they feel is an uncontrolled migration crisis in both Italy and Europe…”

  28. Fewer than 40% of migrants given deportation orders actually leave Europe
    https://rmx.news/article/article/less-than-40-of-migrants-given-deportation-orders-actually-leave-europe

    “In the European Union, less than 40 percent of expelled illegal immigrants eventually return to their country of origin or third country, the European Court of Auditors (ECA) has determined.

    Since 2008, around 500,000 foreign nationals per year have been ordered to leave the European Union, but on average only 38 percent of them have eventually left.

    In the case of people arriving in the EU from non-European countries, the number drops below 30 percent. In 2018, it was 25 percent. The numbers of expelled people leaving voluntarily and those forced to leave are roughly equal.

    The problem has been discussed for some time at the EU level. For example, in 2015, the European Commission came up with an action plan on deportation. It stated that the readmission of illegal immigrants should be a priority concern in relations with countries external to the EU.

    In 2016, a “Partnership Framework on Migration” was introduced. The document included visa facilitation and development assistance for certain countries in exchange for their commitment to take back more migrants. A renewed action plan with new recommendations followed in 2017.

    The EU concluded 18 legally binding readmission agreements with external countries during that period, but many countries remain uninterested in signing on to such an arrangement. Even in many countries that have signed a readmission agreement, the return rate is still remarkably low.

    The European Court of Auditors (ECA) is now examining the progress made by the EU since 2015. While there is no clear overview of how much money the EU spent on cooperation with third countries in terms of migrant readmission, there have been at least 59 projects worth €641 million.”

  29. Germany: Afghan migrant charged with rape of 13-year-old girl in Dortmund, second rape charge in just a month
    https://rmx.news/article/article/germany-afghan-migrant-charged-with-rape-of-13-year-old-girl-in-dortmund-second-rape-charge-in-just-a-month

    “Judicial authorities in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia are being accused of incompetence after their decision to release an Afghan migrant accused of raping a young girl who, according to police, then raped another girl who is just 13-year-old following his release.

    The 23-year-old Afghan man, Zubyr S., is accused of raping the young girl in Dortmund on Friday, according to Germany’s Bild newspaper.

    After his initial arrest rape in Dortmund on June 20, he was released a few days later because according to authorities, he has a permanent residence in the city and therefore was not a flight risk.

    On July 3, Dortmund’s public prosecutor, Borge Klepping, who was in charge of the case, ordered the conditional release of Zubyr S. He justified this concession in favor of the suspect by saying that Zubyr had a permanent residence in the city. The suspect was already well known to the police for various other crimes.

    Klepping said the reason behind his decision to release the suspect was the lack of grounds for detention, such as a potential risk of fleeing or repeating the crime. According to Klepping, it is required in each case to consider the circumstances in which the suspect remains in custody and whether it is really necessary.

    In this case, however, the prosecutor’s decision led to the suspect committing another alleged rape.

    Afghan migrant accused of luring victim from a playground
    According to the latest information, on Friday last week, Zubyr S. lured a girl from a nearby playground into the hallway of an apartment building and raped her there. The girl managed to walk home and then gave the police such a detailed description of the perpetrator that Zubyr S. was arrested shortly after the attack on Saturday at 3:30 in the morning.

    The Afghan man is thus once again in custody for a serious felony, but it is unclear how long he will be held for the second rape.

    The police already suspected Zubyr of previous child abuse case and police say he is a criminal recidivist who has convictions for physical violence and drug possession on his record.

    Migrant sex crimes have been in the headlines in Germany recently. Ten migrants who drugged and gang raped an 18-year-old German girl in Freiburg were all sentenced to prison last week. Eight of them were from Syria.

    In February, a 22-year-old Afghan asylum seeker confessed to raping an 11-year-old girl in the Hanover region of Germany along with two other asylum seeker accomplices. The victim was a special needs student with disabilities.”

  30. Dear Parents and Guardians,

    We recognize that uncertainty surrounding September has made this a challenging summer for parents and students. We would like to thank you and acknowledge the feedback we have received through our surveys, Board meetings and messages, which have been critical as we prepare to begin school on September 3rd.

    Today, the Government of Ontario released its plan for school reopening for September.

    According to the announcement, with enhanced health and safety protocols in place, elementary school children in Kindergarten through Grade 8 will attend school five days per week. Secondary schools in designated school boards, including the OCDSB, will open on an adapted model, with class cohorts of approximately 15 students, attending on alternate days, or alternate schedules that would represent in person attendance for at least 50% of instructional days.

    You can read the Education Minister’s Letter to Parents here and the full news announcement from the Ontario government on their website.

    We have received this announcement earlier than expected so we can now finalize our plan to return to school in September. The OCDSB will be reviewing the government’s announcement in detail along with additional guidance from the Ministry of Education. We continue to collaborate with Ottawa Public Health, Ottawa Student Transportation Authority and the other Ottawa school districts on local plans. We will be sharing more information on next steps with you next week.

    While we are looking forward to receiving all our students in September, we recognize that some families may prefer to engage in the full online/remote learning platform as we go into the fall. In order to plan effectively, we will also be asking all families to fill in a Confirmation of Attendance form for each student, which we will send next week. This information will allow us to coordinate student groups and plan for those who intend to return to school as well as for those or are opting to continue with remote learning. Please watch for this email and complete the form as soon as possible.

    As a community, our continued vigilance and co-operation will help us to bring our students back to school safely. We know that every student and every school community is different. With this in mind, we are committed to continuing to use a responsible and responsive approach to re-opening our schools and launching a new school year in September.

    Thank you for your ongoing patience and support.

    Camille Williams-Taylor

    Director of Education

    The Ottawa-Carleton District School Board would like to continue connecting with you via email. You can select the type of email messages you receive, however we discourage unsubscribing from emergency messages. You can follow this link to confirm your email preferences: Unsubscribe

    SchoolMessenger is a notification service used by the nation’s leading school systems to connect with parents, students and staff through voice, SMS text, email, and social media.

    Well, besides the word salad and unmitigated utter bullshit, why do grades 0-8 somehow represent a lesser health threat? If they allow the younger kids to attend full time, make them ALL go back full time. The argument can well be made that older children will be even safer because they are more mature and more reliable in following safety protocols than snotty, messy little ones.

    This is just another education system fiasco perpetrated by untethered idealogues.