Reader’s Links for March 6, 2021

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

57 Replies to “Reader’s Links for March 6, 2021”

  1. Somalia: Deadly blast hits Mogadishu restaurant (DW, Mar 6, 2021)
    https://www.dw.com/en/somalia-deadly-blast-hits-mogadishu-restaurant/a-56790510

    “Police suspect a suicide bomber blew up a car outside a popular restaurant in the capital city. Victims were still reportedly being pulled from the rubble through the evening.

    What do we know so far?
    At least 21 people were killed over 30 others were wounded in the blast, local police told news agency dpa.

    Authorities earlier told the Associated Press that at least 10 people had been killed.

    The explosion occurred at dinner time when the restaurant was full. The blast reportedly could be heard across the city.

    In addition to the restaurant, several nearby buildings were also damaged and at least one collapsed after the bombing.

    This is the second time the Luul-Yemeni restaurant, which is popular with city workers, government employees and security personnel, has been attacked.

    Authorities blamed the attack on the al-Shabab extremist group.

    The group is linked to al-Qaida and frequently carries out attacks against targets like hotels and restaurants in the city of Mogadishu.

    For years, the group has been carrying out bombings as part of its bid to topple the central government in Somalia, located in the Horn of Africa.

    Al-Shabab currently controls large parts of the country’s south and center…”

  2. Afghan official: Car bomber kills prosecutor, bodyguard (abcnews ,Mar 6, 2021)
    https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/afghan-official-car-bomber-kills-prosecutor-bodyguard-76293142v

    “A suicide car bombing killed the Afghan intelligence directorate’s chief prosecutor Saturday, an official said, amid in increase in violence in the war-ravaged country.

    Sayed Mahmood Agha was on his way to his office in the southern city of Lashkargah when an attacker driving a car full of explosives targeted Agha’s convoy, killing him, said Attaullah Afghan, provincial council chief for Helmand province.

    One of Agha’s bodyguards was also killed and eight others, including two civilian passersby, were wounded.

    No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack…”

  3. Useful article until the last sentence. Science achieving “consensus” is a peculiar thing to assert. I believe it is, precisely, the space between real scientific work, and propagandized pseudoscience, where the word “consensus” now resides quite comfortably.

    https://news.trust.org/item/20210305030525-fscog

    • What about Semmelweis?
      (Good Hungarian name!)
      Isn’t there a concensus that handwashing prevents “childbed fever”?

  4. This classic Star Trek episode reminds me of today.

    https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x6g2zgh

    So constant and unrelenting are the bullhorned Covid-19 radio reports that we are convinced, absolutely, we are in a war. Colour-coded safety alerts, double masking, police-state-like police behavior, the constant statistical barrage of “cases” and deaths–and yet I still don’t see the mass casualties associated with something described as a pandemic. Ok, I’m not the front-line worker who most certainly sees more of the real picture than I, but even they don’t see the mayhem that one would expect. Yesterday’s nurse arriving at Pearson airport matters more for her disbelieving attitude than how the guard treats her. She’s FRONT LINE and calls BS. Last week I was in the hospital escorting a family member. I sat in the emergency for 14 hours–all night. At one point I made a weak wisecrack to the nurse about how quiet the pandemic was at “ground zero”. She didn’t quite know how to respond. Her first words were the most honest, saying that the last year had been exceptionally quiet, but then she sort of backtracked saying business is “…up and down…”.

    My sincere condolences to all who have lost friends or loved ones to this virus. These condolences also extend to the rest of the population who are suffering the vastly-greater collateral effects of government intrusion, including fear-mongered stress, cancers and suicides. The economic impacts by Central Bank interferences will soon be your headlines. They will blame it on market forces while they, themselves, will be the elephant in the market. We will soon see significant inflation in the things we need–even more than we now see. The cost of bananas just doubled and will double again. Gasoline is up while demand is down, curiously. Broken supply chains and labour issues are blamed even though government broke them with their medical tyranny. Lumber is at an all time high which forces the U.S. to deal with Canada on our never-ending softwood fight. This is because historically-low interest rates are frothing real-estate and house building, and will entrap poor suckers in hurtful mortgages just as Central Banks lose control of those interest rates. Yes, our never-ending softwood lumber fight, I say again in segué to the Star Trek episode I’ve posted above. Imagine, an artificial war with the population so well trained that they submit to their own death when summoned to do so. Not quite the drama we have today except for the artificial war angle.

    Wouldn’t it be great if they threw a war and nobody showed up? Wouldn’t it be great if their narratives were simply ignored?

    https://greenwald.substack.com/p/as-the-insurrection-narrative-crumbles

  5. Iraqi Migrant Doctor Blames ‘Racist Conspiracy’ for Sex Assault Charges (breitbart, Mar 6, 2021)
    https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2021/03/06/iraqi-migrant-doctor-blames-racist-conspiracy-for-sex-assault-charges/

    “An Iraqi migrant doctor in the French commune of Bourges who has been accused of sexual assault by a patient has alleged a “racist conspiracy” against him.

    The Bourges prosecutor’s office has only asked for a one-year suspended sentence and a two-year ban on practising medicine for 80-year-old Dr Fadhil Almosawy, accused of sexually abusing one of his patients in November of 2019.

    The alleged victim in the case stated that she had visited the doctor’s office on the morning of November 25th after claiming she felt unwell and had previously visited a fortnight prior, newspaper Le Berry Républicain reports.

    “He made me lie down on the examination table,” the woman told investigators. “He put his hands under my clothes, massaged my stomach. Then the shoulders, the head, the back… and buttocks, legs. He told me to come back in the evening, to put on my make-up, to come and eat with him. I left without a prescription, and he didn’t ask me for my health card or payment,” she said.

    Just hours later, the woman told her parents about the incident and filed a complaint. Dr Almosawy, who has practised medicine in Bourges for 46 years, has no criminal record but has had one similar prior complaint, though it was dismissed.

    “All she’s talking about is bullshit!” Almosawy said, and claimed the entire case was a racist conspiracy against him from the Board of the Order of Physicians. The Board has only given him a two-month suspension from practice from April 1st to May 31st.

    A judgement in the court case is expected in May…”

    • The local registration board put out a newsletter on proceedings. Strangely enough muslim names form 60% at least. Funny that especially as they are still in a minority. (probably temporary as muslim applicants are never rejected unlike white young men).

  6. Swedish Police Arrest Hungarian Journalist Covering Suspected Migrant Terror Attack (breitbart, Mar 6, 2021)
    https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2021/03/06/swedish-police-arrest-hungarian-journalist-covering-suspected-migrant-terror-attack/

    “Swedish police in the city of Uppsala detained a reporter from the Hungarian television station HÍRTV this week for two hours after he filmed a report from in front of a local police station.

    Reporter Zoltán Bugnyár was covering a recent mass stabbing incident that saw eight people injured by an Afghan migrant in the municipality of Vetlanda on Wednesday when uniformed police approached him.

    “Although our correspondent showed no resistance and presented his press card, and stated that he was cooperating with the authorities and he would leave the scene, policemen did not allow him to leave. He was taken to the police building, led into the interrogation room, where he was not allowed to make phone calls. He was detained for two hours,” a spokeswoman for the broadcaster told Breitbart News.

    The spokeswoman noted that Bugnyár was unaware that Swedish law forbids the filming of “protected buildings” such a police stations.

    “He was not informed of what specific law would prohibit that. In addition, the police wanted him to make a testimony in Swedish.”

    “Although Mr Bugnyár speaks Swedish, he would not have felt comfortable communicating in Swedish in a criminal case, so he asked for an interpreter on the telephone. Although this is legally granted, the interpreter was not provided for him,” the spokeswoman said.

    Bugnyár was also denied any documentation of his detention and interrogation, and both his camera and phone were seized by the Swedish police.

    “The Swedish authorities’ proceedings are outrageous because police action was taken against a journalist when he was working, and he was doing his job without any bad intentions. Our position in HÍRTV is the following: the police action was disproportionate and unnecessary, which is unacceptable,” the Hungarian broadcaster said.

    The incident comes after several conflicts between Sweden and Hungary in recent years, such as in 2018 when Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto summoned the Swedish ambassador in Budapest over comments made by Sweden’s then-Foreign Minister Margot Wallstrom, which the Hungarian saw as an “attack on Hungary by the pro-immigration Swedish government.

    The following year another row erupted between the two EU member-states after Swedish Minister of Social Security Annika Strandhäll indirectly invoked comparisons to the German Nazi regime when referring to Hungary’s pro-family policies.”

  7. Record 10,373 Foreign Criminals Eligible for Deportation Are Roaming Britain’s Streets Free (breitbart, Mar 6, 2021)
    https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2021/03/06/record-10373-foreign-criminals-roaming-the-streets-of-britain-rather-than-being-deported/

    “The number of foreign criminals living free in communities throughout the United Kingdom has hit a record high, with over 10,000 criminals roaming the streets despite being eligible for deportation.

    Home Office figures revealed that some 10,373 foreign criminals have been released from prison yet have so far skirted deportation — meaning the number of foreign national offenders living in British communities has hit the highest level in recorded history.

    While the pandemic has made deportations more difficult, the drop in deportations predates the coronavirus. The number of foreign national offenders remaining in the country has dramatically risen since 2012 when, officially, fewer than 4,000 were living in Britain.

    In the year leading up to September, only 3,374 criminals were kicked out of the country, representing a drop of a third over the previous year period, The Times reports.

    Last year, nearly 2,600 foreign criminals were released from prison rather than being deported, meaning that on average seven foreign criminals were set free onto British streets per day.

    There are also currently around 9,000 foreign national offenders currently imprisoned in the country, accounting for over a tenth of the total prison population.

    David Spencer, of the Centre for Crime Prevention, told the Daily Mail: “It is an outrage that so many convicted foreign criminals have been left free to roam our streets.”

    “The Home Secretary [Priti Patel] needs to ensure that, where possible, all foreign criminals are returned to their home country once they have served their time,” he added.

    The failure to deport foreign criminals has come at a cost in blood. Last year, for example, Libyan national Khairi Saadallah stabbed three men to death in a radical Islamic terror attack just sixteen days after being released from prison.

    The Home Office has consistently blamed the failure to deport more criminals and illegal aliens on the efforts of “do-gooding” celebrities, protesters, and “activist lawyers”, who have sought to block return flights…”

  8. Kamala knows nothing about international diplomacy, hence White House is thinking of “educating” her

  9. From the honorable Harper to the obtuse O’Toole – Canadian Right has collapsed
    931 views
    •Mar 6, 2021

  10. – NEWBORN WHITE BABIES ARE RACIST –

    SCOOP: The Arizona Department of Education has created an “equity” toolkit claiming that babies show the first signs of racism at three months old and that white children “remain strongly biased in favor of whiteness” by age five.

    Let’s review the resources in the toolkit.
    Thread:

    The Department of Education recommends a reading that claims babies are not “colorblind” and that parents must instill “antiracist attitudes and actions” beginning at birth, in order for their children to not “absorb bias from the world around them.”

    The Department provides additional resources for “families & community,” telling white parents that they “can have a black friend, partner, or child and still be racist.” The article claims that white people deny their own racism to “alleviate some of their white fragility.”

    https://twitter.com/realchrisrufo/status/1366820252252733446

    THE STORY WENT WILD. Thus…

    BREAKING: The Arizona Department of Education has launched an internal investigation into their “babies are racist” teaching materials. This isn’t enough. Governor @dougducey
    must conduct a full external audit—and end this absurd propaganda.

    https://twitter.com/realchrisrufo/status/1368018931525500929

  11. – MODERNA VACCINE SHOT –

    Ben Stein Issues WARNING: Suffers Severe Side Effects from COVID Vaccine DAYS AFTER Getting Shot (VIDEO)

    American writer, lawyer, actor and comedian Ben Stein posted video this week warning Americans about the side-effects of the Moderna COVID vaccine booster shot.

    According to Stein he was horrible sick for days following the injection.

    “Ben Stein: I had the COVID booster by Moderno four or five days ago and I am still feeling wild side effects from it like I have the worst flu in the world, extreme shortness of breath, dizziness, fatigue, extreme irrational thinking. And it has just been devastating.”

    https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2021/03/ben-stein-issues-warning-suffers-severe-side-effects-covid-vaccine-days-getting-shot-video/

    • UK: 35 people deaf and 25 blind after taking mRNA vaccine shots

      The Yellow Card scheme tracking potential vaccine injuries has flagged a combined 191,832 individual adverse events, or side effects, related to COVID vaccines.

      LONDON, England, March 5, 2021 (LifeSiteNews) — Among people in the U.K., 35 cases of deafness and 25 cases of blindness have been reported by people who have taken the experimental mRNA COVID-19 vaccines. The numbers are derived from the U.K. Yellow Card vaccine reporting scheme, which is the British equivalent to the American Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS).

      Both the Pfizer/BioNTech and Oxford/AstraZeneca mRNA COVID vaccines were given temporary authorization in the U.K. by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), the former in mid-December 2020, and the latter at the beginning of January 2021. Since then, the Yellow Card scheme has flagged a combined 191,832 individual adverse events, or side effects, of varying degrees of injury. Of the injuries recorded, AstraZeneca’s vaccine consistently performed the worst, accounting for 60% of all adverse events, and 58% of deaf and blind reports. Additionally, of the 402 fatalities, 197 were reported following use of the Pfizer formula, and 205 after taking AstraZeneca’s vaccine.

      The latest data, which runs up to February 19 and was published on February 22, reveals a plethora of debilitating side-effects, but this has not alarmed officials at the MHRA who maintain that “no other new safety concerns have been identified from reports received to date.” They conclude from this that the “overall safety experience with both vaccines is so far as expected from the clinical trials.”

      The regulator doubled down on supporting the jabs, stating that the “expected benefits of the vaccines in preventing COVID-19 and serious complications associated with COVID-19 far outweigh any currently known side effects,” including deafness, blindness, and death.

      The MHRA justified this position by citing the passively analytical nature of recordings on the Yellow Card scheme: It is a self-reporting system. This means that none of the serious injuries, or even the deaths, are confirmed by a licensed doctor, giving the MHRA some leeway to declare that “the available evidence does not currently suggest that the vaccine caused the event.” Rather, the MHRA favors use of the term “temporally-related” to describe the succession of adverse events from injection with the vaccine, which they describe as “events occurring following vaccination but may or may not be caused by the vaccine.”

      John Stone of Children’s Health Defense noted that, despite the passive reporting system used by the MHRA, “[n]evertheless, the very distinct event profiles of two products [COVID-19 vaccines] filtered through the same system after 15 million vaccine administrations [in the U.K.] would suggest that there is something to be investigated and explained.”

      A pattern of adverse results has been established regarding use of the Pfizer vaccine, which can be seen by examining its use in the U.S., following the award of “Emergency Use Authorization” by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in December. In both the U.K. and the U.S., use of the Pfizer vaccine has brought about similar results, accounting for the majority of post-vaccination injuries in America. VAERS has recorded 19,907 cases of adverse events arising after taking a COVID-19 vaccine, 64% of which are linked to Pfizer’s mRNA vaccine, and 36% attributable to Moderna’s equivalent jab.

      In the U.S., VAERS reported 23 cases of complete deafness and 27 of unilateral deafness, with Pfizer’s jab making up 76% of complaints. Additionally there have been 29 cases of partial or complete blindness, over half of which followed the Pfizer vaccine.

      https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/uk-35-people-deaf-and-25-blind-after-taking-mrna-vaccine-shots

    • Dalai Lama vaccinated against Covid-19

      The Dalai Lama receives a vaccination against Covid-19 in Dharamshala, India, and urges people around the world to ‘have the courage to take this injection’.

    • CBC – Three trans women of colour on dealing with pandemic isolation

      Three Toronto transgender women of colour share how they’re enduring the pain and isolation of pandemic social restrictions and how they’re looking forward to better days.

    • Sky News UK – Anti-vax book sales surge as sellers urged to add warning tags

      Amazon, Waterstones and Foyles are being urged to add warning labels to anti-vaccination books after a Sky News investigation found they were being sold on their websites.

    • ctv news – A pleasant experience’: No lineups at York region vaccination sites

      Officials in York region say they’ve addressed issues that forced hundreds to line up outside in the cold this week.

      Maleeha Sheikh has the details, and testimony from seniors who were pleased with the process.

    • NBC news – CDC Creating New Guidelines For People Who Are Fully Vaccinated

      About 28 million Americans are fully vaccinated, but experts urge them to continue wearing masks until more people receive the vaccine.

    • MARCH 06 twitter – @breaking911

      NEW CDC REPORT: Mask mandates lower COVID cases by around 1.5% over a two month period

      https://twitter.com/Breaking911/status/1368305015153164288

      =====================================================

      CNBC – MARCH 05 – CDC study finds easing mask and restaurant rules led to more Covid cases and deaths, as some states move to lift restrictions

      Easing mask mandates and reopening restaurants have led to a rise in Covid-19 cases and deaths, according to a new study by the CDC that comes as the agency urges states not to aggressively lift health restrictions.

      […]The study found that mask requirements were associated with a more than 1 percentage point decrease in the daily growth rate of Covid-19 cases and deaths 20 days after their implementation.

      ===================================================

      CDC – Association of State-Issued Mask Mandates and Allowing On-Premises Restaurant Dining with County-Level COVID-19 Case and Death Growth Rates — United States, March 1–December 31, 2020

      Summary
      What is already known about this topic?

      Universal masking and avoiding nonessential indoor spaces are recommended to mitigate the spread of COVID-19.

      What is added by this report?

      Mandating masks was associated with a decrease in daily COVID-19 case and death growth rates within 20 days of implementation. Allowing on-premises restaurant dining was associated with an increase in daily COVID-19 case growth rates 41–100 days after implementation and an increase in daily death growth rates 61–100 days after implementation.

      What are the implications for public health practice?

      Mask mandates and restricting any on-premises dining at restaurants can help limit community transmission of COVID-19 and reduce case and death growth rates. These findings can inform public policies to reduce community spread of COVID-19.

      https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/70/wr/mm7010e3.htm

      ==========================================

      Texas mayor Alder on Gov. Abbott’s decision to lift mask mandate

      Austin, Texas mayor Steve Alder says politicizing wearing masks is ‘part of the problem.’

  12. ctv news – World’s first space hotel scheduled to open in 2027

    […]In a recent interview with CNN Travel, Blincow explained there had been some COVID-related delays, but construction on the space hotel is expected to begin in 2026, and a sojourn in space could be a reality by 2027.

    “We’re trying to make the public realize that this golden age of space travel is just around the corner. It’s coming. It’s coming fast,” said Blincow.

    […] Instead, Alatorre and his team want to bring a slice of earth to space via warm suites and chic bars and restaurants. Guests might be in space, but they can still enjoy regular beds and showers. [.... but no swimming pool....? ]

    That’s not to say the hotel will ignore the novelty of being in space altogether. There are plans to serve traditional “space food” — like freeze dried ice cream — in the hotel’s restaurant.

    Plus there will be recreational activities on offer that “highlight the fact that you’re able to do things that you can’t do on Earth,” according to Alatorre.

    “Because of the weightlessness and the reduced gravity, you’ll be able to jump higher, be able to lift things, be able to run in ways that you can’t on Earth.”

    […]Alatorre told CNN Travel that the rotating wheel would work to create a simulated gravity.

    “The station rotates, pushing the contents of the station out to the perimeter of the station, much in the way that you can spin a bucket of water — the water pushes out into the bucket and stays in place,” he said.

    […]The team imagine government or private companies might use modules for training crews “heading to Mars, the Moon and beyond,” as Alatorre outlined at the 2021 live event.

    The next stage in getting the Voyager Station off the ground is bringing more investors into the mix, and continuing with tests on the ground.

    The eventual goal, as Alatorre put it back in 2019, is “to create a starship culture where people are going to space, and living in space, and working in space and they want to be in space. And we believe that there’s a demand for that.”

    https://www.ctvnews.ca/sci-tech/world-s-first-space-hotel-scheduled-to-open-in-2027-1.5333400

    =======================================================

    Orbital Assembly Corporation

    Orbital Assembly Corporation is a large scale space construction company that is launching the next phase of human exploration of space, artificial gravity, and rapid on-orbit assembly of large structures.

    https://netcapital.com/companies/orbital-assembly

    ======================================================
    Orbital Assembly Media Reel, 2020

    • HOT AIR – San Francisco Is Paying $5,000 Per Month For Each Homeless Tent

      Homelessness is really expensive for the people who are paying for it. Last year, San Francisco set up six “safe sleeping villages” during the pandemic, including one right outside City Hall. Basically these sites are sanctioned tent camps where the homeless live on city property with bathrooms and free meals. It turns out the city is paying $5,000 per month for each tent:

      San Francisco is paying $16.1 million to feed and house people in tent villages as the city struggles with a swelling homeless population. But the cost worries some lawmakers…

      The 262 tents currently house more than 300 people, with some vacancies. The villages also provide access to bathrooms, meals and 24-hour security, the San Francisco Chronicle reported Thursday.

      That $16 million per year works out to $61,000 per tent, or $5,000 per month. San Francisco is also housing the homeless, temporarily, in hotel rooms. The hotel rooms cost a bit more than the accommodations in the safe sleeping villages but the city can get federal reimbursement for the hotels. There is no reimbursement available for the tents, which means it’s a drain on the city budget.

      “It’s eye-popping, and we need to understand why that is,” Supervisor Rafael Mandelman said. “We have to find a way to have exits from the streets. But we need them to be more cost-effective.”…

      “I understand the motivation to create (safe) sleeping space during this COVID-19 crisis,” Supervisor Ahsha Safaí said. “But we really need to dive deep to see if this a sustainable model … without any federal reimbursement.”

      San Francisco was desperate to find some way to house people when it became clear that homeless shelters could potentially become prime places for the spread of the coronavirus. So they spent a lot of money quickly setting up these sites (there was no bidding process to find the best deal because there wasn’t time). So maybe it’s not surprising that it looks like the city got ripped off a bit.

      At present the city spends $300 million per year on programs for the homeless. But the number of people on the streets keeps growing. They say you get more of whatever you subsidize and that may be true for homelessness too.

      There probably are realistic solutions for the temporary homeless who are on the streets or sleeping in cars because of lost jobs and lost housing. But the long term homeless, the people living perpetually on in tents are another matter. They can’t care for themselves, either because of drugs, alcohol, mental problems or some combination of the three. What do you do for someone whose goal in life is to use meth every day? And what if it turns out many of those people dont’ do it just because they’re irresponsible but because they have some genuine trauma in their past that they are trying to medicate or escape. It’s not as simple as getting them clean so they can think rationally. For some, their lives were destroyed before they got into drugs or drinking.

      No place in the United States has solved this problem, i.e. the inability of a free society that values self-determination to deal with the downward spiral of self-destructive behavior some people get trapped in. San Francisco is just one of the places where this failure has become most evident.

      https://hotair.com/archives/john-s-2/2021/03/05/san-francisco-paying-5000-per-month-homeless-tent/

  13. Austria: Woman poured over with petrol and set on fire – Man with “Egyptian roots” arrested

    Calm, as cold as ice. This is how a 47-year-old man allegedly stood in front of his ex-partner in her Vienna tobacconist’s at noon on Friday. He came to wipe out a life – that of the 35-year-old businesswoman. She was poured over with petrol and set on fire. The woman survived with serious injuries. On Friday evening, the getaway of the suspect ended, he was arrested by the special unit WEGA.

    A deafening bang, flames and a huge cloud of smoke – a major operation for the rescue services, fire brigade and police in the Vienna district of Alsergrund on Friday afternoon. Passers-by had to watch as a burning woman staggered out of a tobacconist. It was Nadine W. (35), the owner – popular and respected in the neighbourhood. She ran, stumbled, screamed for her life. “The seriously injured victim ran into the street, where an ambulance of the Samariterbund just happened to be,” said Andreas Huber, spokesman of the Vienna Professional Rescue Service. The rescuers immediately rushed to the victim and extinguished the flames with blankets. The alarmed emergency services took the life-threateningly injured woman to the hospital in a speedy drive. On the way there, the tobacconist was able to mutter a few crucial words: the name of her alleged attacker.

    “The seriously injured woman stated that the perpetrator was supposed to be her ex,” said police spokesperson Daniel Fürst. But at first there was no trace of the Austrian citizen with Egyptian roots.

    Eventually, however, the police pressure to find the 47-year-old became too high for him. According to the police, he called 911 himself around 4.15 p.m. and gave his whereabouts. He was then arrested by WEGA officers outside in the Lobau district of Donaustadt without resisting, police spokeswoman Barbara Gass reported. The man has not yet been questioned, so his responsibility remained unclear for the time being.

    https://medforth.blog/2021/03/06/austria-woman-poured-over-with-petrol-and-set-on-fire-man-with-egyptian-roots-arrested/

  14. Holiday nightmare – Fatal Italian COVID cruise under investigation

    The French authorities are investigating manslaughter allegations against Italy’s Costa Cruises, after three people died following an outbreak on the ship last year.

    Passengers of the Costa Magica claim they weren’t told about suspected infections and were encouraged by the crew to use the ship’s facilities.

  15. europravda – Belgium to repatriate Islamist children held in Al-Hol Syrian refugee camp

    Prime Minister Alexander De Croo said 30 to 50 Islamist children located in a refugee camp in northeastern Syria would be brought to Belgium.

  16. Iranian Military Veteran Gets Short Sentence for Piloting Illegal Migrants Across Channel (breitbart, Mar 6, 2021)
    https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2021/03/06/iranian-military-veteran-gets-short-sentence-piloting-illegal-migrants-across-channel/

    “Iranian military veteran Fariboz Rakei has received a short prison sentence for leading a boatload of migrants, including a seven-year-old child, on a perilous journey across the English Channel.

    The 49-year-old is one of ten people who have been convicted for offences related to people-smuggling migrants in the Channel so far this year, and has received the longest sentence yet — of just four-and-a-half years.

    This is despite the fact he is a so-called “boomerang migrant”, having already been deported from Britain to Germany as recently as 2019 following a previous illegal channel crossing, according to KentOnline.

    Criminals in Britain who receive non-“life” sentences are almost always automatically released early on licence halfway or, more rarely, two-thirds of the way through their terms, too, so the headline figure of four-and-a-half years is not likely to reflect the amount of time he Rakei will actually serve in prison.

    “Steering a vessel like this, for any duration of its journey across the Channel, is a criminal offence that puts lives in danger,” commented the so-called Clandestine Channel Threat Commander, Dan O’Mahoney, who has presided over an increase in illegal boat migrants landings since his job was created.

    “It is all the worse, when one of those lives is only seven-years-old,” he stressed, pointing out that such voyages “are only possible if someone is willing to pilot the vessel and we want to deter people from taking the helm.”

    “That is why we will continue to pursue those who do so and ensure that their reckless actions have serious consequences,” O’Mahoney added, as if Rakei’s four-and-a-half term was such a “serious consequence”.

    “We are working day and night with French counterparts, including through improved intelligence sharing and increased patrols in northern France, to stop these crossings,” claimed Chris Philp, the government minister responsible for immigration compliance at the Priti Patel-led Home Office.

    “As this case shows, we are also going after the people involved in facilitating this criminal trade,” he continued, glossing over the shortness of the Iranian’s sentence.

    “People-smugglers are endangering life. These crossings are not only illegal, but also unnecessary, as France is a safe country with a well-functioning asylum system,” he added.

    “Furthermore, we are changing our asylum system to make it fair to those who play by the rules, but firm on those who seek to abuse it,” he claimed, years after the crisis in the Channel was first declared a “major incident”.

    So far this year, Boris Johnson’s government has failed to deport a single illegal boat migrant, despite repeated promises that robust action would finally be taken with the end of the EU “transition” period at the beginning of 2021.”

  17. CBC – Windsor court ruling puts COVID-19 ‘hoax’ belief at centre of custody fight

    Judge rules beliefs about COVID-19 a factor in whether parent can keep kids safe

    A judge in Windsor has ruled that a person’s vocal disbelief about COVID-19 is a factor in a child custody case.

    Ontario Superior Court Justice George W. King denied a Windsor man interim custody of his kids because the man’s fervent anti-masking beliefs means he wouldn’t take appropriate actions to keep them safe from COVID-19.

    The decision notes the man believes COVID-19 to be a hoax and has boasted in public about flouting health restrictions such as masking and social distancing.

    “The health and welfare of the children (and by extension their principal caregiver) should not be jeopardized because of [his] public behaviour in promotion of his opinions,” he wrote.

    Legal experts say the ruling is consistent with past custody rulings involving issues of children’s health, but say it is significant because it articulates new standards and language specific to COVID-19.

    CBC is not naming the man, who has participated in anti-lockdown events in the city, to protect the identity of his children.

    “I have concluded that the respondent’s behaviour is dictated by his world view. Everything else is subordinate to that view, including, but not limited to, his love for his children,” the decision by Justice King read.

    The justice makes clear that while the father is free to have whatever beliefs he wishes and to lawfully express them, the issue is the impact on the health of the children.

    The big cases have been things like anti-vaccination or blood transfusions so there is a series of case law there that the court can take direction from, it’s just a different disease.
    – Candee McCarthy

    Previously the man had custody of his children from Friday to Sunday afternoon but the justice’s new ruling only allows him to see his children three times a week at a supervised access centre where he would be required to abide by all the conditions imposed by the facility “as a precondition to access.”

    Freedom of expression limited

    Yavar Hameed, an Ottawa based human rights lawyer, said that people do have the right to express themselves but that expression is limited at the point where harm can come to another person.

    “So it’s not just a matter of freedom of conscience, freedom of expression protected by the charter of rights and freedoms, it’s expressions that simply might relate because of the underlying actions on the safety of another person,” he said.

    Gerald Cradock, an associate professor of sociology specializing in children’s issues at the University of Windsor, said that regardless of a parent’s beliefs, justices have to look at the health and safety of children.

    “The judge is really careful in saying what’s at issue here is the children’s best interest,” Cradock said.

    “[The justice] speaks at length about the father’s centring the issue around his own rights, in other words, everybody else’s rights are somehow derivative to the fathers rights.”

    Health and safety issues

    Cradock suggested that the health and safety issues that arise around COVID aren’t fundamentally different from other disputes parents may have that come before the court.

    “It happens to be about COVID but there are these medical conditions that arise and ethical decisions that have to be made in the context of divorce and marriage and so forth, that periodically flare up,” he said.

    It’s a point also noted by Candee McCarthy, a family law litigator in Nova Scotia.

    “The big cases have been things like anti-vaccination or blood transfusions so there is a a series of case law there that the court can take direction from, it’s just a different disease.”

    McCarthy also said she appreciates it when decisions in novel cases like these are done in writing and become “reported decisions” distributed in the legal community.

    “The fact that the judge published the decision, I think, is probably a nod to the bar to give us direction to how we deal with it outside of court and to create a case law about this, so there is consistency with the rest of the judiciary on how we handle these kinds of concerns,” she said.

    Vaccine decisions
    Justice King called some of what the man had posted about COVID-19 not being real as erroneous, pointing out rise in hospitalizations and deaths due to the virus as well as the effect that has had on health care providers having to delay other medical procedures because of the tax the virus has placed on the system.

    “The long-term effects of the pandemic and of delayed treatments to persons with other health conditions is currently unmeasurable,” justice King wrote.

    “All of this has occurred while a percentage of our population, including [the man], continue to deny the existence, significance and/or impact of COVID-19.”

    THE RULING INCLUDES GIVING THE MOTHER THE POWER TO MAKE DECISIONS AROUND VACCINATION .. But it noted the interim custody was awarded wholly within the context of the pandemic and can be revisited once it subsides.

    https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/windsor/windsor-covid-19-custody-decision-1.5937278

  18. Biden Labor Board Blocks Construction Workers From Union Exodus – Washington Free Beacon
    Graham Piro
    3-4 minutes

    The Biden administration is blocking the exits for construction workers who unanimously voted to cut ties with their union.

    The National Labor Relations Board refused to allow a group of Indiana workers to hold a vote that would decertify their representation with the local carpenters’ union despite the group’s unanimous support for cutting ties. The group of workers submitted the request to the regional NLRB, which blocked the attempt to decertify.

    The board’s lawyers allege that the workers are engaging in “bad faith” bargaining, according to the case filing. Indiana is a right-to-work state, meaning the state allows employees to work without requiring union membership, but the board is blocking the vote under federal law on the grounds of bad faith bargaining.

    https://freebeacon.com/biden-administration/biden-labor-board-blocks-construction-workers-from-union-exodus/

  19. Iranian Terrorists Claim to Have Active Cells in Washington, D.C. – Washington Free Beacon
    Adam Kredo
    2-3 minutes

    Iranian militia groups claim to have active cells of operatives stationed in Washington, D.C., and other U.S. cities, according to chatter in online forums used by these groups.

    Kawtheryoon Electronic Team, a Telegram network used by Iranian militia groups and supporters, claimed in a recent posting that Iranian “resistance cells are rooted even in America and its capital,” according to a copy of the English-language posting captured by the Middle East Media Research Institute, which tracks radical groups.

    https://freebeacon.com/national-security/iranian-terrorists-claim-to-have-active-cells-in-washington-d-c/

  20. Chinese Regime Controls ASEAN Countries Via Mekong River’s ‘Water Faucet,’ Expert Says
    By Kate Jiang and Jennifer Zeng
    March 6, 2021 Updated: March 6, 2021
    biggersmaller Print

    The Chinese regime is using the Mekong River, the most important water system in Southeast Asia, to control half of the ten member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), an expert said.

    The Mekong River originates on China’s Tibetan Plateau and flows through six countries. In early 2021, it once again experienced a serious drop in water levels, causing widespread international concerns. The Mekong River Commission, an international organization, issued a statement on Feb. 12, saying that the Mekong River water levels have fallen to “worrying levels.”

    In fact, for more than a decade since 2010, water crises have often erupted on the Mekong River.

    A Chinese hydrologist tells The Epoch Times that one of the reasons behind this is that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has taken control of the “water tap” of the Mekong, and that the Mekong River has become a political bargaining chip for the CCP to use in controlling half of the ten countries of ASEAN.

    https://www.theepochtimes.com/chinese-regime-controls-asean-countries-via-mekong-rivers-water-faucet-expert-says_3720068.html?utm_source=newsnoe&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=breaking-2021-03-06-2

  21. Sen. Blackburn Wants NBA to ‘Come Clean’ on Its Deal With Chinese State Television
    By Cathy He
    March 5, 2021 Updated: March 6, 2021
    biggersmaller Print

    Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) is questioning the National Basketball Association’s (NBA) reported new deal with Chinese state television, the latest official to raise concerns over the league’s relationship with the Chinese regime.

    The NBA famously drew the wrath of the Chinese communist regime in late 2019 after then-Houston Rockets General Manager Daryl Morey tweeted in support of the pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong. Chinese businesses cut ties with the league, and state broadcaster CCTV stopped airing games.

    But Chinese media recently reported that CCTV will resume regular broadcast of the NBA starting with the All-Star Game on March 7.

    “Commissioner Silver cut a deal to air NBA games on the same station that regularly broadcasts Communist propaganda and forced prisoner confessions,” Blackburn told The Epoch Times in an email, referring to NBA Commissioner Adam Silver. “Commissioner Silver needs to come clean—did he agree to censor players’ free speech to return to Chinese state-run airwaves?”
    https://www.theepochtimes.com/sen-blackburn-wants-nba-to-come-clean-on-its-deal-with-chinese-state-television_3722216.html?utm_source=newsnoe&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=breaking-2021-03-05-5

  22. Memories… He who doesn’t know history are condemned to repeat… Sounds familiar.