Reader’s Links for September 29, 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

79 Replies to “Reader’s Links for September 29, 2021”

  1. Such a nice little note here among others

    https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S221475002100161X

    The immune response produced by a vaccine must be more than merely some immune response but must be protective. As noted in the previous Office Action, the art recognizes the term “vaccine” to be a compound which prevents infection” [6]. In the remainder of this article, we use the term ‘inoculated’ rather than vaccinated, because the injected material in the present COVID-19 inoculations prevents neither viral infection nor transmission
    ..

    deaths was minimally represented in the Pfizer clinical trials, and the age range least impacted by COVID-19 deaths was maximally represented in the Pfizer clinical trials. This skewed sampling has major implications for predicting the expected numbers of deaths for the target population from the clinical trials.

  2. Interesting reporting on China’s role in the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan:

    13 Sep 2021 Taliban recruit Chinese cyber spies to monitor Afghan civilians and stop revolts
    Beijing has sent its best communications experts to Kabul to show the Taliban how to intercept phone calls, monitor internet use and social media accounts, the Mirror
    can reveal
    https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/taliban-recruit-chinese-cyber-spies-24975757
    The Taliban have recruited Chinese cyber spies to help them snoop on Afghan civilians in a mission to prevent revolts against their iron rule.
    Beijing has sent its best communications experts to Kabul to show the Taliban how to intercept phone calls on land lines and mobile networks, and monitor internet use, and social media.
    Western intelligence sources say the aim will be to prevent rebellions being organised on social media, as happened across the Middle East during the Arab Spring.
    A US intelligence source said: “China has been wooing the Taliban, preparing for this day for years.
    “It has controlled citizen communication for a long time and has become adept at monitoring phones, the internet, all forms of communication.
    “This is likely to give the Taliban immense power and control over the entire country as social media could be an enabler to those wanting to revolt. It also gives people they are hunting down, such as former officials and security personnel, few options in how they communicate with other networks.”
    Taliban chiefs fear groups such as the National Resistance Front and women’s rights activists will gain mass support and they have already banned protest. Last week, two journalists were beaten by the Taliban for reporting on demos.
    The source told the Mirror: “The Taliban could exert huge power over its population if China installs surveillance systems like those in its own country.
    “This has appalling implications for human rights in Afghanistan, creating an atmosphere of being constantly watched and monitored.
    “Unlike western democracies, it is unlikely the Taliban’s Beijing contacts will have qualms about human rights.”
    A Pakistan International Airways plane from Islamabad became the first international flight to land at Kabul airport since the Taliban retook power last month on Monday.

  3. The imagery of people hanged with cranes reminds me of the iranian revolution:

    Taliban hang bodies of ‘kidnappers’ in public as grim warning to other criminals
    The men were strung up from cranes in Herat, Afghanistan, on Saturday, after being caught at a caught at a checkpoint surrounding the city
    https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/taliban-hang-bodies-kidnappers-public-25071292
    The Taliban has hanged the bodies of four alleged kidnappers in public in a brutal display of force, according to reports.
    The men were strung up from cranes in Herat on Saturday, after being caught at a caught at a checkpoint surrounding the city.
    Local officials said the grim action was taken in a bid to deter others.
    Sher Ahmad Ammar, deputy governor of Herat, said the men had kidnapped a local businessman and his son.
    They then intended to take them out of the city, he said, when they were seen by patrol.
    An exchange of gunfire ensued in which all four were killed, while one Taliban soldier was wounded.
    “Their bodies were brought to the main square and hung up in the city as a lesson for other kidnappers,” the governor said.
    The two kidnapping victims were released unharmed, he said.
    Herat resident Mohammad Nazir said he had been shopping for food near the city’s Mostofiat Square when he heard a loudspeaker announcement calling for people’s attention.
    “When I stepped forward, I saw they had brought a body in a pickup truck, then they hung it up on a crane,” he said.
    Footage of the bloodstained corpse, swinging on the crane was widely shared on social media, showing a note pinned to the man’s chest saying “This is the punishment for kidnapping”.
    No other bodies were visible but social media posts said others were hung up in other parts of the city.
    The display is the most high-profile public punishment since the Taliban swept to power last month, and is a sign the Islamist hardliners will adopt fearsome measures similar to their previous rule from 1996 to 2001.
    And it comes after group chief had warned the regime will bring back executions and amputations for petty crimes.
    Mullah Nooruddin Turabi also warned the world against interfering as he dismissed outrage over executions in the past – some of which took place in front of crowds.
    The one-eyed, one-legged fighter was the chief enforcer of its harsh interpretation of Islamic law when the Talbian was last in power.
    Now he defends the barbaric punishments as “necessary for security”.
    He said: “Everyone criticised us for the punishments in the stadium, but we have never said anything about their laws and their punishments.
    “No one will tell us what our laws should be. We will follow Islam and we will make our laws on the Quran.”
    Mr Turabi’s comments suggest the top leaders still maintain a deeply conservative, hard-line world view.
    Governments around the world previously denounced the Tablian’s public executions – which either took place in Kabul’s sports stadium or on the grounds of the Eid Gah Mosque.
    Convicted murders were usually executed by a single shot to the head.
    The punishment was carried out by the victim’s family, who were given the option of accepting “blood money” and allowing the criminal to live.
    Convicted thieves had their hands amputated, but those convicted of highway robbery lost a hand and foot.
    The judicial process was rarely public and decisions weighted in favour of Islamic clerics.
    Mr Turabi said that this time around judges would make a decision on the cases, but e same punishments would be revived.
    He clarified there would be female judges as well.
    He added: “Cutting off of hands is very necessary for security.” The Taliban have already brought back an old punishment for petty theft – publicly shaming the men accused.

  4. 28 Sep 2021 Taliban could amass 150 nuclear warheads from Pakistan, warns ex-Trump security advisor
    In an interview former White House security boss during Donald Trump’s presidency John Bolton said there were fears the regime would claim the devastating weapons from Pakistan
    https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/taliban-could-amass-150-nuclear-25086481
    The Taliban could arm themselves with up to 150 nuclear warheads after retaking control of the country, an ex-security advisor has warned.
    In an interview former White House security boss during Donald Trump’s presidency John Bolton said there were fears the regime would claim the devastating weapons from neighbouring Pakistan.
    As the US withdrew from the country last month the Taliban quickly seized control of Kabul, sparking a mass evacuation that saw chaotic scenes at the capital city’s airport.
    The evacuation of Kabul saw 165 flights remove more than 15,000 people in just a fortnight – with the 16 Air Assault Brigade at the forefront of Operation Pitting which involved more than 1,000 personnel.
    Now, Mr Bolton, who served as a national security adviser between April 2018 and September 2019 under former US President Donald Trump ’s administration, has warned of further threats.
    In an interview with WABC 770 he said: “The Taliban in control of Afghanistan threatens the possibility of terrorists taking control of Pakistan too.
    “That means maybe 150 nuclear weapons in the hands of terrorists which is a real threat to us and our friends.”
    It comes after reports that the Taliban had recruited Chinese cyber spies to help them snoop on Afghan civilians in a mission to prevent revolts against their iron rule.
    Beijing has sent its best communications experts to Kabul to show the Taliban how to intercept phone calls on land lines and mobile networks, and monitor internet use, and social media.
    Western intelligence sources say the aim will be to prevent rebellions being organised on social media, as happened across the Middle East during the Arab Spring.

  5. ISIS leader Abu Omar Khorasani ‘executed by Taliban’ at Afghan prison as jihadis wage war after Afghanistan’s collapse
    https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/16253197/isisk-leader-abu-omar-khorasani-executed-taliban/
    FORMER ISIS-K leader Abu Omar Khorasani has been executed, the Taliban has announced.
    He was a figurehead of the Daesh splinter cell in Afghanistan – which was behind the Kabul airport bombing that killed at least 180 people last month.
    Khorasani’s fate remained uncertain after the Taliban swept to power and seized the dingy Pul-i-Charkhi prison where he was being held in the capital.
    Some reports claimed he was freed along with thousands of other prisoners as chaos engulfed the country.
    But the Wall Street Journal reported he was shot dead along with eight lieutenants.
    Over the weekend the Taliban confirmed he had been shot dead, according to Lebanese TV station al-Mayadeen.
    Khorasani – also known as Zia ul-Haq – was already on death row before the Taliban’s lightning summer takeover.
    He had been captured by US and Afghan forces at a house outside Kabul in May 2020, and reportedly sentenced to death and 800 years in prison.
    The Wall Street Journal said it interviewed Khorasani in jail two days before his death in mid-August.
    Even though his group is at war with the Taliban, he hailed their advance as a harbinger for radical change and predicted they would release him.
    “They will let me free if they are good Muslims,” Khorasani said.
    Reports say he was taken from the prison and shot. An unverified photo purporting to show his body was later posted on social media.
    His execution is a strong signal the Taliban will not work with ISIS terrorists who have sought to establish a new stronghold in Afghanistan.
    ISIS-K was formed in 2015, seizing ground once occupied by al-Qaeda, and was bolstered by foreign jihadis fleeing the collapse of the self-declared Caliphate in Iraq and Syria.
    Khorasani became leader after his predecessor Abdul Haseeb Logari was killed in April 2017.
    Weeks later, the terrorists boasted they had captured Osama Bin Laden’s “impenetrable” cave fortress in the Tora Bora mountains.
    Since then ISIS-K jihadis have launched numerous attacks on Afghan and Nato troops and also fought battles against the Taliban.
    In one sickening attack last year, gunmen stormed a maternity hospital and slaughtered 16 innocents, including newborn babies, mums and nurses.
    Last month ISIS-K claimed responsibility for a suicide bomb attack targeting crowds of desperate migrants at Kabul airport.
    Thirteen US soldiers died along with more than 170 civilians – including Brits who had gone to rescue family members.
    The Pentagon launched a series of drone attacks it said wiped out a number of terrorists linked to the atrocity.
    But defiant ISIS-K leaders are now said to be recruiting fanatics from across Asia to fight a ferocious new guerrilla war against the Taliban.
    They are also said to be recruiting British jihadis to launch a new wave of terror on the West.
    Experts say the group views the Taliban as “too moderate” and has ambitions to establish a new caliphate spanning central and south Asia.
    Dr Rakib Ehsan, research fellow at the Henry Jackson Society, told The Sun Online: “ISIS-K are a different form of animal from the Taliban.
    “Their ultimate goal is establish a global Islamic caliphate while the Taliban are solely focused on implementing sharia law in Afghanistan.
    “ISIS-K believes the Taliban is a reformist movement which betrays Islam and they are swooping up disillusioned (ex-members) who share this view.
    “The Islamic State is focused on the destruction of western civilisation.”
    There are around 2,200 members of ISIS-K in Afghanistan – mostly in the eastern Nangahar province – while the Taliban is at least 75,000 strong.
    The Taliban has dismissed the threat of “deviant” ISIS-K claiming that the vastly outnumbered extremists are widely “hated” by the Afghan people.
    But some experts believe thousands of Taliban hardliners in the provinces could defect to the rival group in disgust at policies they view as too soft, such as allowing girls to attend school.

  6. 28 Sep 2021 Taliban uncover secret US high-tech weapons stores in deep embarrassment for Pentagon
    Hidden warehouse-sized weapons stores containing thousands of bullets, missiles and more have been found leaving President Joe Biden’s threat of future ‘over the

    horizon’ attacks battered
    Chris Hughes, Defence and Security Editor
    https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/taliban-uncover-secret-high-tech-25093560
    Two secret arms dumps left by US forces in case they return to Afghanistan have been found by the Taliban.
    The caches – earmarked for US counter-terrorism “over the horizon” attacks against al-Qaeda and Islamic State – were hidden to help the US quickly attack terrorist organisations.
    Both warehouse-sized stores contained hundreds of thousands of bullets, heavy weapons, missiles, survival supplies and even spare helicopters parts.
    Sources told The Mirror the supplies contained spares for attack choppers as they would be essential for an on-the-ground mission against networks.
    It means President Joe Biden ’s threat of future “over the horizon” attacks launched against terrorists without having a permanent Afghan base are battered.
    The discoveries by the Taliban in the towns of Mazer-e-Sharif , in the north, and Herat, in the west of Afghanistan are deeply embarrassing for the Pentagon.
    They had been left there as a contingency against a terrorist resurgence across the region as US troops withdrew to Kabul and faced having no in-country base.
    It also meant a massive special forces and commando raid on terrorists would be well-supplied for weeks without having to uplift heavy equipment.
    A source said: “This is one of the biggest blows to America in terms of future operations against al-Qaeda, Islamic State and other emerging groups.
    “As a logistical supplies dump already in-country the caches would have been an invaluable resource serving a large-scale counter-terror operation.
    “It meant there was a secret heavy punch against terrorism lying in reserve in case US troops needed to return suddenly, without bringing in huge supplies.
    “It is enormously difficult for the US to source a supply chain from a neighbouring country airfield as so many areas around Afghanistan are hostile.
    “They didn’t want this to get out as it piles even more embarrassment on an utter shambles of a withdrawal.”
    The Taliban took US -led western forces by surprise after a lightning uprising across Afghanistan led to them storming Kabul on August 15.
    It sparked one of the biggest airlifts out of a war-zone since the Vietnam war but left thousands of locals stranded in Afghanistan, facing a grim future.
    Taliban gunmen have launched door-to-door searches for people suspected of having worked with the west in 20 years of fighting.
    And many suspects are believed to have been killed as the new rulers of Afghanistan appear to be clamping down with their iron rule nationwide.

    • Haven’t read it yet but it looks like the kind of thing even the government itself gets around by subcontracting to consultants. Waiters and waitresses will now be consultants. Makes sense actually since tips are to them.

  7. The difference between informed plebes like us, and informed pundits, is that plebes have no fear of losing a reputation, job or market share. So to call out clear fascism by saying the crashing of the economies is intentional, and not the result of stupidity, is for now our domain. As Vlad said so sharply, when will Tucker use the very right howitzer words that need to be used? That will be a moment of truth.

    https://schiffgold.com/interviews/peter-schiff-the-fed-is-destroying-the-foundation-of-the-economy/

  8. 6 Melbourne cops take down maskless man for ‘swearing’ [*after the arrest]

    ‘Brave’ Melbourne cops arrest maskless man for swearing 500m from home

    • AUSTRALIA – Melbourne CBD Foodbank inundated with visitors

      Long queues seen at a Melbourne CBD Foodbank yesterday reveal just how many Victorians are struggling to keep food on their table.

    • AUSTRALIA – Melbourne supermarkets facing disruptions with thousands of staff out of action

      Supermarkets are struggling to stay open as stores become exposure sites, impacting thousands of staff.

      Coles wants the 14 day isolation rules for close contacts changed so essential services can keep running.

  9. WHO issues apology over sexual exploitation by aid workers during Ebola outbreak in Congo

    WHO’s chief Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus issued an apology to the victims of sexual exploitation and abuse of an Ebola response in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, in Geneva on Tuesday.

    “I’m sorry. I’m sorry for what was done to you by people who were employed by WHO to serve and protect you. I’m sorry for the ongoing suffering that these events must cause,” said the WHO chief after an independent Commission report incriminated the organisation workers.

    As many as 50 local women reported sexual abuse, including nine cases of rape, at the hands of aid workers between 2018 and 2020.

    SOT, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General: “As you know, in October last year, I appointed an Independent Commission to investigate allegations of sexual exploitation and abuse during the response to the tenth the Ebola Virus Disease epidemic in North Kivu and Ituri, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.”

    SOT, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General: “The first thing I want to say is to the victims and survivors of the sexual exploitation and abuse described in the commission’s report. I’m sorry. I’m sorry for what was done to you by people who were employed by WHO to serve and protect you. I’m sorry for the ongoing suffering that these events must cause. I’m sorry that you have had to relive them in talking to the commission about your experiences. Thank you for your courage in doing so. What happened to you should never happen to anyone. It’s inexcusable. It is my top priority to ensure that the perpetrators are not excused, but are held to account.”

    SOT, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General: “The commission has done outstanding work to get the voices of victims and survivors heard. But the investigation is not complete, and will require further work. But we must act immediately, and we will, in three areas: First, support, protection and justice for the victims and survivors; Second, actions to address management and staff failures; And third, wholesale reform of our structures and culture.”

    SOT, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General: “I struggle to find the words to describe my feelings when I first read the commission’s report. The conduct it describes is a sickening betrayal of the people we serve. But it’s also a betrayal of our colleagues who put themselves in harm’s way to serve others, including those who paid the ultimate price, killed by armed groups while working to protect the health of vulnerable communities.”

    SOT, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General: “We will hold all leaders accountable for inaction in any suspected incident of sexual exploitation and abuse. We are acutely conscious that we need to rebuild trust with the people we serve, with our Member States, with our partners and with our workforce.”

    SOT, Dr Matshidiso Moeti, WHO Regional Director for Africa: “We are indeed humbled, horrified and heartbroken by the findings of this inquiry. I’d like also to thank all the women and girls who have come forward and given evidence to the investigation and thus have given us the basis on which to take action in WHO, which has been necessary.”

  10. WORLD BANK – SEPTEMBER 28 2021 – US$100 Million to Support COVID-19 Vaccination in IraqUS$100 Million to Support COVID-19 Vaccination in Iraq

    BAGHDAD, September 28, 2021 — The World Bank has approved a new US$100 million project to scale up Iraq’s health sector response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Iraq COVID-19 Vaccination Project will support the rollout of COVID-19 vaccinations to priority population groups and strengthen the institutional systems needed to enable the safe and effective distribution and use of COVID-19 vaccine at scale.

    It aims to help the country procure COVID-19 vaccines, improve its capacity to manage health care waste, and raise public awareness on the importance of vaccination against the virus. The project builds on existing support the World Bank and other development partners have given the Government of Iraq for its COVID-19 response under the Iraq Recovery, Reform, and Reconstruction Fund (I3RF) and the Emergency Operation for Development Project.

    Iraq has been one of the countries hardest hit by COVID-19 in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, recording almost 2 million COVID-19 cases and more than 21,000 deaths to date. The government began its COVID-19 vaccination campaign in March 2021 and has been able to increase coverage rapidly in the past month. More than 7 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered, with about 11% of the population having received the first dose and 7% fully immunized with two doses.

    A comprehensive, well-coordinated vaccination campaign is key to a country’s future recovery from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on its economy and public health. The new project will play a critical role in ensuring affordable, equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines in Iraq, extending coverage to 3 million of the country’s population.

    “Improved access to vaccination is needed to limit the spread of the disease and lessen the burden on the already weak health system in Iraq,” said Saroj Kumar Jha, World Bank Mashreq Regional Director. “The new project will support Iraq in its acquisition and deployment of COVID-19 vaccines, which are essential to protect lives, enable the country to reopen safely, and kickstart economic recovery.”

    The Iraq COVID-19 Vaccination Project falls under the COVID-19 Strategic Preparedness and Response Program (SPRP), using a Multiphase Programmatic Approach (MPA) that was approved by the World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors in April 2020, as well as additional financing agreed to last October. It includes a I3RF grant for vaccine delivery.

    The I3RF was founded in partnership with the Government of Iraq in 2018 and is funded by Germany, the United Kingdom, Canada and Sweden. It provides a platform both for financing and strategic dialogue for development and reconstruction, with a strong focus on targeted national reforms and public and private investment in socio-economic recovery and reconstruction. The fund seeks to be a strategic platform for development coordination and dialogue, and it aims to support the climate change agenda of the country, gender equality, peace building, and citizen engagement.

    World Bank financing will complement activities conducted by other development partners, filling in critical gaps to ensure the deployment of vaccine is successful. The World Bank is committed to continue supporting Iraq’s efforts to address the COVID-19 pandemic and improve the resilience of its health system to future shocks.

    https://www.worldbank.org/en/news/press-release/2021/09/24/us-100-million-to-support-covid-19-vaccination-in-iraq

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

    VOA – IRAQ – Shiite Muslims Gather En Masse to Observe Arbaeen in Karbala

  11. WaPo – YouTube is banning prominent anti-vaccine activists and BLOCKING ALL ANTI_VACCINE CONTENT

    The Google-owned video site previously only banned misinformation about coronavirus vaccines. Facebook made the same change months ago.

    SAN FRANCISCO — YouTube is taking down several video channels associated with high-profile anti-vaccine activists including Joseph Mercola and Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who experts say are partially responsible for helping seed the skepticism that’s contributed to slowing vaccination rates across the country.

    As part of a new set of policies aimed at cutting down on anti-vaccine content on the Google-owned site, YouTube will ban any videos that claim that commonly used vaccines approved by health authorities are ineffective or dangerous. The company previously blocked videos that made those claims about coronavirus vaccines, but not ones for other vaccines like those for measles or chickenpox.

    Misinformation researchers have for years said the popularity of anti-vaccine content on YouTube was contributing to growing skepticism of lifesaving vaccines in the United States and around the world. Vaccination rates have slowed and about 56 percent of the U.S. population has had two shots, compared with 71 percent in Canada and 67 percent in the United Kingdom. In July, President Biden said social media companies were partially responsible for spreading misinformation about the vaccines, and need to do more to address the issue.

    The change marks a shift for the social media giant, which streams more than 1 billion hours’ worth of content every day. Like its peers Facebook and Twitter, the company has long resisted policing content too heavily, arguing maintaining an open platform is critical to free speech. But as the companies increasingly come under fire from regulators, lawmakers and regular users for contributing to social ills — including vaccine skepticism — YouTube is again changing policies that it has held onto for months.

    YouTube didn’t act sooner because it was focusing on misinformation specifically about coronavirus vaccines, said Matt Halprin, YouTube’s vice president of global trust and safety. When it noticed that incorrect claims about other vaccines were contributing to fears about the coronavirus vaccines, it expanded the ban.

    “Developing robust policies takes time,” Halprin said. “We wanted to launch a policy that is comprehensive, enforceable with consistency and adequately addresses the challenge.”

    Mercola, an alternative medicine entrepreneur, and Kennedy, a lawyer and the son of Sen. Robert F. Kennedy who has been a face of the anti-vaccine movement for years, have both said in the past that they are not automatically against all vaccines, but believe information about the risks of vaccines is being suppressed.

    Facebook banned misinformation on all vaccines seven months ago, though the pages of both Mercola and Kennedy remain up on the social media site. Their Twitter accounts are active, too.

    They did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

    YouTube, Facebook and Twitter all banned misinformation about the coronavirus early on in the pandemic. But false claims continue to run rampant across all three of the platforms. The social networks are also tightly connected, with YouTube often serving as a library of videos that go viral on Twitter or Facebook. YouTube has removed over 133,000 videos for broadcasting

    The companies have hired thousands of moderators and used high-tech image- and text-recognition algorithms to try to police misinformation. There are also millions of people with legitimate concerns about the medical system, and social media is a place where they go to ask real questions and express their concerns and fears, something the companies don’t want to squelch.

    In the past, the company’s leaders have focused on trying to remove what they call “borderline” videos from its recommendation algorithms, allowing people to find them with specific searches but not necessarily promoting them into new people’s feeds. It’s also worked to push more authoritative health videos, like those made by hospitals and medical schools, to the top of search results for health-care topics.

    But those methods haven’t stopped the spread of anti-vaccine and coronavirus misinformation. More than a year after YouTube said it would take down misinformation about the coronavirus vaccines, the accounts of six out of 12 anti-vaccine activists — identified by the nonprofit Center for Countering Digital Hate as being behind much of the anti-vaccine content shared on social media — were easily searchable and still posting videos. Wednesday’s policy change means many of those will now be taken down.

    The anti-vaccine movement goes back to well before the pandemic. False scientific claims that childhood vaccines caused autism made in the late 1990s have contributed to rising numbers of people refusing to let their kids get shots that had been commonplace for decades. As social media took over more of the media landscape, anti-vaccine activists spread their messages on Facebook parenting groups and through YouTube videos.

    When the pandemic hit, and vaccines became a topic that was suddenly relevant to everyone, not just parents of young children, many went looking for answers online. Influencers like Mercola, Kennedy and alternative health advocate Erin Elizabeth Finn were able to supercharge their followings. Some anti-vaccine influencers, including Mercola, also sell natural health products, giving them a financial incentive to promote skepticism of mainstream medicine.

    The anti-vaccine movement now also incorporates groups as diverse as conspiracy theorists who believe former president Donald Trump is still the rightful president, and some wellness influencers who see the vaccines as unnatural substances that will poison human bodies. All of the government-approved coronavirus vaccines have gone through rigorous testing and have been scientifically proved to be highly effective and safe.

    YouTube’s new policy will still allow people to make claims based on their own personal experience, like a mother talking about side effects her child experienced after getting a vaccine, Halprin said. Scientific discussion of vaccines and posting about vaccines’ historical failures or successes will also be allowed, he said.

    “We’ll remove claims that vaccines are dangerous or cause a lot of health effects, that vaccines cause autism, cancer, infertility or contain microchips,” Halprin said. “At least hundreds” of moderators at YouTube are working specifically on medical misinformation, he added. The policy will be enforced in all of the dozens of languages that YouTube operates in.

    The company is also expanding its work to bring more videos from official sources onto the platform, like the National Academy of Medicine and the Cleveland Clinic, said Garth Graham, YouTube’s global head of health care and public health partnerships. The goal is to get videos with scientific information in front of people before they go down the rabbit hole of anti-vaccine content.

    “There is information, not from us, but information from other researchers on health misinformation that has shown the earlier you can get information in front of someone before they form opinions, the better,” Graham said.

    https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2021/09/29/youtube-ban-joseph-mercola/

    =================================
    CNBC – YouTube bans high-profile anti-vaccine accounts, says it will block all vaccine misinformation

    […]As part of the crackdown, a YouTube spokesperson confirmed it removed pages associated with high-profile misinformation spreaders like Joseph Mercola, Erin Elizabeth, Sherri Tenpenny and the Children’s Health Defense Fund, which is associated with Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

    https://www.cnbc.com/2021/09/29/youtube-bans-high-profile-anti-vaccine-accounts.html

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

    • NBC News – YouTube Bans Anti-Covid Vaccine Videos After Misinformation Spreads To Vaccines In General

      YouTube is cracking down on a vaccine misinformation.

      The company is taking down anti-vaccine videos and banning major accounts.

      In a statement YouTube said, “We’ve steadily seen false claims about the coronavirus vaccines spill over into misinformation about vaccines in general.”

    • global news – Some parents push for vaccine approval for children as cases climb

      … parents remain concerned for children still ineligible for the shot still need the vaccine, as the virus continues to spread.

    • global news – Ontario doctor accused of spreading misinformation, barred from giving vaccine exemptions

      An Ontario doctor, based in the northern part of the province, has been barred from giving out medical exemptions for masks or COVID-19 vaccines and has been accused by the College of Physicians and Surgeons in Ontario of engaging “in disgraceful, dishonourable or unprofessional conduct” over misinformation spread through his social media accounts.

      The doctor likened government health measures to what happened in Nazi Germany and claimed employers were “violating the law” when attempting to find out if workers were vaccinated.

      As Sean O’Shea reports, the doctor says he’s proud of what he’s done.

    • Forbes – Unvaccinated Americans Blame Everyone But Themselves For Covid Surge

      Safe and highly effective Covid-19 vaccines have been freely available to all adults, and many children, for months.

      While they cannot provide complete protection against Covid-19, they effectively prevent serious illness, hospitalization and death and slash the risks of developing long Covid.

      The vast majority of hospitalizations and nearly all deaths from Covid-19 are in unvaccinated people, who have cost the healthcare system at least $5.7 billion in the last three months alone.

      The huge surge in demand for what few medicines are licensed to treat Covid-19 in the U.S. has triggered nationwide shortages and rationing of scarce supplies, with some areas prioritizing scarce supplies for unvaccinated patients.

    • sky news australia – ‘You will go backwards’: Berejiklian’s warning to unvaccinated

      “I want to make that clear so there will be more certainty from October 11 because it will be more about individuals exercising freedom who are completely vaccinated.”

      ----------------------------------------------

      Robert Catterson 16 hour agoe

      Someone who is being investigated for corruption expect’s people to take her word on Covid Pantomime because that’s what this is.

      -------------------------------------------------------------

    • sky news australia – Chant: Roadmap about keeping as many unvaccinated people out of indoor settings

      “What we are trying to do is keep as many unvaccinated people out of indoor settings and so the reason that children are permitted to go in and sit with their parents is that the parents will be vaccinated and the children will be there so again – there’s less likelihood of the child amplifying the infection to the adults.

      “The other context is that … the proportion of the children or the proportion of people if we limit it to 20 means that there is only, at any one time, going to be a small proportion of unvaccinated people in indoor environments.

      “That is why we have removed those for outdoor environments – what we are trying to do is a very cautionary opening and trying to remove the opportunity for unvaccinated people to be in higher risk settings which is indoors. This is not perfect.”

    • Slovenia suspends Johnson vaccine over death of 20-year-old

      Official says woman’s death was the second serious case of adverse effects but reassures benefits outweigh risks.

      Slovenia has suspended vaccinations with the Johnson & Johnson coronavirus jab while it probes the death of a 20-year-old woman, as thousands gathered to protest against vaccination in the small European Union nation.

      The suspension will be in place until experts examine whether there is a link between the woman’s death from a stroke and the vaccine she received two weeks earlier, Health Minister Janez Poklukar said on Wednesday.

      https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/9/29/slovenia-suspends-johnson-vaccine-over-death-of-20-year-old

      =======================================
      Slovenia police use water cannons at anti-COVID pass protest

      Police in Slovenia have fired tear gas and water cannons at thousands of protesters who are against tough anti-coronavirus measures in the small European Union nation

      LJUBLJANA, Slovenia — Police fired tear gas and water cannons in Slovenia’s capital on Wednesday at thousands of protesters who oppose tough anti-coronavirus measures in the small European Union nation.

      The protesters responded by throwing bottles and other objects at the riot police.

      About 10,000 protesters, chanting “Freedom! Freedom!” tried to block a major highway north of Ljubljana when the police intervened, the second such incident in Slovenia within a month.

      The protest, organized mostly by groups against the use of COVID-19 vaccine passes, took place as Slovenia suspended the use of the Johnson & Johnson shot on Wednesday while it investigates the death of a 20-year-old woman who had received one.

      […]The protesters carried banners reading “Stop Corona Fascism” and demanded equal rights for both those who are vaccinated and those who are not.

      https://abcnews.go.com/Health/wireStory/slovenia-suspends-johnson-vaccine-death-20-year-80299782
      ========================================

  12. Deutsche Pravda – Russia threatens to block YouTube

    The Russian Foreign Ministry has threatened to “retaliate” after YouTube deleted Russia Today’s German-language channels. YouTube said the Moscow-backed broadcaster had violated its COVID misinformation policy.

    Russia on Wednesday threatened to block Alphabet Inc.’s YouTube.

    The development comes just a day after YouTube deleted state-backed broadcaster Russia Today’s German-language channels.

    YouTube said RT had violated its COVID misinformation policy, but the move has not been well received at the Kremlin.

    Russian media watchdog Roskomnadzor said it wanted YouTube to reverse its decision “as soon as possible.”

    In a letter to Google, which owns YouTube, Roskomnadzor said it “demanded that all restrictions be lifted.”

    Russian Foreign Ministry: ‘Unprecedented information aggression’

    Earlier on Wednesday, Russia’s Foreign Ministry described the removal of RT from YouTube as “unprecedented information aggression” in a statement.

    The ministry is now considering “a proposal to develop and take retaliatory measures against the YouTube hosting service and the German media.”

    Meanwhile, the German government responded to Moscow’s threats, saying it had “nothing to do” with YouTube’s decision.

    “Anyone calling for such retaliation does not show a good relationship with freedom of the press,” Chancellor Angela Merkel’s spokesman Steffen Seibert told reporters, adding that the YouTube action “was not a state measure.”

    What is YouTube’s COVID misinformation policy?

    YouTube deleted RT’s German-language channels on Tuesday, saying it had violated its COVID misinformation policy.

    “YouTube has always had clear community guidelines that outline what is allowed on the platform,” a YouTube spokesperson told DW.

    The video-sharing portal says that it “doesn’t allow content about COVID-19 that poses a serious risk of egregious harm.”

    Additionally, YouTube says that it does not permit content that spreads medical misinformation that “contradicts local health authorities’ or the World Health Organization’s (WHO) medical information about COVID-19.”

    Russia Today ‘tried to circumvent’ the ban

    Initially, RT’s German channel was issued a strike for uploading content that breached YouTube’s COVID misinformation policy, resulting in a week-long posting ban.

    Russia Today then used a second channel, “Der Fehlende Part,” — which translates to “the missing part” in German — to evade the suspension.

    RT DE [the name for RT in Germany] “tried to circumvent the enforcement by using another channel, and as a result, both channels were terminated for breaking YouTube Terms of Service,” the YouTube spokesperson said.

    YouTube added that it is against its terms of service to “use another channel in an attempt to circumvent the suspension of one channel by activity on another.”

    https://www.dw.com/en/russia-threatens-to-block-youtube/a-59349681

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

    WaPo – Russia threatens to block YouTube after German channels are deleted over coronavirus misinformation

    Russia has threatened to block YouTube unless the Google-owned video service restores two German-language channels managed by Russia’s state media company RT that were deleted after they published what YouTube called “misinformation” about covid-19 and coronavirus vaccines.

    Russia’s communications ministry, Roskomnadzor, said it had sent a letter to Google “demanding that all restrictions on YouTube channels RT DE and Der Fehlende Part, operated by the Russian media outlet Russia Today, be lifted as soon as possible,” the Interfax news agency reported. The ministry threatened to fully or partially restrict YouTube in Russia, or fine Google, if the channels were not restored.

    YouTube earlier had told German broadcaster Deutsche Pravda that it does not allow content on its platform that “contradicts local health authorities’ or the World Health Organization’s (WHO) medical information about covid-19.”

    RT’s German channel was initially issued a strike for uploading content that violated YouTube’s covid misinformation policy, resulting in a suspension of posting rights on the platform for a week. During that suspension, the Russian broadcaster tried to use a second channel, Der Fehlende Part (“The Missing Part”), to circumvent the ban on uploading.

    It is not the first time Russia has been linked to coronavirus misinformation. Facebook in August said it had removed hundreds of accounts it said were part of a disinformation campaign largely run out of Russia that used social media influencers to peddle fake claims about coronavirus vaccines, including that some shots could turn people into chimpanzees.

    Facebook investigators said they traced the origins of that campaign to Fazze, a subsidiary of a U.K.-registered marketing firm whose operations were primarily conducted from Russia.

    The latest move follows similar bans or suspensions by YouTube of other news outlets. In August, Rupert Murdoch’s Sky News Australia was banned from posting new videos and live-streaming on YouTube for a week after violating the platform’s policies by sharing clips that allegedly spread misinformation about the coronavirus pandemic.

    YouTube didn’t disclose which videos violated its regulations. But at the time, clips discussing potentially risky or unproven covid-19 treatments with limited context were visible on the site.

    RT editor in chief Margarita Simonyan reportedly criticized YouTube’s decision and called on the Russian government to ban German state media in Russia.

    “Considering the nature of the incident, which is fully in line with the logic of the information warfare unleashed against Russia, taking retaliatory symmetrical measures against the German media in Russia would seem not just an appropriate, but also a necessary thing to do,” the Russian Foreign Ministry said, according to a statement cited by Radio Free Europe’s and Radio Liberty’s Russian Service.

    https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2021/09/29/russia-ban-youtube-german-coronavirus/

  13. LIVESTREAM Restaurant Waku Waku in Utrecht, the Netherlands refuses to check at the door for covid access passes. It was clkosed down and had its lock replaced yesterday on orders of the mayor, which lead to a standoff between police and the owner and his sympathisers.
    Same thing happening today:
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=By20Qoorsvk

    Article:
    Protesters continue to support Utrecht restaurant refusing to check Covid access passes
    https://nltimes.nl/2021/09/29/protesters-continue-support-utrecht-restaurant-refusing-check-covid-access-passes
    The municipality of Utrecht is no longer allowing people to demonstrate on the sidewalk in front of restaurant Waku Waku on the Vredenburg. In recent days, hundreds of supporters and protesters have gathered at the vegan restaurant which refused to check guests for their coronavirus access passes. This caused difficulty for surrounding businesses, including other hospitality businesses, and for traffic in the area. Demonstrations are allowed to continue, but only take at Jaarbeursplein.
    The possibility of disorder is still of concern to the police, the Public Prosecution Service and the municipality. “The risk of disturbances to public order increases the longer the situation continues. The decision of the [city, police and prosecutors] has been communicated by letter to the entrepreneurs behind the relevant catering establishment and the other initiators of the demonstration,” said Mayor Sharon Dijksma.
    A number of protesters were also standing at the restaurant on Wednesday morning. On Tuesday, at least 300 protesters were posted in front of the restaurant to express their support for the owners of the establishment. The few demonstrators present on Wednesday said they have been there since Tuesday and will be relieved by other activists later.
    The municipality closed the catering business because they will not check their guests’ CoronaCheck app. The owners challenged this decision in court. That case is expected on Thursday. Spokesperson Jorn Luka of the restaurant says he is confident that the judge will rule in favor of the restaurant.
    [..]

  14. Nine Eindhoven terrorism suspects remanded into custody
    https://nltimes.nl/2021/09/29/nine-eindhoven-terrorism-suspects-remanded-custody
    The nine terror suspects arrested in Eindhoven last week will remain in pre-trial detention for two weeks longer. The examining magistrate of the court in Rotterdam remanded them into custody on Wednesday.
    The men, aged between 18 and 31, are said to sympathize with the jihadist ideas of the terrorist group ISIS. They are suspected of preparing and training for a terrorist act, and participating in a terrorist organization. No weapons or explosives were found.
    The suspects have Dutch nationality. Eight of them were born in the Netherlands. The ninth was born in Afghanistan. It is not known what the men are alleged to have planned.
    The investigation is led by the national division of the Public Prosecution Service (OM). It started last summer on the basis of information from the AIVD, the domestic intelligence service.
    The suspects are still in restricted custody. This means that they are not allowed to have contact with the outside world, except their lawyers.

  15. Refugee centres are full, thousands of emergency beds are needed
    https://www.dutchnews.nl/news/2021/09/refugee-centres-are-full-thousands-of-emergency-beds-are-needed/
    Asylum seekers centres in the Netherlands are full and several thousand emergency beds will be needed to meet demand, refugee settlement agency COA has confirmed. The 30,000 places in refugee centres are all taken and this means sports halls and other large buildings need to be converted into temporary accommodation to deal with new arrivals, COA said. The current shortage is partly due to an increase in refugees, particularly from Lebanon, Tunisia and Turkey, junior justice minister Ankie Broekers-Knol told MPs last month. On top of that, several hundred people from Afghanistan have also been evacuated to the Netherlands. The lack of accommodation elsewhere to house people who have been granted refugee status is also an issue. Some 11,000 beds in regular refugee centres are currently lived in by people who have residency permits and are waiting to be settled in normal housing. In addition, thousands of people are still waiting for their cases to be assessed by the immigration service IND. The last time emergency beds were needed was in 2015, when thousands of Syrian refugees came to the Netherlands.

  16. Six Lessons from The Road — in America – Frontpagemag
    Katie Hopkins
    6-7 minutes

    Americans are different from the rest of us.

    Sixty days into my latest foray on the road around America, I finally find myself alone with a desk, time, and the warm evening skies of Orlando to enjoy.

    I am trusting you will forgive the irregularity of my reporting these last few weeks. Sadly, the quieter art of writing has been somewhat pushed to the corners of my days between speaking, traveling, and documenting my time noisily on social media. And I miss it.

    From California to Arizona, then Dallas to Denver, I have been given a temperature check on where America is at, as a foreigner and respectful outsider. Now, I wanted to share my dix lessons from the road as I listen to people laughing down by the pool and fireworks thudding somewhere Disney-ish in the distance.

    https://www.frontpagemag.com/fpm/2021/09/six-lessons-road-katie-hopkins/

  17. US to replace Huawei equipment in networks; What’s behind the blackouts in China? | China in Focus

  18. One State Paid People Not To Work. Now It Will Pay People To Get Back To Work
    Mitch Picasso
    2-3 minutes

    September 28, 2021 12:20 PM ET

    Democratic New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy announced Monday that the New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development (NJDOL) will be rolling out the new “Return and Earn” program, which allows unemployed citizens of New Jersey to receive a bonus in their first paycheck upon returning to work.

    This new program will roll out a $500 bonus on the first paycheck in an effort to incentivize returning to the workforce, according to the official announcement.

    https://dailycaller.com/2021/09/28/new-jersey-phil-murphy-return-and-earn-bonus-work/

  19. A Tsunami of Destruction

    Adverse Reactions as of last Friday 726, 965. Deaths 15,386, Serious injuries 99,410

    This data leads us to the inevitable conclusion that the member of vaccine adverse events is many times higher than the official reports admit. If indeed, less than 1% is even being reported to the CDC, the already high number of 726,965 adverse events can easily be many millions in the US alone. Applying that to the rest of the world reveals a horrifying wave of destruction the likes of which humanity has never witnessed before. and the immunization has just started. what is even more concerning, is that this is only the short term tsunami of suffering caused by the Covid injections.

    BILL GATES, the world’s leading vaccine dealer and a major driving force behind the worldwide push for Covid vaccinations, said in an interview on BBC that the most adverse events only show up after 2 years, which is why vaccine development usually takes many years.

    This means that the wave of vaccine deaths and disabilities in the coming years will be even exponentially greater. Especially because there is a push to impose more and more booster shots onto the population, with the vaccine passports being implemented all around the world.

    This alarming data leads world experts, like Nobel Prize Winner Dr. Luc Montagnards, to issue a grave warning that we are currently facing the greatest risk of worldwide genocide, in the history of humanity

    Some numbers from the UK
    1260 cases of loss of eyesight after vaccines
    miscarriages increased 366% in only 6 weeks

    Why are governments getting rid of healthcare workers for not getting the vaccines?
    Fall is here, how are the hospitals going to survive with more breakthrough case and less workers?
    Why are government workers with no medical experience making the decisions?
    WHY ARE POLITICIANS TELLING THE CITIZENS WHAT THEY MUST DO WITH THEIR OWN HEALTHCARE?

    Before we make the terrible deranged decision to inject small children, will someone please stop this madness.

  20. Harvard Business School moves to online after surge in breakthrough cases. Exactly one month after the start of the fall term, Harvard announced Monday it has moved all its first year MBA students and some of its second year students to remote learning this week due to “a steady rise in breakthrough “ in Covid-19 infections among the student population.

    Harvard requires ALL the community members be vaccinated.

  21. AZ Audit Could Not Find the Identity of 86,391 Voters – They Don’t Appear to Exist and 73.8% Are Democrat or No Party Affiliation – Patriot Daily Wire
    4-5 minutes

    The Arizona audit could not find an identity match on 86,391 people. This is disclosed on Page 56 of the “Results Details” report.

    These Maricopa voters cast ballots in Nov 2020 and don’t seem to exist. The ones registered as Democrat or selected no party affiliation represent a whopping 73.8% of these unknown voters. That’s 63,757 ballots. Not selecting a party makes monitoring of nefarious registrations much harder as everything not R or D is bulked together as “Other”. Even the new State voter registration form now only has only 3 categories (R, D, Other) and some registration reporting reduced to similar.

    https://patriotdailywire.com/not-making-headlines-az-audit-could-not-find-the-identity-of-86391-voters-they-dont-appear-to-exist-and-73-8-are-democrat-or-no-party-affiliation/