Reader’s Links for January 4, 2022

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

71 Replies to “Reader’s Links for January 4, 2022”

  1. Tommy Robinson will be releasing an expose’ about islamic rape gangs soon. There has been a conflation of violence in the lead up to the video’s release with the usual two tiered policing.

  2. Nils Melzer, UN Special Rapporteur on Torture; Human Rights Chair, Geneva Academy; Professor of International Law, University of Glasgow; Vice-President IIHL, Sanremo, condemns police actions during anti-lockdown protests in the Netherlands. He calls these incidents torture:
    https://twitter.com/NilsMelzer/status/1478135026193768449
    https://twitter.com/NilsMelzer/status/1477781941227167746

    He already wrote to the German government about police brutality there:
    https://twitter.com/NilsMelzer/status/1477776199069966337

  3. “The Circle of the Earth
    It is he who sits above the circle of the earth, and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers; who stretches out the heavens like a curtain, and spreads them like a tent to dwell in; (RSV, Isaiah 40:22)

    When interpreting scripture, it is very important to interpret it from an Ancient Hebrew perspective and not from our own modern Western viewpoint. As an example, let’s look at the last part of this verse which states: “and spreads [the heavens] like a tent to dwell in.” The Ancient Hebrews lived a nomadic lifestyle, dwelling in goat hair tents. The fibers of the goat hair allowed pinholes of light to pass through the tent and from inside the tent the roof looked similar to the night sky. So, when the Ancient Hebrews looked at the night sky, they didn’t perceive the stars as giant balls of gas billions of miles away as we do; they saw the night sky as God’s tent over them.”
    https://www.ancient-hebrew.org/studies-interpretation/flat-earth-theory-fact-or-fiction.htm

  4. FOOTBALL TRAGEDY Marcos Menaldo dead at 25: Deportivo Marquense star dies after suffering heart attack in training

    GUATEMALAN star Marcos Menaldo has tragically passed away at the age of 25 after suffering a heart attack in training on Monday.

    The Deportivo Marquense defender complained of breathing difficulties during a session while preparing for the new season.

    Menaldo received emergency CPR at the Marquesa de la Ensenada Stadium in San Marcos.

    He was then transferred to the Hospital de Especialidades where he died.

    The centre-back was instrumental in helping Deportivo win Guatemala’s second division title last campaign.

    They were crowned as Liga de Ascenso champions in December on the day that Menaldo turned 25.

    Deportivo club president Hernan Maldonado has spoken of his sadness after Menaldo’s death was confirmed.

    Quoted by ESPN, he said: “One does not come out of astonishment.

    https://www.thesun.co.uk/sport/football/17216974/footballer-marcos-menaldo-dead-heart-attack/

    • DAILY MAIL – Christian Eriksen reveals he wants to play for Denmark at Qatar World Cup this year – as he thanks fans for ‘extraordinary’ response to his cardiac arrest at Euro 2020: ‘I didn’t expect people to send flowers because I’d died for five minutes’

      Christian Eriksen suffered a cardiac arrest on June 12 last year at Euro 2020

      He received life-saving treatment on the pitch before being taken to hospital

      He has not played since, with the Qatar World Cup kicking off in November

      But the Dane insists he still harbours dreams of making it to winter showpiece

      https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/sportsnews/article-10368603/Christian-Eriksen-admits-response-cardiac-arrest-Euro-2020-extraordinary.html

    • Brazilian Journalist Collapses And Has Five Heart Attacks Days After 3rd COVID Shot

      Journalist Rafael Silva collapses during live broadcast mere days after getting booster jab.

      Brazilian reporter Rafael Silva, 36, from TV Alterosa, fainted during a live news presentation called “Alterosa Alert,” on Monday.

      He was quickly rescued and taken to the hospital where he is now in the ICU. On the way, he still suffered five cardiac arrests.

      https://www.newswars.com/brazilian-journalist-collapses-and-has-five-heart-attacks-days-after-3rd-covid-shot-2__trashed/

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

      Brazilian TV Presenter Rafael Silva Suffers Cardiac Arrest During Live Broadcast 1 Week After Receiving COVID-19 Booster Shot

      TV presenter and reporter Rafael Silva was hospitalized after suffering a cardiac arrest during yesterday’s live news broadcast on TV Alterosa. Silva was covering a news story when he suddenly fainted and collapsed.

      The 36-year-old had received his COVID-19 booster shot just a week ago.

      Silva, who is the presenter of ‘Jornal das 7‘, appeared to faint while he was going over a news report. The camera quickly cut to some pre-filmed footage while he was attended to.

      The 36-year-old was rushed to hospital after the incident where he began showing signs of improvement, according to TV Alterosa producer Kadu Lopes:

      “He is responding to the treatment and is moving his hands and feet. This is good, according to doctors.

      We still don’t know what happened to Rafael.

      Silva will remain in intensive care and a new set of medical exams will be performed this Tuesday.

      Last week, the TV presenter boasted on social media that he had received the COVID booster shot. He posted this tweet on December 28th:

      “Long live the Third dose.

      I’m sorry for people who don’t have this opportunity.

      Vaccines save Lives.”

      https://thecovidworld.com/brazilian-tv-presenter-rafael-silva-collapses-from-cardiac-arrest-one-week-after-covid-booster-shot/

    • Italian league set to resume despite 10% of players positive

      Still, despite about 60 players reported as having contracted COVID-19, full slates of 10 matches involving all 20 clubs are scheduled to be played both Thursday and Sunday.

      One out of every 10 players in Serie A is positive with the coronavirus as the Italian league prepares to resume after a two-week break for the holidays.

      Last-place Salernitana is the hardest hit with nine of its players having COVID-19, while clubs like Inter Milan (Edin Dzeko), Napoli (Victor Osimhen) and Juventus (Giorgio Chiellini) are each missing leading players because of the virus.

      Even former Italy goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon, now back with Parma in Serie B, has tested positive.

      Inter and Juventus had reportedly sought to postpone the Italian Super Cup scheduled for next week at the San Siro in Milan but the Italian league decided to keep the game in place.

      Stadium capacities have been reduced from 75% to 50% following a government decree aimed at combatting the latest outbreak and spectators must now wear FFP2 masks.

      There is still a question about whether the decree requires all Serie A players to be vaccinated but that debate could end if the government requires all workers in the country to be vaccinated by Feb. 1.

      While nearly all Serie A players have been vaccinated — about 98% — nearly 30 players have reportedly been resisting the vaccine.

      Players on foreign clubs traveling to play Italian teams would likely be exempt from the vaccination requirement.

      https://indianexpress.com/article/sports/football/italian-league-set-to-resume-despite-10-of-players-positive-7706263/

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

      Sono attualmente 80 i giocatori positivi al Covid-19,

      I casi in tutte le squadre di Serie A

      Atalanta (2 giocatori): uno è il portiere argentino Musso. L’altro è rimasto anonimo.

      Bologna (4 giocatori): Hickey, Viola, Dominguez e Molla.

      Cagliari (2 calciatori): Nandez, Goldaniga.

      Empoli: 3 casi nel gruppo squadra

      Fiorentina (2 giocatori): non si conosce l’identità dei giocatori

      Genoa (2 calciatori): Criscito e Serpe più l’allenatore Shevchenko

      Inter (3 calciatori): Dzeko, Cordaz e Satriano.

      Juventus (3 giocatori prima squadra e un under 23): Chiellini, Arthur, De Winter e Pinsoglio.

      Milan: (2 giocatori): Tatarusanu, uno di cui non si conosce l’identità e un componente del gruppo squadra.

      Napoli (6 giocatori): Osimhen, Lozano, Elmas, Malcuit, Mario Rui, Boffelli più il tecnico Luciano Spalletti. Positivi anche un membro dello staff e un magazziniere.

      Roma (3 giocatori): Fuzato, Borja Majoral ed El Shaarawy

      Salernitana (9 giocatori): 11 in totale, tra cui 9 giocatori e 2 dello staff

      Sampdoria (2 giocatori): Falcone, Augello e 2 membri dello staff.

      Sassuolo: 4 nel gruppo squadra.

      Spezia (4 giocatori): Hristov, Kovalenko, Nzola, Manaj e un collaboratore.

      Torino (6 calciatori): sei giocatori e un membro dello staff.

      Udinese (7 giocatori): 9 nel gruppo squadra, di cui 7 calciatori

      Venezia: due tesserati

      Verona (8 calciatori): 10 nel gruppo squadra, di cui 8 giocatori.

      https://www.ilgiornale.it/news/sport/covid-si-abbattuto-sulla-serie-tutte-partite-rischio-1999927.html

      https://www.ilgiornale.it/news/sport/covid-si-abbattuto-sulla-serie-tutte-partite-rischio-1999927.html

  5. GERMANY- BAUTZEN JAN 03 2022 – Police disperse BANNED anti-COVID restrix protest

    Hundreds of protesters take to the streets of Bautzen, Germany in a banned anti-COVID measures demo with police making arrests as they disperse the gathering

    • Germany: Counter protest held at Mannheim city hall against COVID sceptics

      SOT, Angela Wendt, City councillor and Green Party member (German): “We are here in front of the city hall in Mannheim and we have initiated this human chain for the second time. It is about setting a sign against the marches against the corona measures or against compulsory vaccination. Basically, it is only demo-tourism, because the fewest people who come here aren’t from Mannheim, but from the Palatinate. For us, it is important to send a signal that Mannheim is not a place for such fights with the police and others.”

      SOT, Angela Wendt, City councillor and Green Party member (German): “I am one of the co-organisers of this event and, of course, for me as a city councillor, the city hall is a place of democracy and for all of us who defend democracy. That is why it is good to have this human chain around the town hall and towards the Paradeplatz (square).”

      SOT, Angela Wendt, City councillor and Green Party member (German): “In the current time it is so important because society is basically divided into two camps by Corona and neither camp wants to have discussions with the other. Obviously, the only way to send a signal is to use such blatant methods – by taking to the streets. We want to do it peacefully, we want to set a peaceful example and not to bring a crash and confrontation to the streets but rather try to pacify the whole thing, that is the most important thing for us.”

      SOT, Patrick Knapp, Mannheim Police spokesperson (German): “We had several gatherings that moved through the city in small processions. They dispersed again when approached by the police or when they recognised the police. At the moment, we had a gathering of 150 to 200 people here at the Plankenkopf entrance to the pedestrian zone – they were approached by the police and made aware of the valid legal situation and now we have to wait and see how the whole thing develops. Overall, however, we can say that the atmosphere is much more peaceful than in the past weeks and that we probably had fewer participants.”

    • Israel: Significant antibody increase after 2nd booster vaccine – PM Bennett
      The number of antibodies found in patients that have received their fourth vaccine against COVID-19, has increased almost five-fold, stated Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett in Ramat Gan on Tuesday.

      Speaking at the Sheba Medical Centre, Bennet said, “The initial results from the study of the fourth vaccine tells us that within a week from administration of the 4th dose, there is an increase by almost 5 times in the level of antibodies.”

      “The Omicron storm is increasing. We have bought five weeks of time, during which the State of Israel has been prepared,” he continued.

      His statements came as the prime minister was visiting a hospital, to examine the progress of preparations regarding an expected increase of patients in the coming days and weeks due to the Omicron variant.

      Nearly 11,000 new patients were recorded with coronavirus on Tuesday.

      SOT, Naftali Bennett, Prime Minister of Israel (Hebrew): “The Omicron storm is increasing. We have bought five weeks of time, during which the State of Israel has been prepared. During the visit we can see how the hospital has been prepared to an administration of large number of patients. This wave is increasing, and we are expecting dozens of new infections in the following days.”

      SOT, Naftali Bennett, Prime Minister of Israel (Hebrew): “The good news is that vaccine is working. Those who get the vaccine and wear masks are less likely to get badly sick.”

      SOT, Naftali Bennett, Prime Minister of Israel (Hebrew): “The initial results from the study of the fourth vaccine tells us that within a week from administration of the 4th dose, there is an increase by almost five times in the level of antibodies.”

    • Excerpt from Prime Minister Bennett’s Remarks at Sheba Medical Center

      Prime Minister Naftali Bennett visited Sheba Medical Center at Tel Hashomer. He visited the coronavirus ward control center where hospital Director General Prof. Yitshak Kreiss briefed him on the medical center’s preparations for the Omicron wave and for absorbing patients. Prime Minister Bennett also spoke by video with coronavirus patient Yuni Nissim, who is at home being monitored by the ward.

      During the visit, Infection Prevention and Control Unit Director Prof. Gili Regev-Yohai briefed the Prime Minister on the preliminary results of the research study that was carried out regarding the fourth dose of the coronavirus vaccin

    • ctv news – ‘Hospitalizations halved’: Dr. Juni on how Omicron measures up to Delta

      ============================================
      Jebo Teya 43 min ago

      I just love how he suggests the unvaccinated have no immunity.
      --------------------------------------
      So Johnny.... 37 min ago

      He's a salesmen
      ====================================

    • Hungary’s unvaccinated teachers forced to take unpaid leave

      In Hungary, teachers who refuse to be vaccinated are being forced to take unpaid leave or pay for a PCR test every three days.

      But pupils, temporary teachers, catering staff and janitors are able to continue without a jab.

    • Separating unvaccinated in mosques!

      Is it permissible to separate vaccinated and unvaccinated in our mosques?

    • global news – More evidence that Omicron variant causes milder symptoms, WHO says

      More evidence is emerging that the Omicron COVID-19 variant is affecting the upper respiratory tract, causing milder symptoms than previous variants and resulting in a “decoupling” in some places between soaring case numbers and low death rates, World Health Organization (WHO) Incident Manager Abdi Mahamud said on Tuesday.

      “We are seeing more and more studies pointing out that Omicron is infecting the upper part of the body. Unlike other ones, the lungs who would be causing severe pneumonia,” Mahamud told reporters.

      While the Omicron variant seemed to be slipping past antibodies, Mahamud said evidence is emerging that COVID-19 vaccines still provide some protection.

      However, when asked whether an Omicron-specific vaccine was needed, Mahamud said it was too early to say, but voiced doubts and stressed the decision required global co-ordination and should not be left to manufacturers alone to decide.

    • CBC – Up to 300 military personnel to be deployed to Quebec: minister

      …. to support Quebec’s vaccination campaign.

    • CBC – Opposition to Quebec curfew while non-essential businesses ordered to stay closed on Sundays

      Fifty-seven ticket fines were handed out and one person was arrested after a crowd gathered in Quebec on Saturday to protest a curfew introduced on New Year’s Eve.

      In addition to the evening curfew, Quebec residents won’t be able to access non-essential businesses — including grocery stores — for at least the next three Sundays.

    • MACRON CHARGE LES NON-VACCINÉS: “J’AI TRÈS ENVIE DE LES EMMERDER, ON VA CONTINUER DE LE FAIRE”

      “Moi, je ne suis pas pour emmerder les Français. Je peste toute la journée contre l’administration quand elle les bloque. Eh bien là, les non-vaccinés, j’ai très envie de les emmerder”, lâche Emmanuel Macron. “Donc on va continuer de le faire, jusqu’au bout, c’est ça la stratégie”, martèle le chef de l’État.

      https://www.bfmtv.com/sante/macron-charge-les-non-vaccines-j-ai-tres-envie-de-les-emmerder-on-va-continuer-de-le-faire_AV-202201040466.html

      https://twitter.com/BFMTV/status/1478458242707636228

    • Biden doubles order for Pfizer’s COVID-19 antiviral pill

      Biden announced he has ordered 20 million doses of Pfizer’s antiviral pill

    • ‘Please Get Your Kids Vaccinated’

      “This continues to be a pandemic of the unvaccinated ”

      “And for parents with kids too young to be vaccinated, surround your kids with people who are vaccinated,”

    • Quebec liquor, cannabis stores to require vaccine passport: report

      New edict is expected to apply to customers — but not employees — at the province’s SAQ and SDQC outlets.

      The Legault government is poised to make vaccine passports mandatory for those who wish to shop at the liquor stores of the Société des Alcools du Québec (SAQ) and the sales outlets of the Société québécoise du cannabis (SQDC), the Journal de Montréal reported on Tuesday.

      Citing anonymous government sources, the report says a decision on barring unvaccinated Quebecers from the province’s liquor and cannabis monopolies will be made this week and comes as COVID-19 caseloads continue to soar and public pressure increases on the governmentto crack down on those who continue to refuse to be inoculated against the virus.

      The logistics of such a policy — how and where the passport will be scanned once a customer is inside a liquor or cannabis store — have yet to be finalized.

      However, the report says that while customers will have to present proof of vaccination, no such requirement will be imposed on the employees serving them.

      At the moment, vaccine passports are mandatory to access concert halls, bars, restaurants, casinos, convention centres, religious venues and sporting events.

      https://montrealgazette.com/news/local-news/quebec-liquor-cannabis-stores-to-require-vaccine-passport-report

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

      RT – Unvaccinated to be banned from booze and marijuana in Canada – media

      Quebec province is reportedly poised to require proof of Covid-19 jab to access liquor stores and cannabis shops

      If taking away jobs and large gatherings isn’t enough to coerce some people into getting vaccinated against Covid-19, cutting them off from hard liquor and marijuana might do the trick. Canada’s Quebec province may soon find out.

      Quebec Prime Minister Francois Legault’s administration is expected to announce a new requirement for proof of vaccination at liquor stores and cannabis outlets later this week, the Journal de Montreal reported on Tuesday. Minor details of the latest mandate, such as whether to require the passport at entrances or cash registers, are still being ironed out, the newspaper said, citing unidentified sources.

      Proof of vaccination is already required in Quebec at such non-essential venues as restaurants, theaters, bars, and casinos. Under the new rule, unvaccinated residents will still be able to access convenience stores, which sell beer and wine, but they’ll be essentially barred from legally buying hard liquor.

      The move allegedly comes amid public pressure to tighten restrictions on recalcitrant Quebeckers who have refused to get their Covid-19 shots.

      Legault has reportedly queried public health officials on what other types of businesses could be forced to require vaccine passports, and he told reporters, “I understand that there is a certain anger” toward unjabbed citizens.

      Ironically, the new vaccine requirement at liquor and cannabis stores will only apply to shoppers. Employees won’t be forced to be vaccinated, the Journal de Montreal said.

      Nearly 85% of all Quebec residents have received at least one vaccination dose, one of the highest rates in the world, but that hasn’t stopped the rampant spread of Covid-19. The province has seen an average of about 15,000 new infections daily over the past week. New cases were averaging less than 700 daily before the Omicron variant of Covid-19 emerged in late November.

      https://www.rt.com/news/545167-quebec-unvaxxed-liquor-cannabis-ban/

    • zero hedge – Google Manipulates Results As “Mass Formation Psychosis’ Searches Explode Due To Collapsing COVID Narrative

      […]
      ============
      twitter @JackPosobiec

      Dr Malone broke the algorithm and now Google is struggling to manually edit the results when you search for mass formation psychosis.

      Try it. Never seen this before.

      https://twitter.com/JackPosobiec/status/1477403661701689352

      =================================
      […]After Dr. Malone explained this concept of mass formation, developed by Dr. Mattias Desmet, professor of clinical psychology at Ghent University in Belgium, internet searches for “mass formation psychosis” began to exponentially increase. It appeared that Google, at one point, even attempted to skew the returned results, and it appears it is still happening.

      Now, when you search for the phrase on Google, it returns articles by mainstream media outlets, like Forbes who took to making fun of Malone for even daring to suggest that this was the case. Apparently, large swaths of people calling for the unvaccinated to be put into camps, denied healthcare, and even killed, is not psychosis. It’s normal.

      It’s normal to completely dismiss the massive amounts of data in front of us, and instead opt for a fear-driven narrative that has caused suffering of epic proportions in populations whose risk of complications from covid are almost non-existent.

      If you search for the term on DuckDuckGo, however, Dr. Malone’s article from last month comes up. Bing, unlike Google, did not manipulate Malone’s article out of the search results either.

      https://www.zerohedge.com/technology/google-manipulates-results-mass-formation-psychosis-searches-explode-due-collapsing

  6. Recap of the Amsterdam protest on Jan 2.

    Amsterdam: 10,000 attendees, 30 arrests, 4 cops hurt at banned lockdown demonstration; New protest set for Jan. 16
    https://nltimes.nl/2022/01/03/amsterdam-10000-attendees-30-arrests-4-cops-hurt-banned-lockdown-demonstration-new
    The police arrested thirty people on Sunday during an unauthorized demonstration against the country’s coronavirus policy that started on Museumplein in Amsterdam. To get around the ban, the organizers announced that they would show up at Museumplein “to drink coffee.” A peak of nearly 10,000 people attended the event, a spokesperson for Mayor Femke Halsema said.
    The arrests were made for various offenses, including disturbing public order, inability to identify oneself, assault and illegal possession of weapons. Out of the thirty people who were arrested, nine were still incarcerated on Monday morning. Seven of them are suspected of violence against police officers. The other two were held on weapons possession charges.
    The police prevented approximately two hundred people from entering the city on the basis of an emergency order issued by the mayor designating the Museumplein area as a security risk, which also gave officers the authority to stop and search people at random. Among them were several members of various groups, who wanted to bring weapons to the Museumplein and were prepared to use violence, according to police.
    When protesters refused to leave the square, officers intervened with the riot police forming a line. Mounted units and police dogs were also deployed and a number of officers used force during the ensuing turmoil.
    [..]

  7. Italy: Cruise ship carrying over 100 COVID-positive passengers docks near Rome

    A cruise ship carrying 150 passengers who tested positive for COVID-19 docked at the Italian port of Civitavecchia, near Rome on Tuesday.

    Infected passengers were expected to disembark. On Monday, 45 people with COVID-19 already alighted the ship MSC Grandiosa in Genoa.

    The MSC released a statement saying that the COVID-positive passengers and their relatives were immediately isolated in balcony cabins and received medical attention. About 4,000 are on board the Grandiosa.

    • The playbook of the Nazi takeover.
      Antifa is useful – till it’s not. Antifa should’ve paid more attention in history class.

      • If they had, they would never have joined ANTIFA.

        Chances are they will get them on the new night of the long knives before they get to us. So at least we get some late life entertainment.

  8. Tara Henley – Speaking Freely

    Why I resigned from the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation

    For months now, I’ve been getting complaints about the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, where I’ve worked as a TV and radio producer, and occasional on-air columnist, for much of the past decade.

    People want to know why, for example, non-binary Filipinos concerned about a lack of LGBT terms in Tagalog is an editorial priority for the CBC, when local issues of broad concern go unreported. Or why our pop culture radio show’s coverage of the Dave Chappelle Netflix special failed to include any of the legions of fans, or comics, that did not find it offensive. Or why, exactly, taxpayers should be funding articles that scold Canadians for using words such as “brainstorm” and “lame.”

    Everyone asks the same thing: What is going on at the CBC?

    When I started at the national public broadcaster in 2013, the network produced some of the best journalism in the country. By the time I resigned last month, it embodied some of the worst trends in mainstream media. In a short period of time, the CBC went from being a trusted source of news to churning out clickbait that reads like a parody of the student press.

    Those of us on the inside know just how swiftly — and how dramatically — the politics of the public broadcaster have shifted.

    It used to be that I was the one furthest to the left in any newsroom, occasionally causing strain in story meetings with my views on issues like the housing crisis. I am now easily the most conservative, frequently sparking tension by questioning identity politics. This happened in the span of about 18 months. My own politics did not change.

    To work at the CBC in the current climate is to embrace cognitive dissonance and to abandon journalistic integrity.

    It is to sign on, enthusiastically, to a radical political agenda that originated on Ivy League campuses in the United States and spread through American social media platforms that monetize outrage and stoke societal divisions. It is to pretend that the “woke” worldview is near universal — even if it is far from popular with those you know, and speak to, and interview, and read.

    To work at the CBC now is to accept the idea that race is the most significant thing about a person, and that some races are more relevant to the public conversation than others. It is, in my newsroom, to fill out racial profile forms for every guest you book; to actively book more people of some races and less of others.

    To work at the CBC is to submit to job interviews that are not about qualifications or experience — but instead demand the parroting of orthodoxies, the demonstration of fealty to dogma.

    It is to become less adversarial to government and corporations and more hostile to ordinary people with ideas that Twitter doesn’t like.

    It is to endlessly document microaggressions but pay little attention to evictions; to spotlight company’s political platitudes but have little interest in wages or working conditions. closures to roll out — with little debate. To see billionaires amass extraordinary wealth and bureaucrats amass enormous power — with little scrutiny. And to watch the most vulnerable among us die of drug overdoses — with little comment.

    It is to consent to the idea that a growing list of subjects are off the table, that dialogue itself can be harmful. That the big issues of our time are all already settled.

    It is to capitulate to certainty, to shut down critical thinking, to stamp out curiosity. To keep one’s mouth shut, to not ask questions, to not rock the boat.

    This, while the world burns.

    How could good journalism possibly be done under such conditions? How could any of this possibly be healthy for society?

    All of this raises larger questions about the direction that North America is headed. Questions about this new moment we are living through — and its impact on the body politic. On class divisions, and economic inequality. On education. On mental health. On literature, and comedy. On science. On liberalism, and democracy.

    These questions keep me up at night.

    I can no longer push them down. I will no longer hold them back. This Substack is an attempt to find some answers.

    I have been a journalist for 20 years, covering everything from hip-hop to news, food to current affairs. The through line has always been books, which I’ve engaged with at every stage of my career and at every outlet I’ve worked for. In 2020, I published my own book, Lean Out: A Meditation on the Madness of Modern Life, which was an instant bestseller in Canada.

    Books have always opened new worlds for me, introduced me to new perspectives, and helped me to make sense of humanity. I need books now more than ever.

    During lockdown, when I wasn’t covering COVID-19, I spent a lot of time interviewing authors for a new book I’m working on. Their boldness and insight and humour saved me from despair. These writers gave me ideas on how to move forward, and how to maintain hope. Most of all, they gave me the courage to stand up — and to speak out.

    Here at Substack, I will continue the work of thinking through the current moment, focusing on non-fiction writing from around the world. I will post an essay on a books related topic every Monday, and a podcast conversation with a heterodox author every Wednesday. This will be free to all. A third post on Fridays will round up the most contrarian, controversial or overlooked new books and essays, and will be available to paid subscribers.

    This work is entirely independent and entirely free from editorial control, allowing me to say the things that are not being said, and ask the questions that are not being asked. Lean Out is solely supported by subscribers. If you care about the world of ideas and value open inquiry, as I do, please consider a paid subscription.

    And stay tuned for the first episode of the Lean Out podcast this Wednesday, featuring my conversation with Newsweek’s Batya Ungar-Sargon, author of Bad News: How Woke Media is Undermining Democracy.

    https://tarahenley.substack.com/p/speaking-freely

  9. US, UK, Israel should help form an Arab NATO – opinion

    The US and UK helped Islamic militias flourish in the MENA region; they can help defeat them now.
    https://www.jpost.com/opinion/article-691449
    _______

    Forget the title, it’s nonsense.

    But the author does a good job describing hybrid war in the Mideast and the role of the West in its genesis and perpetuation. Proxy militias like the Houthis, Hezbollah, and the Taliban have morphed:

    What is more dangerous is that the leaders of these organizations are transforming themselves from gang members into statesmen who hold control over national decisions of who is friend and who is foe. In many cases, they decide between war and peace.

    The West is cool with that: we send money to Lebanon knowing full well that it’s now owned by Hezbollah. *Biden* removed the Houthis’ designation as a terrorist org and lifted sanctions within days of taking office.

    The implications will not be confined to faraway places, where there’s nothing but sand and death. Two of the eight Straits of the Great Crossroads will be controlled by Twisted Ragheads.

    https://theoptimisticconservative.files.wordpress.com/2009/05/crossroads-map.jpg

    Yes, the Death to America, the Great Satan we’re so eager to appease.

    Forget Sunni-Shitte eyewash: Tardish radicals have more in common with each other than with us. It’s all about money and power. The Muslim Brotherhood (al-Qaeda, ISIS, the Taliban, etc.) is in cahoots with Iran. It has immense and growing power right here in the USA, right now.

    China has longterm interests in the region, key ports (military bases) in its Maritime Silk Road Initiative. Together with shipping routes they’ll soon control in the South China Sea, that’s pretty much it for the West.

    * * *
    Cui bono?

    Why has RUSSIA been cast as the Devil in charmed circles within the US and UK? Why are we throwing a natural ally into the arms of China? Beyond obvious distraction from our real enemies, in whose interest has this campaign been waged?

    Alternative media is copacetic with Russia, tows the libertarian, isolationist line. Paying off the Ron- and -Rand Pauls, Pat Buchanans and the slew of conservative aggregators is oh-so-much cheaper than competing with the MIC.

    It’s a trivial expense compared with – oh, say Qatar – hiring agents to bribe Congress and the D.C. blob of think-tankers and opinion-shapers. (The polite term for “bribe” is “lobby”.)

    This is classic Russian dezinformatsiya, but I wouldn’t be surprised if Putin gets China to help pay for it. The ChiComs are more heavy handed, paying for advertising supplements crafted to look like regular news in legacy vehicles like Bloomberg, the NYT and the WSJ.

    * * *

    INDIA, apart from its “special relationship” with Russia, is also our natural ally. China, via the Tibetan Plateau, controls the ENTIRE WATERSHED of the Indian subcontinent. That’s an existential threat.
    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/d308fe5d2c91f887ea58896fda2f19fa40d130dde1696169ea0550c69b974345.jpg

    India also must contend with constant terrorism from the regional branch of the MB. Consistent negative coverage of Indian news in our MSM reveals a lot about who’s pulling our media’s strings.

    Neither Russia nor India shows signs of covidiocy. They’ll never fall in line with the WEF. The New World Order will have to contend with a New Nonaligned Movement.