Reader’s Links for January 19, 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

35 Replies to “Reader’s Links for January 19, 2022”

  1. “Idiot!” shouted Merle into the telescope.
    “Who?” Argyle asked as he returned to the room from the kitchen. He carried Mung blood for them both.
    “This Zelenko character. Dr. Zev Zelenko.”
    “Why do you say that?” Argyle placed Merle’s cup down on the table beside the telescope.
    “Because of the crazy things he says. Patent number 666, mark of the beast, tagging the population in the run-up to economic collapse in 2026…the transmission of vital stats from inside a person to an external source…all these crazy connections.” Merle stopped to take a breath, and a sip of Mung blood. “Ah, that’s better.”
    “Zelenko, Zelenko…I know this name. Isn’t he, isn’t he the guy–that’s it–the Zelenko protocol. He was one of the first to improvise a therapy against Covid-19 using hydroxychloroquine, zinc and antibiotics.”
    “Yes, that’s him.”
    “Well, that’s some crazy connecting he did, indeed.”
    “True. But the rest of it? C’mon. Who needs all the ridiculous speculation?”
    “He does, for one.”
    “And who needs conspiracy theories?”

    Argyle turned and went to the window. Mars was dark and cold. The sky looked dark and cold, too. “When presented with chaos, the mind begins to spin. It cannot help itself. It is terrified by chaos. Such is true particularly with this human animal. Remember, humans don’t have the cortex extension that we Martians call the left “nut”, in our brains, that grounds us during times of existential abstraction. So their minds kick in with a combination of logic and imagination. –Trying to make connections that will order a chaotic circumstance. Looking for answers. You can’t blame humans for this. It is the way they’re wired. The way I see it is the real problems begin when one group tries to suppress this process in another group. It inevitably causes the suppressed group to speculate even more.”

    Merle fiddled with a knob on the telescope. “I’ve lost focus–or is it cloud cover, I–.” Argyle reached over and adjusted the lower control knob. “Oh, that’s better,” said Merle. “Thanks.”

    https://m.soundcloud.com/drmercola/the-new-world-order-slave

  2. the guardian – FRANCE – Calls for French minister to resign after announcing Covid protocol from Ibiza

    Revelation that Jean-Michel Blanquer was on holiday at one of toughest times for schools creates PR disaster

    France’s education minister is facing calls to resign after it emerged he had announced a strict Covid-testing protocol for schools shortly before the start of the January school term while he was on holiday in Ibiza.

    The revelation that Blanquer was on holiday in Ibiza at one of the toughest moments for schools and parents has created a public relations disaster for the government.

    Blanquer was once seen as a close ally of the president, Emmanuel Macron, but he has come increasing criticism this month over the many changes to Covid protocols as schools struggled to put in place last-minute testing rules, manage class-closures and find replacements for absent teachers.

    Teachers’ and parents’ unions have called for a second nationwide strike on Thursday after tens of thousands of teachers took part in a one-day strike last week.

    The strict testing and isolation rules were unveiled by Blanquer in an interview with Le Parisien newspaper on 2 January, hours before classes were to resume after the holiday break.

    […]

    https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jan/18/calls-french-minister-resign-covid-protocol-ibiza-jean-michel-blanquer-schools

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

    europravda – Jean-Michel Blanquer: French education minister faces calls to resign over Ibiza trip

    France’s education minister Jean-Michel Blanquer is facing calls to resign after holidaying in Ibiza while the latest health rules for French schools were announced.

    Blanquer was revealed to have been staying on the Spanish island when the latest strict protocols were made public — just one day before the start of the school year.

    The rules were widely opposed by frustrated French schoolteachers and led to a major strike last week across the country.

    Unions and politicians have now urged Blanquer to step down after Mediapart revealed he had been abroad while teachers and parents struggled to prepare children for the new regulations.

    “Enough is enough. Jean-Michel Blanquer must resign,” tweeted Mathilde Panot from the left-wing LFI political group. Far-right presidential candidate Marine Le Pen has also criticised the minister’s “casualness”.

    In a statement, Blanquer said he “regretted the symbolism” of his holiday venue, but denied breaking any laws.

    “It turns out that the place I chose, I should have chosen probably another,” he told the National Assembly on Tuesday.

    […]

    The calls for resignation come ahead of France’s presidential election, where incumbent Emmanuel Macron has been campaigning heavily on education.

    https://www.euronews.com/2022/01/18/jean-michel-blanquer-french-education-minister-faces-calls-to-resign-over-ibiza-trip

    ========================================
    CNN – French education minister criticized for announcing Covid-19 measures from Ibiza

    France’s education minister has come under fire after confirming reports that he announced stringent new Covid-19 measures for schools while on vacation on the Spanish party island Ibiza.

    “I regret the symbolism” of Ibiza, Jean-Michel Blanquer told lawmakers on Tuesday.

    However he did caveat his regret. “In winter it’s not at all like in summer,” he told French TV channel TF1 Tuesday, “I was just outside, in contact with the government.”

    Blanquer announced the measures in a telephone interview with French newspaper Le Parisien, published on January 2, the magazine’s editor said on Twitter, although reporters did not know he was in Spain at the time.

    The measures included increased testing for school-age children following a classmate testing positive, to avoid closing classes.

    “There’s really a break between what Ibiza represents and what colleagues were living daily the day before this return to school,” Guislaine David, spokersperson for teaching union SNUipp-FSU told French broadcaster Franceinfo Wednesday. French teachers went on strike on January 13 over the new Covid-19 measures.

    Speaking before the National Assembly, Blanquer said that his presence in Ibiza did not affect his decision about schools’ Covid-19 protocols, or his ability to perform his functions as minister of education. Blanquer did not break French travel restrictions by holidaying in Spain.

    https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/france-covid-minister-ibiza-intl-scli/index.html

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

    europravda – Jean-Michel Blanquer: French education minister faces calls to resign over Ibiza trip

    It has emerged that education minister Jean-Michel Blanquer was on holiday earlier this month when he announced new strict rules for French schools.

    • FRANCE PRAVDA – French education minister under fire over Ibiza trip as Covid-19 rages • FRANCE 24 English

  3. Pfizer and the Vatican

    Sources say Pope Francis met privately twice last year with Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla

    VATICAN CITY — The Register has learned that Pope Francis privately held undisclosed meetings with the CEO of Pfizer last year as questions arise over the efficacy of the vaccines in preventing transmission, which are now being mandated for all Vatican staff and visitors.

    According to Vatican sources, the Holy Father twice met Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla at the Vatican, although the precise details are not known.

    Unlike most papal private audiences, these meetings were not announced by the Holy See Press Office, which did not respond to repeated requests to confirm the meetings.

    A Pfizer spokesman said, “We can’t confirm or deny as, per our policy, the movements of our executives are considered confidential.”

    Bourla’s meetings with the Pope would not be the first such unannounced papal encounter in recent years. In November 2019, shortly before the COVID-19 health emergency began, the Pope privately received Melinda Gates. The meeting, well known in the Vatican, was not announced and has never been officially acknowledged.

    Last May, Bourla took part in an online Vatican health conference titled “Unite to Prevent & Unite to Cure” that included a significant focus on COVID-19 treatments and prevention as well as providing a platform for promoting vaccines produced by large pharmaceutical companies.

    Other speakers at the meeting co-hosted by the Pontifical Council for Culture included Stephane Bancel, the CEO of Moderna, another large anti-COVID-19 vaccine producer, Dr. Anthony Fauci, President Joe Biden’s chief medical officer, and Dr. Francis Collins, then director of the U.S. National Institutes of Health.

    First to Use Pfizer

    Vatican City State was one of the first authorities to administer vaccines after it signed a contract with Pfizer in late 2020 to exclusively offer its Pfizer-BioNTech pharmaceutical product to its staff. The first inoculations were rolled out in early 2021.

    A strong proponent of the vaccine in light of what it believes is a “continuation and worsening of the current health emergency,” the Vatican has been mandating the Pfizer injection for all staff and visitors since Dec. 23.

    From Jan. 31, triple vaccination (two doses plus the booster) will be required to enter Vatican territory. (Proof of recent recovery from COVID-19 can also gain admittance, and there are no requirements for public liturgies and general audiences.)

    But the mandates have been imposed when effectiveness of all the COVID-19 vaccines at preventing spread of the disease is being questioned.

    In December 2020, professor Andrea Arcangeli, director of the Vatican’s Health and Hygiene Directorate, said the Vatican chose to use the Pfizer vaccine because in clinical trials it had “been shown to be 95% effective.” He added that “subsequently, other vaccines produced with different methods can be introduced after evaluating their effectiveness and full safety.”

    The 95% figure means that vaccinated people had a 95% lower risk of getting COVID-19 compared with the control group participants in trials, who weren’t vaccinated. So in other words, Pfizer was telling the public that in its own clinical trial, vaccinated people were 20 times less likely than the control group to get COVID-19.

    However, in a Jan. 10 interview with Yahoo News, Bourla acknowledged that the first two doses of the vaccine are now largely ineffective against the spread of the Omicron variant and that, although Omicron is “milder” than previous variants, because of the high infection rates, hospitalizations have been “going much higher in terms of severe disease, ICU occupation, etc.”

    “We know that the two doses of the vaccine have very limited protection, if any,” Bourla told Yahoo News. “The three doses, with the booster, offer reasonable protection against hospitalization and death.”

    Cases Continue Despite Vaccination

    Despite the original 95% effectivity rate against the earlier variants that prompted the Vatican to sign a contract with Pfizer, Vatican personnel have been continuing to contract COVID-19 in the Vatican over the past year despite being double- or triple-vaccinated. The latest case is that of Bishop Brian Farrell, secretary of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, who is currently infected with COVID-19 despite having received the booster shot.

    An official at the Pontifical Council told the Register this morning “he has tested positive, but we expect him back in the office next week.”

    Vatican sources have also told the Register that as many as 14 Swiss Guards contracted COVID-19 in the second half of last year but the cases were never reported. All of them had had two Pfizer doses but almost no symptoms.

    The Vatican has reported no cases of hospitalizations or deaths since the vaccine rollout, and throughout the pandemic, no COVID-19 deaths have been reported in Vatican City.

    However, since the vaccine program began in early 2021, the Holy See Press Office has ceased reporting new cases of COVID-19, in contrast to 2020, when it regularly announced if any personnel or residents had been tested positive for the virus.

    The last reported Vatican staff to be infected were Cardinal Giuseppe Bertello, then the president of Vatican City State, and the papal almoner, Cardinal Konrad Krajewski, in December 2020. Both survived the disease.

    Despite concerns about the Pfizer vaccine being tainted by abortion, Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin appeared this week to rule out any conscience exemption right.

    He told the Register that Vatican employees seeking an exemption because they oppose the vaccine’s link to abortion “seems not to be justified” as the Pfizer product was only tested rather than produced using the cell lines derived from abortion.

    The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine has also caused adverse side effects including heart ailments and blood clotting especially in younger recipients, with some causing death. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention insists these “reports are rare and the known and potential benefits of COVID-19 vaccination outweigh the known and potential risks [of these side effects].”

    Thousands of these and other cases have nevertheless been reported on government sites in various countries (see the UK figures for the Pfizer vaccine here) where suspected side effects can be voluntarily reported, and citizens have created websites to record their own testimonies of adverse effects from all COVID-19 vaccines.

    https://www.ncregister.com/blog/pfizer-and-the-vatican

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

    One year ago – NBC News – ‘The Most Vulnerable And Needy Must Be First’

    • NATIONAL POST – More than one in four Canadians support jail time for the unvaccinated, poll finds

      In the Maru poll, 27 per cent of respondents say it would be OK to jail the unvaccinated for up to five days

      Many Canadians are in favour of harsh punishments for the unvaccinated, with 37 per cent saying in a new poll it would be acceptable to deny them publicly-funded health care — and 27 per cent that it would be OK to go as far as a short jail sentence.

      “A majority of Canadians have little sympathy for the unvaccinated,” said John Wright, executive vice-president of Maru Public Opinion, which conducted the poll on Jan. 14 and 15. Maru surveyed an online panel of 1,506 Canadians. A comparable probability sample of the same size has a margin of error of +/- 2.5 per cent, 19 times out of 20.

      It found two-thirds of Canadians are in favour of mandatory vaccines for everyone over the age of five. Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos said earlier this month that mandatory vaccinations are on the horizon, and something that provincial governments should be discussing.

      The poll also asked about various punitive measures for those who would refuse a mandatory vaccination. Thirty-three per cent of the survey respondents said it would be acceptable to not allow them to renew their drivers’ licence.

      Another 37 per cent said it would be ok to refuse to “allow them access to any publicly funded hospital/medical services.” More than a quarter, 27 per cent, said it would be acceptable to make them serve up to five days “as part of a jail sentence for endangering others/overwhelming (the) healthcare system.”

      Wright said that with the spread of the Omicron variant, many Canadians are now experiencing a “de facto withdrawal of medical services.”

      “An increasing group of people either can’t get access to the medical care that they need or they’re seeing members of their family or their circle being refused that same kind of treatment,” he said.

      The viewpoint, Wright said, is that if an unvaccinated person hasn’t “taken any precaution whatsoever, why should you be more at the front of the line than others who have done all the right things, and they aren’t able to get access to treatment,” including people who have had cancer treatment delayed by months.

      Sixty-one per cent of the respondents said it would be ok to make the unvaccinated pay “a monetary healthcare surcharge on their taxes of up to $150 per month.” That’s the same percentage that said it would be ok to make such individuals “pay out of pocket for the full medical cost” if they are admitted to hospital or the ICU with COVID-19.

      “The sentiment out there is, if you’re going to clog up the healthcare system, then you’re going to pay for it yourself,” Wright said.

      Asked how they view those who refuse to be vaccinated, 48 per cent of respondents said those individuals were responsible for overwhelming the health care system, and 40 per cent described them as people “who are holding us back from having a new normal life.” Another 36 per cent said they were “misguided conspiracy theorists” and were “endangering society.”

      More than three-quarters of those surveyed, 77 per cent, said it would be acceptable to put in place restrictions barring those who would refuse a mandatory vaccination from entering public spaces like liquor and cannabis stories, libraries, restaurants, cinemas and retail outlets.

      Quebec has already moved on some of those measures. New rules requiring proof of vaccination to enter a liquor or cannabis store came into effect Tuesday, and the province has also promised to implement a tax on unvaccinated adults.

      Asked how much sympathy respondents had for an unvaccinated person who becomes seriously ill or dies as a result of COVID-19, 27 per cent said they had none at all. Only 19 per cent said they had a lot of sympathy, while the rest were somewhere in between.

      There were some with a more favourable view of the unvaccinated. Twenty-seven per cent said they were “good people with legitimate reasons/concerns” and 12 per cent went further, describing them as “heroes for free speech/choice.” That’s three per cent more than the nine per cent of the respondents who were unvaccinated themselves.

      When those individuals were asked why they refused a vaccination, 45 per cent said they were “defending my civil liberty to make a choice for me.” A similar proportion, 42 per cent, said they were waiting for more data on safety of the vaccines.

      Other reasons cited by the unvaccinated included being anxious or scared about how the vaccine could affect them (28 per cent) and not wanting the government to tell them what to do (22 per cent).

      Others cited conspiracy theories, like that the vaccine could affect their genetic structure (21 per cent), that COVID is a “hoax” and “not a killer” (nine per cent) and “a global conspiracy to control those who get it” (four per cent).

      https://nationalpost.com/news/canada/more-than-one-in-four-canadians-support-jail-time-for-unvaccinated-poll/

      • city news – Poll shows support for tough measures on the unvaccinated

        Put the unvaccinated behind bars? Nearly 30 per cent of Canadians think so.

    • bloomberg – WHO Urges Technology Vaccine Hubs to Produce More Doses

      . “We have a responsibility to come out of this pandemic with the skills and infrastructure to be ready for the next one.”

    • global news – Canadians’ support for lockdowns, government dips amid Omicron wave, poll suggests

      Ipsos polling conducted exclusively for Global News suggests Canadians are losing confidence in government leaders and their response to the Omicron variant-fuelled COVID-19 wave, with support for lockdowns dipping to their lowest point since the pandemic began.

      The poll found only 49 per cent of Canadians approve of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s response to the latest surge in cases and hospitalizations. Nationally, support for the country’s premiers has dipped five points since December, to 52 per cent.

      Meanwhile, Canadians’ tolerance for lockdowns has dropped even further, with just 52 per cent of those surveyed saying they support lockdowns for as long as it takes to get Omicron under control.

      + COMMENTS on the YT PAGE

    • CBC – Famed virologist Angela Rasmussen on Omicron’s origins, what’s next for the pandemic

      Famed virologist Angela Rasmussen talks to Adrienne Arsenault about the origins of Omicron, what’s next for the COVID-19 pandemic and the death threats she’s received since taking over a top lab in Saskatoon.

      —————————————————-
      Rasmussen is an advocate for women in science and has spoken out against a culture of sexual harassment in academia, citing her own personal experiences as a researcher—including working under Michael Katze, who was fired for sexual harassment in August 2017.

      She has served on a National Institutes of Health working group on “Changing the Culture to End Sexual Harassment” in biomedical research fields.

      She formerly served on the leadership of the organization MeTooSTEM, before stepping down in February 2020 due to concerns around the organization’s leadership and allegations of abuse
      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angela_Rasmussen

      ———————————————————–
      00:00 Online hate

      01:09 How should the government deal with omicron?

      02:10 What are the origins of Omicron?

      03:09 Future variants could come from animals

      04:09 How likely are future pandemics?

      06:04 Will the COVID-19 pandemic ever end?

    • ctv – Sask. virologist urges third vaccine dose to fight Omicron

      PRINCE ALBERT – Saskatchewan is on the “uphill slope” of another COVID-19 surge dominated by the Omicron variant, according to a virologist.

      VIDO-InterVac research scientist and virologist Angela Rasmussen says the third dose or booster shot will help lower severe illness and hospitalization.

      “People should go get them if they’re eligible because they really do make a big difference,” said Rasmussen.

      She says fully vaccinated people with two doses, as well as people who’ve recovered from infection with a prior variant, are susceptible to either breakthroughs or reinfections, respectively, with Omicron, and are much more likely to be re-infected or have a breakthrough compared to Delta.

      “When you add the third dose in a series, you actually can restore that to about 65 percent effectiveness against infection,” Rasmussen said.

      Provincial lab reports released Jan. 13 show 95 per cent of infections are from the Omicron variant.

      Rasmussen says one hypothesis is that the Omicron strain may have mutated in an animal species and then transferred back to humans.

      “The origins of Omicron are really mysterious compared to Alpha, Beta, Gamma and Delta,” said Rasmussen.

      “Omicron MAY have the ability to infect other animal species that the variants of concern might not have been able to.”

      The mutation of the virus in animals is one of her current research projects.

      https://saskatoon.ctvnews.ca/sask-virologist-urges-third-vaccine-dose-to-fight-omicron-1.5743846
      ========================================

      ‘There’s still a lot more that the government could be doing,’ virologist says

      .… N95 masks are a really good move …

    • UNITED NATIONS – Omicron Not a Mild Disease, Not the Time to Give Up

      While Omicron infections on average “may be less severe”, WHO chief Dr Tedros Ghebreyesus warned that the “the narrative that it is a mild disease is misleading, hurts the overall response, and costs more lives,” as the variant continues to “sweep the world.”

      Speaking to reporters in Geneva today (18 Jan), Dr Tedros said there were more than 18 million reported cases last week. He said the number of deaths remains stable for the moment, but expressed concern about “the impact Omicron is having on already exhausted health workers and overburdened health systems.”

      He said while cases seem to have peaked in some countries giving hope that the worst of this latest wave is done with, “no country is out of the woods yet.” The WHO chief said he remained particularly concerned about many countries “that have low vaccination rates, as people are many times more at risk of severe illness and death if they are unvaccinated.”

      Dr Tedros underscored that Omicron is indeed causing hospitalizations and deaths, adding that “even the less severe cases are inundating health facilities.” He said, “The virus is circulating far too intensely with many still vulnerable. For many countries, the next few weeks remain really critical for health workers and health systems.”

      The WHO Director-General urged everyone to do their best to reduce risk of infection to help take pressure off the system. He said, “Now is not the time to give up and wave the white flag. We can still significantly reduce the impact of the current wave by sharing and using health tools effectively and implementing public health and social measures that we know work.”

      WHO’s COVID-19 Technical lead, Dr Maria Van Kerkhove, stressed the need not to give up on the strategy in place to combat the pandemic. She said, “We’re hearing a lot of people suggest that Omicron is the last variant, that is that it’s over after this. And that is not the case, because this virus is circulating at a very intense level around the world. You will see in our weekly epidemiologic update that will be published in a few hours that there’s another 20 percent increase in cases in the last seven days, with almost 19 million cases that have been reported to us. And again, that’s a true underestimate of what is actually circulating around. And the deaths are holding steady around 45,000 deaths per week, and that shouldn’t be happening because we have tools at hand.”

      WHO’s Chief Scientist, Dr Soumya Swaminathan, said there was currently no evidence that healthy children or healthy adolescents need boosters. She said WHO’s technical expert body tasked with making policy recommendations, SAGE, has been and will continue to meeting to consider the specific question of how countries should “think about giving boosters to their populations with a view to protecting people, with a view to reducing deaths.”

      Asked about COVID-19 transmissions to animal, Dr Van Kerkhove said a number of species that can be infected with SARS-CoV-2, the virus which causes COVID-19. She said there was a POSSIBILITY for what is called a “reverse zoonosis”, in which the virus “goes from humans back to animals, and then it’s possible for the animals to reinfect humans.” However, Dr Van Kerkhove said the risk “remains low,” noting that it was still an issue WHO is constantly considering.

      She noted that as the virus continues to circulate, it has the opportunity to infect people as well as animals, and highlighted the importance of having “better surveillance” to know “not only which animals are susceptible, but to track this in animals over time.”

    • channel 4 – UK – 52,000 unvaccinated NHS staff in England at risk of losing jobs

      NHS England stands to lose tens of thousands of staff when the deadline for people to be fully vaccinated against Covid is up 1 April.

    • PBS – Can omicron cause severe disease in unvaccinated kids?

      As the omicron variant continues to spread, children under the age of five are still ineligible for vaccinations leaving many families in limbo and wondering how best to navigate everyday life.

      We hear from some parents across the country about how they are coping nearly two years into the pandemic, and Stephanie Sy tackles some of the burning questions surrounding the subject.

    • Unvaccinated Canadians may be prioritized for newly-approved COVID-19 treatment

      Could a new drug to treat COVID-19 be prioritized for those who are unvaccinated?

      The suggestion comes from Canada’s top doctor. Ashley Burr hears from B.C.’s Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry.

      + COMMENTS ON THE YT PAGE

    • Forbes – USA – ‘We Will Not Comply’: GOP Lawmakers Refuse Schiff Demand For COVID-19 Testing

    • bloomberg – Hong Kong to Cull Over 1,000 Hamsters After Delta Flare

      as health officials suspect imported hamsters may have spread coronavirus to humans.

    • Hong Kong continues to cull hamsters amid COVID-19 scare

      Hong Kong health workers went into pet shops to carry out a mass cull of hamsters over COVID-19 fears, after tracing a coronavirus outbreak to a worker in the Little Boss pet shop, where 11 hamsters subsequently tested positive.

    • MONTREAL GAZETTE – QUEBEC – UPAC cracking down on fake vaccine passports

      Working with the Quebec health department, different police departments, different agencies and the Quebec Crown prosecutor’s office.

      Quebec’s anti-corruption squad is cracking down on fake vaccine passports.

      The Unité permanente anticorruption (UPAC) announced on Wednesday that it’s working with the Quebec health department, different police departments, different agencies and the Quebec Crown prosecutor’s office to investigate and deal with “potential infractions of laws” involving fake vaccine passports.

      “UPAC investigators are investigating various fraudulent schemes that we want to keep confidential so as not to harm the collection of evidence and the reputation of people who may be involved,” the police force said in a statement.

      Anyone producing, trafficking or using fake vaccine passports could contravene several sections of the Criminal Code, including the production and use of false documents, breach of trust and corruption, and criminal offences under the Public Health Act, UPAC said.

      Anyone with information concerning the production or use of fake vaccine passports is asked to pass the information onto UPAC using an online form or by phoning the police force at 1-844-541-UPAC (8722).

      https://montrealgazette.com/news/quebec/upac-cracking-down-on-fake-vaccine-passports
      ======================================
      ctv news – Anti-corruption squad in Quebec investigating fake vaccine passport schemes

      Quebec’s anti-corruption squad says they are investigating “various fraudulent schemes” to make and distribute fake vaccine passports in the province and are warning the people involved could face serious criminal charges.

      The Unité permanente anticorruption (UPAC) announced its probe into the alleged fraud in a news release issued on Wednesday, saying it is working with the Ministry of Health and Social Services, municipal police forces, and the Quebec Crown prosecutor to identify potential violations of the law.

      The unit said it wanted to keep the alleged schemes confidential “so as not to prejudice the gathering of evidence and the reputation of those who may be involved.”

      “Individuals who would commit these actions could be in violation of several sections of the Criminal Code including production and use of false documents, breach of trust and corruption as well as criminal offences under the Public Health Act,” the news release stated.

      Anyone with information regarding the production or distribution of fake vaccine passports is asked to contact UPAC by calling 1-844-541-UPAC or by filling out the whistleblower form on its website.

      The warning from the anti-corruption body comes one day after Quebec made the vaccine passport mandatory to enter government-run liquor (SAQ) and cannabis (SQDC) stores — a measure Quebec’s health minister, Christian Dubé, has said COULD BE EXPANDED TO MORE PUBLIC SETTINGS in order to drive up vaccination rates amid the Omicron wave of the pandemic.

      The vaccine passport has already been applied to restaurants, bars, cinemas, places of worship, outdoor festivals, and several other locations.

      It’s not the first time authorities in Quebec have opened an investigation into alleged fraudulent vaccine passport schemes. CTV News reported in October that the health ministry had to make tweaks to its vaccine verification process after people were able to bypass the system using phoney immunization documents from Ontario.

      CTV was able to contact sellers involved in the operation that were offering fake vaccine passports for as much as $500.

      At the time, Montreal police said they were investigating at least 10 cases of fake documents related to the vaccine passport.

      https://montreal.ctvnews.ca/anti-corruption-squad-in-quebec-investigating-fake-vaccine-passport-schemes-1.5747038

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

      La Presse – Des milliers de passeports vaccinaux frauduleux identifiés

      Les autorités ont épinglé des employés du réseau de la santé d’un peu partout au Québec qui, contre de l’argent, ont participé à la fabrication de milliers de passeports vaccinaux frauduleux, a appris La Presse.

      […]

      https://www.lapresse.ca/covid-19/2022-01-19/des-milliers-de-passeports-vaccinaux-frauduleux-identifies.php

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

      rebel news – Kesté Pizzeria in Montreal won’t ask for vaccine passports

    • REBEL NEWS – Quebec freedom fighter still detained, back in court

      François Amalega is Quebec’s freedom fighter. He was charged for not wearing a mask during his trial.

      Today, the same story is likely to happen again, as he has been called to appear for two more fines.

    • AUSTRALIA – Hopes unvaccinated will get Novavax as new COVID-19 vaccine, drugs approved for use

      The nation’s medicines watchdog has given the green light for the Novavax COVID-19 vaccine to be used in Australia.

      Health Minister Greg Hunt confirmed the news from the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) on Thursday.

      Australia has ordered 51 million doses.

      “We know that some people have waited for this vaccine, and … hopefully this will encourage those people in the last five per cent to come forward,” Mr Hunt said.

      Mr Hunt said the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation would now review the decision and, subject to their approval, Novavax would be made available “over the coming weeks”.

  4. twitter @ezralevant

    Before Covid vaccines, had you ever heard of a six-year-old having a heart attack? This is from CNN Portugal:

    https://twitter.com/ezralevant/status/1483855857649606657

    CNN – Covid-19: menino de 6 anos com teste positivo morreu no domingo no Hospital Santa Maria

    A criança tinha a primeira dose da vacina contra a covid-19

    O centro hospitalar afirma em comunicado que a criança deu entrada no Hospital de Santa Maria no sábado com “um quadro de paragem cardiorrespiratória”.

    Segundo os dados da DGS, desde o inicio da pandemia morreram três crianças entre os 0 e os 9 anos.

    https://cnnportugal.iol.pt/saude/covid-19-menino-de-6-anos-com-teste-positivo-morreu-no-domingo-no-hospital-santa-maria/20220117/61e5a0260cf2cc58e7dda8c5

  5. twitter @disclosetv

    JUST IN – Germany: Berlin public prosecutor investigates Vice-Chancellor Habeck, Foreign Minister Baerbock, and all members of the Green Party’s federal executive committee on suspicion of embezzlement

    MORE – German Green Party officials are accused of embezzlement in connection with Corona bonus payments in 2020, Spiegel reports.

    https://twitter.com/disclosetv/status/1483848175630884869

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

    German Green Party Leaders Face Probe Over Bonus Payments

    Berlin prosecutors have opened an investigation into the leadership of Germany’s Green party, including the country’s new vice chancellor and foreign minister, over pandemic bonus payments last winter.

    BERLIN (AP) — Berlin prosecutors have opened an investigation into the leadership of Germany’s Green party, including the new vice chancellor and foreign minister, over pandemic bonus payments last winter.

    Prosecutors and the party on Wednesday confirmed the investigation into a preliminary suspicion of breach of trust following a report by the weekly Der Spiegel, the dpa news agency reported.

    At issue is the role of the party leadership in approving the “corona bonus” of 1,500 euros ($1,700) per person for employees of party headquarters and the leaders themselves. The bonus was meant to compensate for the inconvenience caused by working from home and by renovation works at the building.

    The six-member leadership board includes co-leaders Robert Habeck and Annalena Baerbock. Habeck became Germany’s vice chancellor and the minister for economy and climate when the Greens joined Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s new government last month. Baerbock became Germany’s foreign minister.

    Both are stepping down from the party leadership later this month, something that the Greens expect of government ministers.

    https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2022-01-19/german-green-party-leaders-face-probe-over-bonus-payments
    ===========================================
    German Green party leaders face probe over bonus payments

    By The Associated Press

    BERLIN (AP) — Berlin prosecutors have opened an investigation into the leadership of Germany’s Green party, including the new vice chancellor and foreign minister, over pandemic bonus payments last winter.

    Prosecutors and the party on Wednesday confirmed the investigation into a preliminary suspicion of breach of trust following a report by the weekly Der Spiegel, the dpa news agency reported.

    At issue is the role of the party leadership in approving the “corona bonus” of 1,500 euros ($1,700) per person for employees of party headquarters and the leaders themselves. The bonus was meant to compensate for the inconvenience caused by working from home and by renovation works at the building.

    The six-member leadership board includes co-leaders Robert Habeck and Annalena Baerbock. Habeck became Germany’s vice chancellor and the minister for economy and climate when the Greens joined Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s new government last month. Baerbock became Germany’s foreign minister.

    Both are stepping down from the party leadership later this month, something that the Greens expect of government ministers.

    Internal party auditors already have raised questions over the bonus payments to the leadership board, dpa reported.

    The Greens party said its leadership was entitled to make the decision, but has since paid the bonuses back. It said the leadership and party headquarters are cooperating with prosecutors to clear the matter up.

    Prosecutors said there had been several criminal complaints from private individuals, which they are obliged to look into. The investigation was opened on Jan. 6.

    https://toronto.citynews.ca/2022/01/19/german-green-party-leaders-face-probe-over-bonus-payments/

    ==================================
    ANFANGSVERDACHT DER UNTREUE: Staatsanwaltschaft ermittelt gegen Grünen-Vorstand

    Die Berliner Staatsanwaltschaft ermittelt wegen Anfangsverdachts der Untreue gegen den gesamten Bundesvorstand der Grünen. Das bestätigte ein Sprecher der Behörde am Mittwochabend, zuvor hatte der «Spiegel» berichtet. Ein Grünen-Sprecher bestätigte ebenfalls, dass es Ermittlungen gebe, und erklärte: «Es geht dabei um die Mitwirkung der Mitglieder des Bundesvorstandes an Beschlüssen zur Auszahlung von sogenannten «Corona-Boni», die – wie bereits bekannt – 2020 an alle Mitarbeiterinnen und Mitarbeiter der Bundesgeschäftsstelle und zugleich an den Bundesvorstand gezahlt worden waren.»

    Zum Grünen-Vorstand gehören neben den Parteichefs Annalena Baerbock und Robert Habeck auch Michael Kellner, Jamila Schaefer, Ricarda Lang und Marc Urbatsch. Beim Parteitag Ende kommender Woche wird ein neuer Bundesvorstand gewählt.

    Der Vorstand sei «aus Sicht aller Beteiligten» zu den entsprechenden Beschlüsse berechtigt gewesen, so der Grünen-Sprecher. Die Mitglieder hätten die Boni inzwischen zurückgezahlt. «Die betroffenen Vorstandsmitglieder und die Bundesgeschäftsstelle kooperieren vollumfänglich mit der Staatsanwaltschaft, um den Sachverhalt schnell und vollständig aufzuklären.»

    Den Corona-Bonus in Höhe von 1500 Euro pro Person bekamen alle Mitarbeiterinnen und Mitarbeiter der Grünen-Bundesgeschäftsstelle im vergangenen Winter. Er sollte die Belastungen ausgleichen, die durch die Arbeit im Homeoffice und den Umbau des Gebäudes entstanden sind.

    Der Sprecher der Staatsanwaltschaft sagte, es habe mehrere Strafanzeigen von privater Seite gegeben. Die Ermittlungen liefen seit dem 6. Januar.

    Bereits parteiinterne Rechnungsprüfer hatten die Zahlungen an den Vorstand beanstandet. Der Bericht liegt der Deutschen Presse-Agentur vor, die im Oktober darüber berichtete. Der Bonus wurde auch an die sechs Mitglieder des Bundesvorstands gezahlt, was laut den Rechnungsprüfern aber nicht durch die parteiinternen Regelungen gedeckt war. «Tatsächlich waren nur die tariflich festgelegten 300 Euro abgedeckt.» Diesen Schritt hätte besser der Bundesfinanzrat genehmigt, dem neben dem Bundesschatzmeister auch Delegierte der Landesverbände angehören, merkten die Prüfer an, «da eine finanzielle Regelung nicht allein von den begünstigten Personen getroffen werden sollte». Die Prüfer hatten damals im Falle des Vorstands neben dem Corona-Bonus auch Sonderzahlung im Jahr 2019, die unter anderem mit dem guten Wahlergebnis bei der Europawahl begründet wurde.

    Schatzmeister Marc Urbatsch, selbst Mitglied des Gremiums, hatte damals die Rückzahlung angekündigt und erklärt, die Sonderzahlungen für Vorstandsmitglieder sollten abgeschafft werden.

    Baerbock und Habeck treten nicht erneut als Bundesvorsitzende an, nachdem sie als Außenministerin und Wirtschaftsminister in die Bundesregierung gewechselt sind. Die bisherige stellvertretende Vorsitzende Lang und der Außenpolitiker Omid Nouripour bewerben sich um die Nachfolge.

  6. TASS – Russian delegation declares start of ‘countdown’ in wait for adoption of Russian proposals

    “There arrives a moment of truth when the West either accepts our proposals or other ways will be found to safeguard Russia’s security,” the head of the Russian delegation at the Vienna Negotiations on Military Security and Arms Control Konstantin Gavrilov said

    VIENNA, January 19. /TASS/. The West faces the moment of truth, which has started the countdown in wait for the adoption of Russian proposals on security guarantees addressed to the United States and NATO, Konstantin Gavrilov, the head of the Russian delegation at the Vienna Negotiations on Military Security and Arms Control, said on Wednesday.

    Gavrilov spoke at the meeting of the OSCE Forum for Security Cooperation, which is first in 2022.

    “There arrives a moment of truth when the West either accepts our proposals or other ways will be found to safeguard Russia’s security,” Gavrilov said. “I am convinced that with goodwill and a willingness to compromise in any situation, it is possible to find a way out to mutually acceptable solutions. We are running out of time. The countdown begins.”

    The Russian diplomat believes that what is at stake is to minimize military spending and to resolve the security issues, which are not pressing for Russia alone, but for all the nations in Eurasia and the Euro-Atlantic area as well.

    Gavrilov pointed out that the NATO actions had resulted in fragmentation of the pan-European space and inflicted huge damage to the authority of the OSCE, which has turned into a hostage of the narrow agenda of the “collective West.”

    In these circumstances, the Russian delegation will henceforth be coming up at the OSCE Forum for Security Cooperation with just the issues that meet its own national interests, the head of the Russian delegation stressed.

    On December 17, 2021, the Russian Foreign Ministry published a draft agreement with the United States on security guarantees and another one on measures ensuring the security of Russia and NATO member states. Russia-US consultations on these issues were held in Geneva on January 10. A Russia-NATO Council meeting was held in Brussels on January 12. On January 13, Russia’s Permanent Representative to the OSCE Alexander Lukashevich presented these proposals at a meeting of the OSCE Permanent Council in Vienna.

    https://tass.com/politics/1390505

  7. In the last 2 elections, the Liberals committed to supporting the media industry.
    2015 platform promised to reverse Stephen Harper’s cuts to CBC / Radio Canada.

    Once in power,!the Trudeau government renewed $150 million annual funding.

    2019 in lead up to election, the Liberals unveiled their $595 million bailouts

    2020 Emergency Relief Fund $60 million

    Recover Fund another $30 million.

    Some news organizations receiving funds in 2020 took as much a 75% wage subsidy for employees by claiming Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy (CEWS). Eligible employees were provided with a wage subsidy of 75% under CEWS, up to a maximum benefit of $874.00 per week. The CEWS registry discloses recipients but does not make public the total amount of money companies receive.

    Maclean’s received $313,000 from the “emergency” fund last year. Maclean’s claimed the CEWS and received it’s annual Canadian Periodical Fund (CPF) grant of about $1.3 million.

    Ming Po Newspaper had $928,510 distributed to 10 outlets and $111,010 to 6 outlets in the second phase.
    A report from the Centre for International Media Assistance in 2013 found Ming Po attempts to accommodate Chinese Communist Party sensibilities.

    Justine Trudeau recently stated some Canadians “extremists, who do not believe in science, who are misogynists, racist, too; it is a sect, a small group, but taking up space and here we have to make a choice, as a leader, as a country. do we tolerate these people?”

    Obviously, M-103, his hate motion slipped his mind.

    Then there was the Opinion piece in the Globe and Mail rag, by Gary Mason, “There is another new strain of disease emerging”, an irresponsible rant, about the unvaccinated and ending with “ My patience for vaccine holdouts reached an end a long time ago. now with our hospitals in crisis again, it’s time we got far tougher with these people”

    Then Heather Mallick, of the Toronto Star rag writes
    “The unvaccinated Cherish There Freedom to Harm Others. how Can We Ever Forgive Them? For having helped spread a disease that killed and disabled the economy, leaving many of us jobless and wretched.”

    Methinks she may have been wretched for a time. She neglected to mention the number of old people who were locked away and let die without proper treatment- Ivermectin, HCQ and many other common drugs that have been around for a long time and saved millions of lives. She did not mention the hundreds of thousands of vaccine injured or the number of deaths.

    The Toronto Star received $115,000 a week of Justine Trudeau’s bailout money in 2019, I can’t or maybe don’t want to imagine the amount they are receiving now.

    Not long ago the same rag printed on their front page, a hit piece about a healthcare worker commenting “ If an unvaccinated person catches it from someone who is vaccinated, boo hoo.
    I have no empathy left for the willfully unvaccinated. Let them die.”

    Canadian Journalism Historian, Marc Edge believes hundreds of millions of dollars in federal funding for Canadian journalism since 2019 compromises the 4 estate’s in dependence covering government.

    Cancel the rags, turn off CBC, CTV, Global and DEMAND the politicians vote to defund the collaborators now. They will all be charged with Crimes against humanity soon.

    Trust God not the government.