Reader’s Links for November 10th, 2022

Here is a link to the VladTepesBlog social media Mastodon Pod. Please feel free to check it out and sign up for an account if you are sufficiently annoyed with Twitter and Facebook to try something new.

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

53 Replies to “Reader’s Links for November 10th, 2022”

  1. “RIGGED ELECTION: Brazilian Congressman SOUNDS ALARM On Massive Protests After STOLEN ELECTION” Stew Peters Network – November 9, 2022
    https://rumble.com/v1t1g0u-rigged-election-brazilian-congressman-sounds-alarm-on-massive-protests-afte.html

    “Far Left Media and RINOs Are Joining Forces to Back Ron DeSantis in Effort to Dethrone President Trump” by Joe Hoft – November 9, 2022
    https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2022/11/going-far-left-rinos-joining-forces-back-ron-desantis-effort-dethrone-president-trump/

  2. In case this hasn’t been posted already, the video is from November 2, 2022.
    Preston Manning announces a citizens’ enquiry into the Canadian Covid 19 response:

  3. TIME – Universal Masking in School Works. New Data Shows How Well

    In many schools across the U.S.—consistent with trends across the country—the only masks that have been seen recently were those on Halloween costumes. Mask requirements generally went by the wayside in the spring of 2022, when the first Omicron wave subsided and the CDC modified its recommendations around masking, replacing universal masking with masking triggered by high case and hospitalization rates. Since that time, even when masking has been recommended by the CDC given a high Community Levels category, schools and other indoor facilities have rarely reinstated the requirement. Sustaining kids’ health and learning is foremost on parents’ and educators’ minds. But clearly a persistent central question has been the simple one: Do universal school masking requirements actually work?

    A new study in the New England Journal of Medicine sheds some light on this question. The authors examined COVID-19 case rates in districts in the Boston area after the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) lifted statewide school masking requirements in February 2022, in accordance with CDC guidance. What followed was a natural experiment in the impact of mask requirements, as school districts removed the requirement at different points in time or not at all. Two school districts (Boston and nearby Chelsea) retained the requirement throughout the study period.

    The authors found that COVID-19 rates were similar among districts before the mask requirement was rescinded, then diverged quickly, with higher case rates in districts immediately following the removal of the mask requirement. Approximately 12,000 cases, or 30% of all cases during the study period, were attributable to rescinding the mask requirement. The resulting illnesses led to substantial loss of in-person school days— an estimated minimum of 17,500 days of school absence in students and 6,500 days of staff absence—arguing for masks as a critical component of optimizing learning.

    An important insight from the study was that school districts that maintained required masking more often had school buildings in poor condition, crowded classrooms, and a higher proportion of individuals more vulnerable to harmful health outcomes, including those with disabilities, than the more affluent districts that lifted mask requirements. All else being equal, the risk of SARS-CoV-2 transmission is higher in buildings with inadequate ventilation and filtration and with more people in smaller spaces, so the need for protective measures such as masks is greater in lower-resourced schools. The importance of this protection was further heightened because other mitigation measures were also dropped at the same time, including contact tracing, physical distancing, COVID testing, and quarantining for close contacts.

    Wealthier communities may feel they can unmask more readily because of lower transmission risk and because of higher vaccination rates. The study suggests that this perception is incorrect, as cases increased substantially among schools that lifted mask requirements, despite the fact that many of these were better-resourced schools structurally more prepared to avoid and mitigate disease. While the study does not capture the broader contributions to community transmission, excess cases tend to place a disproportionate burden on the health and financial wellness of less affluent community members. Therefore, allowing wealthier communities to drive the decision making around mask requirements is not only a manifestation of inequity, but threatens to widen it.

    Remedying the injustice requires giving lower-resourced schools a central voice in policy decision making and making tangible and immediate investments in those schools to make them safer. Beyond investing in the schools themselves, which will have multiple benefits for learning and wellness beyond COVID-19, additional measures to protect students, staff, and their families include sick leave and other structural supports that help increase vaccination and booster rates and equitable access to health care.

    Broadly, there are some who will quickly dismiss the new study’s findings, arguing that masks don’t work to reduce SARS-CoV-2 transmission. The evidence is clear on this point. Masks can block and filter the aerosols that carry SARS-CoV-2, and better masks work better; this study supports previous evidence that mask policies in communities prevent transmission, providing data specifically on policies in the school setting.

    While there are challenges for schools, including mask compliance, the lack of N95s designed for young kids, and necessary mask removal at lunchtime, there are many high-quality masks (such as KF94 or KN95) that work well for kids and are EXTREMELY COMFORTABLE. The study by Cowger and colleagues does not have information on the types of masks worn across the Boston area, but multiple school districts communicated about the importance of higher-quality masks to combat more transmissible variants, and made these masks freely available to students.

    So, what should we do with the new information provided by this study? As a school nurse, an environmental health researcher, and an emergency medicine physician, we find this information compelling and important to act on. Right now, pediatric practices and hospitals are overrun with COVID-19, RSV, flu, and many other respiratory viruses, and the winter and holiday season (when things typically get much worse) is just around the corner. Student and staff absenteeism are on the rise early in this school year, the fourth academic year impacted by COVID, but the first one with no protective measures employed on a consistent basis. The off-ramps were clear once universal masking ended; it’s the on-ramps that are not accessible or equitable.

    Although “mild” disease has provided the rationale for low concern about COVID among children, sheer numbers in a winter surge will mean increased burden on the health care system and many more cases of serious sequelae, such as long COVID, among children. Now is the time for schools to develop specific plans for illness mitigation. Short-term mask requirements, based on clear metrics and targets, and with the provision of high-quality masks to families, can make a big difference. That will keep kids and staff in school and parents at work.

    Strategic use of masks should be referred to as a primary means of increasing learning—not the opposite— because kids cannot learn when they are at home sick, in the hospital, or when their instructors are out sick. Any strategy should also include appropriate accommodations, including routine masking regardless of CDC Community Level, for students at high risk for severe COVID-19 due to immunocompromising or other conditions. This approach can be used broadly by any organization that wishes to improve worker protection, play a role in limiting community transmission, and ensure that public spaces are accessible to all.

    The new study by Cowger and colleagues reinforces that we have the tools to protect both our students’ health and their learning. Now is the time to actually use them, but are the decision-makers in schools and in local, state, and federal government paying attention?

    https://time.com/6231516/universal-masking-in-school-works-new-data-shows-how-well/

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

    Analysis: is it time to bring back mask mandates?

    Pediatrician Dr. Dina Kulik discusses whether it is time to bring back masking requirements especially in schools amid surging respiratory viruses that are sending children to hospitals.

    • Is it time to consider reintroducing mask mandate?

      The president of the Ontario Medical Association says it is time to consider reintroducing a mask mandate.

      • It is time for the president of the Ontario Medical Association to go back to school – read up on the destruction masks cause.

    • city news – Calls grow to bring back mask mandates

      There is mounting pressure from the medical community to reinstate mask mandates in certain settings, as hospitals continuing dealing with a crushing surge of sick children.

    • CBC – Wear masks indoors, Ontario doctors urge ahead of ‘perfect storm’ for illnesses

      The Ontario Medical Association says the early arrival of the flu, a resurgence in respiratory syncytial virus and the continued spread of COVID-19 have made for a ‘triple threat’ season of respiratory illness.

    • CBC – Concerns grow over triple threat of surging respiratory illnesses

      The Ontario Medical Association is urging people to wear masks indoors and get their flu and COVID-19 shots as concern builds that a spike in flu cases could overwhelm a health-care system already seeing an influx of RSV and COVID patients.

    • ctv news Health-care crisis: RSV cases among children could force swamped hospitals to triage care

      An emergency room physician warning that the situation in Ontario’s health-care system is spiraling out of control and urging elected leaders to consider reintroducing mask mandates.

    • reuters -U.S. Supreme Court’s Sotomayor rejects challenge to N.Y. COVID vaccine mandate

      Nov 10 (Reuters) – U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor on Thursday rejected a bid to prevent New York City from enforcing its COVID-19 vaccine mandate for municipal workers against a group teachers, firefighters and others who challenged the policy.

      The justice denied an emergency request, received by the court on Nov. 4, to block the policy by individual municipal workers, as well as a group called New Yorkers For Religious Liberty, while their appeal of lower court decisions siding with the city proceeds.

      The plaintiffs – firefighters, building inspectors, police officers, emergency medical technicians, teachers, sanitation workers and others – are represented by the Alliance Defending Freedom conservative religious liberty group.

      The court as a whole in June refused to take up a religious challenge to New York state’s vaccine mandate for healthcare workers.

      New York City in August 2021 ordered employees in the largest U.S. public school system to be vaccinated against COVID-19. Two months later, the city ordered all municipal workers to get the vaccine.

      The COVID-19 vaccines authorized by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration have been strongly recommended by federal health officials and public health experts. But many Americans have refused to get vaccinated.

      The plaintiffs in the latest challenges also contend that forcing them to take the vaccine violates the U.S. Constitution’s First Amendment bar on religious discrimination.

      Among the plaintiffs’ claims is opposition to any COVID-19 vaccine whose testing or development relied on cell lines from aborted fetuses.

      The COVID-19 vaccines used in the United States do not contain aborted fetal cells. Laboratory-grown cells that descended from the cells of an aborted fetus obtained decades ago were used in the testing process. The Vatican issued guidance to Catholics in 2020 that it is morally acceptable to use COVID-19 vaccines.

      The plaintiffs challenged the city in three lawsuits, but federal judges ruled against them in August. The Manhattan-based 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in October denied an injunction pending appeal in the cases.

      https://www.reuters.com/legal/us-supreme-courts-sotomayor-rejects-challenge-ny-covid-vaccine-mandate-2022-11-10/

    • Tam warns of flu upswing, new COVID-19 variants as viral triple threat continues

      Although a recent surge of COVID-19 cases seem to have “plateaued,” Tam says emerging Omicron variants BQ.1.1 and BF.7 are on the rise.

      OTTAWA – Canada’s top doctor is warning of “increased growth” in new COVID-19 variants and an upswing in seasonal influenza cases, just as a surge of respiratory syncytial virus inundates hospitals.

      Chief public health officer Dr. Theresa Tam said Thursday in a virtual update that the triple threat of all three viruses is posing a challenge for the health system in several parts of the country and points to the need for “stepped up precautions.”

      “Although public health measures, including our individual prevention practices kept COVID-19 and seasonal respiratory viruses at bay for the past two-plus years, this third winter of COVID-19 comes with some cautions,” said Tam, stopping short of a call for mask mandates but recommended people wear them indoors.

      “I know we’re all tired and we know only too well the long list of good habits that can help keep us and others healthier.”

      Although a recent surge of COVID-19 cases seem to have “plateaued,” Tam says emerging Omicron variants BQ.1.1 and BF.7 are on the rise.

      Meanwhile, above-seasonal numbers of RSV cases are inundating hospitals with young patients sick with the common childhood illness.

      Tam also noted influenza cases have “increased steeply” and are accelerating, with more than half of detected cases involving children and teens.

      The most recent figures from public health show the flu positivity rate in mid-October was five per cent. Tam said that’s approaching the seasonal threshold for an influenza epidemic.

      Tam said the resumption of school, work and indoor gatherings has invited more viral circulation, and she stressed the importance of personal protective measures including an Omicron-targeting booster shot if it’s been six months since the last vaccine dose; getting a flu shot; and wearing good quality, well-fitted face masks when indoors.

      She refrained from recommending a return to indoor mask mandates or other restrictions, saying that decision remains with provincial authorities.

      Still, Tam acknowledged that a dismal rate of COVID-19 vaccine uptake among kids younger than age 5 “can certainly be improved.” The national rate of babies and young kids with at least one dose hovers at 6.5 per cent, while just one per cent have completed their primary two-dose series.

      It’s especially important for children with an underlying medical condition and the immunocompromised to get their shots, she said.

      Families with older children who are due for a COVID-19 shot can use the opportunity to get a simultaneous dose of the flu vaccine, she added.

      Deputy chief public health officer Howard Njoo acknowledged pandemic fatigue has likely set in among many Canadians, but said it was important for all to remain cautious.

      “Everyone’s fed up. It’s been two-and-a-half years. Everybody wants to resume social activities, travel, take vacations, go back to work in person and in school,” said Njoo.

      “It’s important for our society but I think we have to strike a balance here. We know what the good habits are.”

      This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 10, 2022.

      https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2022/11/10/tam-warns-of-flu-upswing-new-covid-19-variants-as-viral-triple-threat-continues.html

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

      CBC – Canada’s top doctor encourages wearing masks as hospitals struggle with virus surges

      Up to provincial authorities to decide about mask mandates, Tam says

      Canada’s top public health doctor says wearing masks in addition to other precautions could make it easier for hospitals to cope with a surge of respiratory viruses.

      Some doctors, scientists and hospital officials in Ontario and Manitoba have asked public health officials to bring back mask mandates as hospitals are overwhelmed by cases of flu, COVID-19 and respiratory syncytial virus or RSV.

      Dr. Theresa Tam, Canada’s chief public health officer, said using masks is a layer of protection against the spread of respiratory viruses.

      “If it’s added to the other layers of protection, including vaccination, then it might actually make a difference in terms of dampening the surge so that the hospitals can cope just a little bit better,” Tam said in a news conference Thursday.

      RSV, flu above seasonal levels

      Both RSV and influenza or flu have increased above seasonal levels, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada’s latest FluWatch report.

      Staffing shortages and other factors are also putting pressure on hospitals, doctors say. Some pediatric hospitals in particular are hard hit as demand exceeds supply for medications to relieve pain and fever in young children.

      It is up to provincial authorities to decide about mask mandates in their own context, Tam said. But she and her counterparts across the country recommend layering the protection of wearing a mask in crowded places, particularly if they are poorly ventilated.

      Other countries have previously encouraged mask wearing by providing them for free, just as some communities in Canada have done with COVID-19 rapid test kits.

      When asked if Canada would provide free masks, Tam said it’s an important consideration, but depends on the reasons people have for not wearing masks right now.

      “Some of it might be the fatigue factor,” she said. “But there may be differential access to masks and that could be something that could be examined and see if it would make any difference.”

      Tam noted she hasn’t heard of any supply issues with masks and respirators in Canada.

      Last month, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said her government would try to prohibit COVID-19 mask mandates in schools.

      Make masks readily available

      Dr. Isaac Bogoch, an infectious diseases physician at Toronto General Hospital, said masks are a helpful tool, and called on public health to do some “heavy lifting” to facilitate their use.

      “Strong, meaningful communication,” Bogoch said. “… Not just a press conference.”

      If masks were put in places like schools, the drive through, houses of worship and community centres — just as they are at entrances of hospitals — then people could make “smart decisions” when they enter indoor places, he said.

      “I think we can get a lot of people masking in the absence of mandates.”

      https://www.cbc.ca/news/health/masks-covid-flu-rsv-1.6647388
      ====================================

      • I think the two weeks to flatten the curve are long past. control, control, control. NO, NO, NO. get a life, get a life, get a life.

    • ctv news – Why you should wear a mask even if it’s not mandated

      Dr. Rose Zacharias explains why the public should consider wearing masks even if there’s no mandate.

  4. CBC – Canada supports climate compensation, says environment minister

    Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault joined Power & Politics to discuss the demands of climate compensation from the Global South at COP27 in Egypt.

    “We actually support it … we support having a real frank and honest conversation about this issue,” he said.

  5. MSNBC Host Floats John Fetterman as a Presidential Candidate –

    […] Katy Tur floated the viability of, “Fetterman, as a nominee at some point for president,” before later going on to say that his record for surpassing President Biden and former President Trump’s vote share in the state.

    MSNBC host Andrea Mitchell declared that she had extensive experience with Pennsylvania, and praised Fetterman for making so much progress with voters.

    https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2022/11/msnbc-host-floats-john-fetterman-presidential-candidate-yes-really/
    ===================================
    twitter @

    Deranged libs on MSNBC are already salivating over a Fetterman Presidential run:

    “It just makes you wonder”

    + 22 sec video

    https://twitter.com/bennyjohnson/status/1590517570095882240

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

  6. europravda – Brussels calls for faster military mobility and stronger cyber defence

    The proposals aim to ensure that the bloc’s transport infrastructure can be used by heavy military equipment.

  7. BREAKING: Ontario school board determines ‘busty’ biological male teacher ALLOWED to wear fetish props to school

    “It is important for employers to make allowances to ensure that these employees are able to express themselves in accordance with their lived gender.”

    After a biologically male shop teacher, identified as Kayla Lemieux, began teaching class while wearing a blonde wig, tight bicycle shorts, and most notably obscenely large prosthetic breasts with protruding nipples, the local school board decided that, despite backlash, this attire would be permitted.

    “It is important to recognize the impact that dress code policies can have on members of the transgender community,” said the report from the Halton District School Board (HDSB). “Most notably, it is important for employers to make allowances to ensure that these employees are able to express themselves in accordance with their lived gender.”

    HDSB’s review of its dress code further concluded that imposing rules to prevent a male teacher from wearing obscenely large prosthetic breasts with protruding nipples to work would result in “considerable liability.”

    Curtis Ennis, director of education at HDSB, had requested a report addressing various considerations of the board’s dress code in September, after the Oakville Trafalgar High School became the focus of international attention. Photographs and video circulated on social media of an obviously male teacher wearing a blonde wig and massive prosthetic breasts while teaching a shop class.

    At the time, the school and the board stood by the teacher’s right to dress in such an inappropriate way, ignoring the parents and students who protested outside the school demanding that the teacher be forced to leave the fetishwear at home.

    “If an employer’s dress code and grooming standards place more difficult requirements on female employees relative to those placed on male employees, or require female employees to dress in a manner with is more conventional, such standards could form the basis of a discrimination claim under the Code,” continues the report.

    Ironically, the Ontario Human Rights Code policy on sexualized and gender-specific dress codes was written to protect women from being forced to dress in a sexualized way by employers. According to the policy, forcing women to wear high heels, tight clothing or low-cut tops reinforces “stereotypical and sexist notions about how women should look and may violate Ontario’s Human Rights Code.” Now that same policy is being used to protect a male’s right to identify as female and dress as a sexist caricature of woman while teaching children.

    “It is clear from the above analysis that the implementation of a formal staff dress code or grooming standards would likely expose the Board to considerable liability,” said the report in conclusion. “Even if a dress code is implemented for non-discriminatory reasons, it would likely be found to be discriminatory where it adversely affects an employee or group of employers on the basis of their Code-protected rights.”

    In other words, if a male’s gender identity is female and the expression of that gender identity involves wearing pornographic fetish gear in a classroom full of children, the Ontario Human Rights Code protects that individual’s right to do so and the school is powerless to protect the children in their care from such inappropriate behavior.

    Back in September, Ontario Education Minister Stephen Lecce requested that the Ontario College of Teachers review and “consider strengthening” provisions regarding professional conduct “in the interest of all kids in Ontario.” The results of this review are still pending.

    https://thepostmillennial.com/breaking-ontario-school-board-determines-busty-biological-male-teacher-allowed-to-wear-fetish-props-to-school

    REBEL NEWS – HDSB wants massive fee for documents relating to controversial teacher Kayla Lemieux

  8. GBN – Transgender model wins Miss America pageant | Bev Turner and her panel discuss

    -----------------------------------------------------
    papersplease 4 hours ago

    You can almost feel everyone looking around nervously while smiling and clapping. North Korea level social conformity.

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

  9. Another knife attack of peace in Belgium:

    November 10, 2022 Police officer killed in suspected Brussels terror attack
    One police officer is dead and another injured in a stabbing attack in Brussels, which a Belgian judicial official says is suspected to be terrorism-linked
    https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/police-officer-stabbed-suspected-brussels-terror-attack-93068750
    One police officer died and another was injured following a stabbing attack in Brussels Thursday, which a Belgian judicial official said was suspected to be terrorism-linked.
    The suspected attacker was shot and “neutralized” after the stabbing and taken to hospital, Belgian police said.
    “One of our patrols was attacked by a man armed with a knife,” police said. “The two police officers then called for reinforcements. An officer from another patrol used his firearm to neutralize the attacker.”
    “The two injured detectives and the assailant were taken to hospital,” police added.
    A judicial official who could not be quoted by name because the investigation is ongoing told The Associated Press there is “a suspicion of a terror attack.” The official did not elaborate.
    According to Belgian media, the attacker shouted “Allahu akbar,” the Arabic phrase for “God is great.” Le Soir newspaper said the dead police officer was stabbed in the neck and died in hospital.
    Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo posted a message of condolences to the family and friends of the dead officer.
    “Our police officers risk their lives every day to ensure the safety of our citizens,” he said. “Today’s tragedy demonstrates this once again.”
    The attack took place around 7:15p.m. local time.

    • Oh boy that does not sound like any fun at all!

      Very glad to see you back. Do you have an address yet that can be mailed to?

      • Don’t have money enough for foreign call, will do it this way.

        Room 129
        Welcome Inn
        Columbia, MO 65202

        Have it delivered to the front desk. Send me a txt on delivery date

    • Painful ! Did they cut the miserable thing out of you?

      I missed you. Relieved you’re back.
      I tried not to freak – as I did when you disappeared for months.

      • They are waiting for a while, my COPD makes me a poor risk for a general anesthetic. They are giving me ERTAPENEM SODIUM. When I am finished with it more tests to see if the risk of the operation is justified.

        I didn’t have any bad effects from the general for the postrate op so I should be of for this one if necessary.

        • You have one of the highest rated vet hospitals, a good thing. As long as your anesthesiologist and surgeon are not affirmative action beneficiaries…

          • I meet people from every state that are shipped here. One reason is the University of Missouri Hospital is literally across the street with a tunnel connecting them. When the VA Doctors can’t handle the problem the big guns are brought in.

            They are almost finished with a housing unit for the families of the out state patients.

  10. Unpacked: Operation Opera: How Israel Destroyed Iraq’s Nuclear Power

    On the night before the holiday of Shavuot 1981, Prime Minister Menachem Begin shocked his cabinet by announcing they would be launching a surprise attack called “Operation Opera” on a nuclear reactor in Iraq, known as Osirak.

    Should the operation fail, the lives of four million Israelis would be at risk, however Begin chose to go ahead with the plan. Despite the large criticism Israel faced in the aftermath, Operation Opera was successful in protecting Israel and preventing Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein from building nuclear weapons.