The World Health Organization has warned Europeans that they should wear masks this Christmas at family get-togethers. Meanwhile, a nurse in Tennessee fainted on live TV a few minutes after she received the COVID-19 vaccine.
In other news, British police asked citizens to report their friends and family members if they exhibit extremist tendencies.
To see the headlines and the articles, click “Continue reading” below.
Thanks to AA, Insubria, JD, Reader from Chicago, and all the other tipsters who sent these in.
Notice to tipsters: Please don’t submit extensive excerpts from articles that have been posted behind a subscription firewall, or are otherwise under copyright protection.
Caveat: Articles in the news feed are posted “as is”. Gates of Vienna cannot vouch for the authenticity or accuracy of the contents of any individual item posted here. I check each entry to make sure it is relatively interesting, not patently offensive, and at least superficially plausible. The link to the original is included with each item’s title. Further research and verification are left to the reader.
Movie Theaters Are on the Brink of a Complete and Total Collapse
The hits just keep on coming for movie theaters. With their businesses already thrashed by Covid, theaters are now having to deal with the threat of movies going “straight to streaming” and bypassing the box office altogether.
Disney, for example, said that its Disney+ service would have 100 new titles per year and that 80% of these would bypass the box office.
Which means that theaters like AMC are going to be in a precarious position heading into 2021 regardless of what happens with the pandemic. There’s currently 40,449 movie screens in the U.S., according to a new Bloomberg op-ed — a massive supply that will likely have to narrow in size even as people eventually start to trickle back to theaters.
Even prior to the pandemic, box offices were struggling mightily. Box office sales adjusted for inflation have plunged over the last several years.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
40 Sex Trafficking Victims Sue PornHub for Profiting From Their Exploitation
Pornographic site PornHub has been sued by 40 women claiming the site profited from their exploitation as sex trafficking victims.
The victims were associated with the entity Girls Do Porn, which has been charged by U.S. officials with sex crimes.
In the lawsuit, the women — referring to themselves only as “Jane Doe” — are seeking $1 million each in restitution, claiming PornHub and its parent company MindGeek knew about the allegations of trafficking associated with Girls Do Porn and yet continued to partner with them anyway.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Actor Kirk Cameron Protests California Lockdown With Christmas Caroling Events
Christian actor Kirk Cameron has held two Christmas caroling events to protest the latest round of California lockdowns and said he plans to host more.
Cameron’s second protest — held in Thousand Oaks, California, on December 13 — drew about 500 people in participation with anti-lockdown group Sing It Louder USA.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Andrew Yang Calls for Bar Codes to Identify People Who Have Been Vaccinated
Former presidential candidate Andrew Yang has called for people to be required to prove they’ve been vaccinated before entering venues by showing a bar code on their phones.
“Is there a way for someone to easily show that they have been vaccinated — like a bar code they can download to their phone? There ought to be,” tweeted Yang.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Antifa Erects “Big, Beautiful Border Wall” Around Latest Seattle ‘Autonomous Zone’
Seattle’s “Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone” is back, apparently, after what was previously referred to as CHOP drove headlines this summer after police belatedly moved to dismantle large portions of it. It has managed to survive, in it’s current form emerging recently at Cal Anderson Park as more of a homeless shelter occupying a public park.
But the central irony no doubt missed by those advocating it as some kind of model far-Left utopia is that this week the encampment has erected a large “border wall” after the city announced authorities plan on clearing the area.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Sidney Powell’s “Kraken” has finally made it to the docket of the Supreme Court. The suit is perhaps the strongest collective argument yet against voter fraud.
It contains the forensic audit done in Michigan that proves systemic voter fraud occurred through the Dominion Voting System tabulation. It also has proof of at least 200,000 FRAUDULANT VOTES casted in the election.
Further, it contains official Georgia elections records that prove the Dominion Voting Systems program’s “inability to repeatably duplicate creditable election results.” In other words, official Georgia election canvassers could not rely on Dominion Voting Systems’ software to count the vote because it didn’t repeat the same vote totals twice.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Collectible Weapons: How to Protect Your Wealth — and Your Family — With Valuable Guns
It’s an unusual means of investment, but one that we think will appeal to our readers on a deep level: collectible weapons. There are a number of advantages to investing in collectible weapons that will appeal both to those who love weapons and those who keep an eye on their money. Indeed, this is a popular investment category for people who like something a little more durable than stocks, bonds and cryptocurrency. They can also provide protection during uncertain times. Antique weapons in particular can be an attractive means of investing — after all, like land, they’re not making any more. Like any antique investment, it helps to have an eye for the material at hand. You’ll have to be able to appraise both the current condition of the weapon and have some idea of how its value might appreciate in the future.
| — Hat tip: AA | [Return to headlines] |
COVID-19 Testing Scandal Deepens
Story at-a-glance:
Experts are now coming forward in growing numbers denouncing mass PCR testing as foolhardy and nonsensical if not outright criminal
PCR tests cannot distinguish between “live” viruses and inactive (noninfectious) viral particles and therefore cannot be used as a diagnostic tool. They also cannot confirm that 2019-nCoV is the causative agent for clinical symptoms as the test cannot rule out diseases caused by other bacterial or viral pathogens
The tests have exceptionally high false result rates. The higher the cycle threshold (CT) — i.e., the number of amplification cycles used to detect RNA particles — the greater the chance of a false positive. Beyond 34 cycles, your chance of a positive PCR test being a true positive shrinks to zero
Florida recently became the first state to require all labs in the state to report the CT used for their PCR tests
The SARS-CoV-2 PCR test was developed based on a genetic sequence published by Chinese scientists, not the viral isolate. Missing genetic code was simply made up
[…]
An April 2020 study6 in the European Journal of Clinical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases showed that to get 100% confirmed real positives, the PCR test must be run at 17 cycles. Above 17 cycles, accuracy drops dramatically.
By the time you get to 33 cycles, the accuracy rate is a mere 20%, meaning 80% are false positives. Beyond 34 cycles, your chance of a positive PCR test being a true positive shrinks to zero, as illustrated in the following graph from that study.
By running PCR tests at 40 to 45 amplification cycles, you end up with the false appearance of an outbreak, and this grossly flawed testing scheme is what government leaders are basing their mask mandates and lockdown orders on.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Democrats Write Letter to Facebook, Demanding the Platform Remove All “Anti-Muslim” Speech
Politicians know that the First Amendment of the United States prevents them from making laws that forces people and companies to censor speech — but it doesn’t stop them from sending begging letters to Big Tech giants.
Facebook’s newest task, presented to the social network in a letter signed by a group of 30 US House of Representative Democrats, is to remove all speech that is deemed to be “anti-Muslim.”
But those who are critical of the move think that if Facebook were to comply and delete “100 percent” of content that’s seen as anti-Muslim, the effect would be the silencing any criticism of Islam.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Dr. Francis Boyle DARPA’s Biowarfare Weapon Vaccine Will Kill People
Bioweapons policy expert Dr. Francis Boyle joins The Alex Jones Show to break down the past experience with similar bioweapon vaccines that killed recipients, and how they are repeating the same mistake with the Covid vaccine.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Florida Man Friday: Give Your Christmas Spirit an Everglade-Sized Kickstart
Florida Man Friday: The Final 2020 Edition.
With just the slightest bit of luck, on Christmas day I’ll be too filled with Christmas spirit and/or Bloody Marys to put together a Christmas Day Edition of Florida Man Friday.
That’s the bad news.
The good news is that since the Neverending Gobstopped Pandemic Crisis has forced my wife and me to cancel our big New Year’s bash, I might just be able to ring in New Year’s Day with you, me, and Florida Man.
But for 2020… this is it. The last crazy column in our craziest of years.
So join me now on an end-of-the-year spectacular blowout edition of…
Florida Man Friday!
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Georgia Poll Workers Who Raised Election Concerns Terminated
Authored by Zachary Stieber via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours)
Poll workers in Georgia who raised concerns about election irregularities were informed this week that their contracts are not being renewed, according to letters obtained by Epoch Media Group.
Bridget Thorne and Susan Voyles say they witnessed abnormal actions taken during the election in Fulton County. They’ve spoken to news outlets and state legislators about what they saw.
In the new letters, Dwight Brower, elections consultant for the Fulton County Department of Registration and Elections, informs the women that Georgia law enables officials to appoint poll managers, and managers must be reappointed for each election event.
“There are many factors (management skills, performance, actions, behavior, etc.) considered prior to making reappointments for each primary or election. Unfortunately, a decision has been made to not reappoint you in a poll management or other poll positions in Fulton County,” Brower wrote.
“I see it as a direct consequence of my being honest,” Voyles told NTD, which is part of Epoch Media Group.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
IBM and Fujifilm’s New Magnetic Tape Can Store 580tb of Data on a Single Cartridge
A new world record for one of the oldest types of storage media
Why it matters: Magnetic tapes continue to be a formidable storage solution for data archival and backup, enabling organizations and large-scale businesses to hold onto vast amounts of data for decades. It’s why this antiquated technology is still of interest to companies like IBM and Fujifilm, who’ve jointly developed a new type of magnetic tape that allows for an areal density of 317 gigabits per square inch. The result is a single cartridge that can hold 580TB of data on 1,255 meters of tape.
Combine the importance of preserving huge amounts of critical data with an exponential growth rate, and it becomes understandable why a storage technology as old as the magnetic tape is still seeing advancements today. The medium’s latest breakthrough comes from a partnership between IBM and Fujifilm for work on a Strontium Ferrite (SrFe) prototype tape that’s said to deliver a ~27x increase in areal density and ~50x increase in capacity over existing LTO-8 tapes.
Alongside the new high-density material developed by Fujifilm, the tape also uses IBM’s servo and signal processing technology and uses a low-friction head that can read/write on a much narrower track (56.2nm wide compared to 103nm in a demo three years ago) with a record-setting accuracy of 3.2 nanometers.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Joe Biden Claims Accusations Against Hunter Are “Foul Play”
Authored by Zachary Stieber via The Epoch Times
Joe Biden on Wednesday claimed accusations against his son, who is under investigation by federal authorities, are “foul play.”
“Look, I have, we have great confidence in our son. I am not concerned about any accusations that have been made against him. It’s used to get to me,” Biden told late-night host Stephen Colbert, referring to his son, Hunter Biden.
“I think it’s kind of foul play, but look, it is what it is. He’s a grown man. He’s the smartest man I know, in terms of pure intellectual capacity. As long as he’s good, we’re good,” Biden added.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Major Cyberattack Breached U.S. Energy Department and National Nuclear Security Administration
Following a massive hacking operation aimed at U.S. government agencies, officials at the Department of Energy (DOE) and National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) have indicated the hackers accessed their networks.
The months-long hacking operation was discovered last week, with the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) issuing an emergency directive on Sunday. The U.S. Treasury and Commerce departments were two other agencies affected by the hack, which has been connected to the Russian-backed group called “APT29.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Human rights activist Jennifer Zeng’s Medium account has been suspended after she published an article looking at alleged links between the parent company of electronic voting hardware and software company Dominion Voting and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
The article looked at a Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filing showing that Dominion Voting Systems’ parent company, Staple Street Capital, had received a $400 million investment from UBS Securities LLC., a Swiss Investment bank’s New York subsidiary.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Michael Flynn Says Trump Could Declare Martial Law, “Rerun” Swing State Elections
The former national security adviser to President Trump, retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, said Thursday during an interview that Trump has the ability to use the power of the U.S. military to impose martial law and “rerun” the presidential election in key swing states.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Michigan Bowling Alley Owner Overwhelmed by Outpouring of Support for Shuttered Business
A Michigan bowling alley owner said he was shocked by the outpouring of support he’s received after his social media post pleading for his business went viral.
Steven Klein — who has owned Vision Lanes in Westland, Michigan for 17 years — said his business was “dying slowly” due to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s lockdown mandates.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Moderna Becomes Second COVID Vaccine to Receive US Approval
Exactly one week after the FDA granted an Emergency Use Authorization for the Pfizer/BioNTech covid vaccine, late on Friday there were now two, after Moderna’s Covid-19 vaccine was also officially cleared by the FDA, which issued an emergency use authorization for the Moderna vaccine to be distributed across the U.S.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
PERF Analysis Reveals a Spike in Some Violent Crimes This Year
During 2020, police agencies have confronted several simultaneous challenges: the COVID-19 pandemic, the resulting economic fallout, and widespread and sometimes violent protests over the death of George Floyd and calls for police reform.
Now, data compiled by PERF (with support from the Major Cities Chiefs Association) confirm another major issue confronting the police: a sharp spike in some violent crimes.
Preliminary data from 223 police agencies across the United States reveal steep increases this year in homicides and aggravated assaults in many jurisdictions. But at the same time, there was a positive development, as reported rapes and robberies declined in most areas.
The rise in homicides and aggravated assaults was not restricted to big cities. PERF also found increases in some medium-sized jurisdictions.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Plandemic, A Film About the Global Plan to Take Control of Our Lives, Liberty, Health & Freedom
Dr Judy Mitkovits PhD warns about vaccine.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
San Diego County Restaurants Now Open for on-Site Dining After California Judge’s Ruling
All San Diego County restaurants can now reopen for on-site dining after a California judge’s ruling. The decision goes along with an earlier ruling that let strip clubs stay open despite Gov. Gavin Newsom’s COVID-19 health order calling for such establishments to close.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Senator-Elect Tommy Tuberville Indicates He Will Challenge Electoral College Result
Alabama’s incoming Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R) signaled this week that he is seriously considering challenging the Electoral College votes that show Joe Biden the winner of the 2020 presidential election. Earlier this week, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell told Republicans they should not raise objection to the tally.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Supreme Court Responds to Claims That Roberts Screamed at Other Justices Over Texas Election Lawsuit
Authored by Jack Phillips via The Epoch Times
A spokesperson for the U.S. Supreme Court disputed a report that claimed Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts shouted at the eight other justices in a room in the high court, urging them not to the Texas election lawsuit against four other key states.
As guidance, the court “has been conducting its conferences remotely by phone since March when the building closed due to the pandemic,” a Supreme Court spokesperson told The Epoch Times via email on Friday in response to a question about the claim.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Tennessee Nurse Passes Out on Camera Minutes After Taking COVID-19 Vaccine
A Tennessee nurse passed out on camera ten minutes after taking the COVID-19 vaccine.
Critical care nurse Tiffany Dover at CHI Memorial Hospital in Chattanooga was having a lucid discussion with WRCBtv following her vaccination, when she became visibly impaired — holding her hand to her head and swaying. She then apologized to the news crew, turned away from the camera, and fainted.
“Ten minutes after the shot, Dover became light-headed and passed out while speaking with us,” the outlet reported.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Top Catholic Cardinal Warns COVID-19 Being Used to Usher in “Evil” Great Reset
A top ranking Catholic Cardinal has warned that the COVID-19 pandemic is being exploited by proponents of “The Great Reset” to “advance their evil agenda.”
Cardinal Raymond Burke, one of the most powerful Catholics in the United States, gave a homily in which he savaged “secular forces” who want to “make us slaves to their godless and murderous agenda.”
“Then there is the mysterious Wuhan virus about whose nature and prevention the mass media daily give us conflicting information,” said Burke. “What is clear, however, is that it has been used by certain forces, inimical to families and to the freedom of nations, to advance their evil agenda. These forces tell us that we are now the subjects of the so-called ‘Great Reset,’ the ‘new normal,’ which is dictated to us by their manipulation of citizens and nations through ignorance and fear.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Video: Tucker Warns Against ‘Slick’, ‘Social Control’ Vaccine Rollout
Tucker Carlson warned that the COVID vaccine rush out has come with an overarching message not to dare question its effectiveness or safety, and that those who do so risk punishment in the form of social ostracisation.
Carlson was reacting in part to the announcement by Twitter that the social media platform will remove any posts that suggest there can be “adverse impacts or effects of receiving vaccinations,” despite reports already emerging of health workers getting sick from taking Pfizer’s coronavirus shot.
Tucker covered the development, and noted how creepy it is that the ‘authorities’ did not release the names of the people who experienced severe side effects after taking the shot, nor any real details of the cases.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Video: Nurse Passes Out After Taking the COVID 19 Vaccine.
A nurse at a Tennessee hospital collapsed soon after taking a dose of Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Watch: Tucker Carlson Makes Appeal to Trump for Assange Pardon
During a show this week Fox News’ Tucker Carlson urged President Trump to pardon Julian Assange, saying that while the president “probably does want to pardon” the WikiLeaks founder who remains in detention awaiting an extradition trial in London, there are also “sinister people” who want him to stay confined for life.
Tucker interviewed Assange’s fiancée Stella Moris who directly appealed for President Trump to “show mercy” and drop the pending extradition case against Assange before he leaves office in January.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
The US government has granted Pfizer and Moderna immunity from liability in case people develop severe side effects from their COVID-19 vaccines.
The Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness (PREP) Act allows the Department of Health and Human Services to provide liability immunity for “certain medical countermeasures,” such as vaccines, except in cases of “willful misconduct.”
According to CNBC, someone who develops severe side effects from a COVID-19 vaccine can neither sue the FDA for authorizing the vaccine, nor one’s employer for mandating it.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Adviser to Scottish Government Says People Should Wear Masks at Christmas Dinner
An adviser to the Scottish government on COVID-19 has told people that they should wear masks at Christmas dinner during indoor gatherings.
During a press conference, Professor Jason Leitch, Scotland’s Senior Clinical Advisor, said he agreed with World Health Organization guidance that people should wear face coverings inside their own homes during the festive season.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Czech Senate Supports Ban on Paramilitary Organizations
The Czech Senate approved the proposal banning the establishment and organization of paramilitary groups that could serve political or ideological goals.
The parliamentary proposal also introduces voluntary gun training courses.
Participants would then become part of the military reserve, ensuring the security and defense of the state.
Senators welcomed the idea of gun owners being trained under the supervision of the state and that they could help the country’s professional army in the case of a threat to national security.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Czech Government Discussed Details of Upcoming EU Presidency
The Presidency of the European Union is considered a crucial opportunity for member states to influence the shape of the Union’s agenda. The Czech Republic will take over this role in the second half of 2022, and preparations for its presidency are in full swing. As the Aktualne.cz daily found out, at its Monday meeting, the government of Andrej Babis discussed the planned security measures.
The document primarily addresses the expected risks, such as the threat of a terrorist attack or disinformation campaigns, as well as the cybersecurity of the state bodies involved in the EU agenda.
The government is also prepared to restrict travel to the Czech Republic, if necessary.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Italy: Ex-Milan Player Robinho Gets 9 Yrs for Gang Rape on Appeal
For attack on drunken Albanian woman in Milan disco in Jan 2013
(ANSA) — MILAN, DEC 10 — A Milan appeals court on Thursday confirmed a sentence against former AC Milan and Brazil forward Robinho aka Robson de Souza Santos of nine years in jail for gang raping a 22-year-old Albanian woman in a Milan disco on January 22 2013.
Robinho was again found guilty of committing the rape with five other people.
The court also sentenced one of Roubinho’s friends, Ricardo Falco, another Brazilian, to nine years as the first-instance court did.
For the other four, accused of gang rape while taking advantage of the woman who was drunk, the trial had been suspended.
Robinho and Ricardo were ordered to pay the woman damages of 60,000 euros.
Prosecutors had requested jail terms of 10 years.
Robinho, 36, who played for Milan between 2010 and 2014 scoring 25 goals in 108 appearances, denied the charges.
He has 100 Brazil caps and 28 goals for his country.
Robinho joined Atletico Mineiro from Guangzhou Evergrande in 2016, and ended his career there last year.
He had formerly played for Real Madrid, Manchester City, and Santos.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Poland: “Rules Must be Clear, “ PM Morawieczki Says in Interview
One of the most important elements of the agreement reached between Poland and Hungary on one side and the rest of the EU member states on the other is that clear rules have been laid down, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawieczki told Hungarian news and opinion portal Mandiner in an interview.
“We assured each other that we would not make any arbitrary, politically motivated decisions. The rules must be clear,” Morawieczki said. “In addition, it is a significant achievement that the position of Poland and Hungary has received strong support in the EU. We have proven to be important partners who cannot be ignored.”
He said that separating financial issues from the politicized rule of law of debate is the crucial element of the agreement.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Third Lockdown Looms as Two-Thirds of England Moves Into Top Restrictions Tier
Downing Street is reportedly considering a third lockdown in England after Christmas, after more regions were added into Tier 3, putting two-thirds of the country under the harshest of coronavirus restrictions.
Wales has announced a third lockdown, while Northern Ireland goes into shutdown the day after Christmas, Boxing Day.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
UK Judge Rules Social Media Users Have the Right to Offend
Britain’s of late complicated relationship with drawing clear boundaries between criminal behavior and legal, however unsavory, free speech, recently gained some clarity when a court acquitted a woman previously accused and convicted of insulting a trans woman online.
The decision was announced last week, and shared by the defendant, Kate Scottow, on Twitter, where her later criminalized exchanges with Stephanie Hayden originally took place. And now, the judges’ reasoning behind the decision to clear her of any legally punishable wrongdoing has also been made public, revealing that freedom of speech in the UK still means that a person does in fact have the right to verbally offend another.)
“Freedom only to speak inoffensively is not worth having,” justices Bean and Warby, who presided over the appeals case, said in their ruling, that was welcomed by Scottow as sorely needed to confirm that freedom of speech as a fundamental right in a democracy is protected.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
UK Police Tell People to Report “Extremist” Friends and Relatives
The UK police have launched a program that some are deeming Orwellian in nature, as it encourages its citizens to report concerns when they suspect that their loved ones are developing “extremist views” or are being “filled with hate” but doesn’t make any specific definitions.
“It can be hard to know what to do if you’re worried with someone close is expressing extreme views or hatred, which could lead to them harming themselves or others. Working with other organisations, the police protect vulnerable people from being exploited by extremists through a Home Office programme called Prevent,” read the program’s website.
The program also asks people to “act early” and express “concerns in confidence.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
UK: Brexit: Abandon Fishing Demands or No Deal, Boris Tells the EU
Prime Minister Boris Johnson has told European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to abandon demands for continued control over Britain’s lucrative fishing waters, or he will walk away from the Brexit negotiations without a deal.
Prime Minister Johnson confirmed in a statement on Thursday following a call with the head of the EU’s executive arm that negotiations were “now in a serious situation”. He said that it was “very likely” that the United Kingdom would leave the bloc’s institutions on New Year’s Eve without a deal, moving on to a World Trade Organization (WTO) relationship, or what Mr Johnson calls, “Australia-style terms”.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
UK: Cancel Culture is Extremely Damaging to Free Speech in Universities, Study Finds
Cancel culture is a threat to freedom of expression in universities, according to research by Civitas, a British think tank that focuses on issues of social policy and democracy. Like in the US, there has been a rise in cases of students and faculty members getting canceled for expressing unpopular opinions in universities.
According to the researchers, more than 68% of universities in the UK have had cases of severe restrictions of free speech over the last three years. This rise in cancel culture is becoming a barrier to discussing issues such as gender and race.
“Our findings suggest that 86 percent of universities faced either severe or moderate free speech restrictions which need to be addressed,” said Civitas’ lead researcher Jim McConalogue.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
UK: Millions of Life-Saving Scans Missed as NHS Ground to Halt Over Coronavirus: Report
There were at least 4.4 million fewer scans between April and September, many of which could have been life-saving, after the National Health Service (NHS) was told in March to cancel all non-essential appointments because of the Chinese coronavirus.
Analysis conducted by the BBC found that ultrasounds and CT and MRI scans fell by one-third during that period.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Woke Art Centre Celebrates Beethoven Birthday With Portrait of Composer as a Black Man
The Centre of Fine Arts in Brussels announced the celebration of the 250th birthday of German composer Ludwig van Beethoven by posting a portrait of the composer as a black African man.
The centre, also known as BOZAR, published a post on Wednesday of a still from a video entitled “Black Beethoven” by American artist Terry Adkins, which features a portrait of the late 18th and early 19th-century composer depicted a young black man with dreadlocks.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
YouTube has deleted another video featuring an interview with a noted medical professional whose views don’t match the official Covid narrative pushed by Google’s giant platform.
The interview with Dr. Sucharit Bhakdi was uploaded on the TRIGGERnometry YouTube channel, run by UK-based podcasters and comedians Konstantin Kisin and Francis Foster who swear by free speech and fact-based discussion around issues, no matter how controversial.
Unfortunately for them and their audience, that is not the kind of content YouTube favors these days, even as it insists that it allows only scientifically valid information concerning coronavirus to remain on the platform. But, at the same time censoring non-conforming scientific arguments makes YouTube’s policy quintessentially anti-science, because it doesn’t allow skepticism and debate.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
A Chinese sociologist recently delivered marks at a forum reportedly in Shenzhen where he declared that it was only a matter of time before China overtakes the United States and effectively puts an end to it.
The remarks from Dr. Li Yi were reported by MEMRI TV, a research organization that normally tracks Islamic extremism around the world and anti-Semitism.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Reuters Celebrates Maskless Partygoers Living it Up in Wuhan
A Reuters photo essay celebrates how residents of Wuhan are enjoying nightclubs and street parties without the need for masks or social distancing even as much of the rest of the world continues to labor under lockdown.
The article notes how young people living in the original epicenter of COVID-19 are now frolicking around in crowded beer halls and other venues.
“Nightlife in Wuhan is back in full swing almost seven months after the city lifted its stringent lockdown and the city’s young partygoers are embracing the catharsis,” states the piece, noting how maskless partygoers are spilling onto the streets.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
WHO Tells Europeans to Wear Masks at Family Christmas Parties
The World Health Organization (WHO) has told Europeans they should wear masks when meeting friends and family over the Christmas period, after previously recommending having a picnic in the park on December 25th to stop the spread of the Chinese coronavirus.
The WHO’s European office said in a briefing paper on Wednesday that Christians should consider “postponing or reducing” religious processions and church celebrations.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Murder of Elderly Couple in Brisbane Home a ‘Terrorism Incident’
BRISBANE, Australia (AP) — Australian detectives suspect the deaths of an elderly couple in their Brisbane home is a “terrorism incident” perpetrated by a knife-wielding man who was shot dead by police, officials said on Friday.
Raghe Abdi, 22, threatened police with a knife before he was shot dead on a highway on the outskirts of Brisbane on Thursday morning, officers said.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
The Nigerian military has rescued 344 of the schoolboys who were abducted last week in northwestern Nigeria.
More than 300 schoolboys were missing for nearly a week after the Government Science Secondary School Kankara in Katsina State was attacked. According to Governor Aminu Bello Masari, Boko Haram was not involved. Instead, the attack was carried out by bandits masquerading as the Islamist terrorist group.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Nigeria Orders All Mobile Users to be Linked to National ID
The telecom regulator in Nigeria has ordered that all active mobile phone numbers be linked to national identity numbers. While the telecom companies are ready to comply, they feel the given deadline is too short, meaning millions of lines could be blocked.
The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) this week gave Nigerian mobile phone users until December 31 to register their phone numbers with their national ID numbers. In a statement on its website, the NCC warned failure to comply would result in phone lines being shut down.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Brazil: Supreme Court Rules COVID Vaccine Can be Mandatory
The Supreme Court in Brazil has issued a ruling that could see state and local governments mandate the coronavirus vaccine, with the authority to issue fines and/or restrictions to those who refuse it.
Reuters reports that “Brazilians could be ‘required, but not forced’ by civil authorities to be vaccinated.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
27-Year-Old Pakistani That Sexually Assaulted Two Women in Kos Will be Tried Next Month
A 27-year-old Pakistani man will be tried on January 12 by the Court of Rhodes for the sexual assault of two women in Kos, one of whom he tried to drown.
The incidents occurred in October 2019 and the foreigner after his arrest had been taken to prison where he is still today, Rodiaki reported.
So at the beginning of the new year he will be accountable before the court for attempted murder, bodily harm and attempted serial rape.
The first incident occurred on October 12, 2019 shortly after 6pm in the area of Lampi of Kos when the 27-year-old Pakistani approached from behind a 41-year-old Greek woman and tried to take off her blouse.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Egyptian-Born Pole Indicted for Illegally Transferring Hundreds of Migrants to the West
According to investigators, the 54-year-old Pole, originally from Egypt, established an organized crime group, which he has been directing since 2015. Its aim was to organize the transfer of illegal migrants from the Middle East.
The investigation was conducted by the State Prosecutor’s Office Department for Organized Crime and Corruption in Szczecin (North-West Poland) and the Polish Border Guard. The indictment was handed over to the Warsaw District Court.
“The migrants were mainly Iraqi and Syrian citizens who reached Greece through Turkey and later traveled to different towns in Poland via charter flights. They were then transferred from airports via train by couriers to Poland’s Western border, mainly Szczecin, Swinoujscie and Kostrzyn. From there, the foreigners traveled on their own to Germany or Sweden,” the naval division of the Border Guard stated. The 54-year-old usually recruited migrants in Athens.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
France: Paris: 71 Per Cent of African Migrants’ Children Want to Move to Parents’ Homeland
A large majority of the children of African migrants born in France in the Paris region say that, within the next ten years, they want to migrate to their parents’ homelands.
Many of the French citizens in the Ile-de-France region born to African migrants say they want to leave France and resettle in their parent’s countries of origin, a phenomenon becoming known as repatriation or return migration.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
France: Calais: Govt Offering Migrants Nearly €2,000 to Go Back to Home Countries
The French Office for Immigration and Integration (OFII) is offering €1,850 to migrants in Calais to return to their home countries instead of trying to enter Britain illegally.
The offer of cash would also include a free one-way aeroplane ticket to any migrant who has been in French territory for at least six months as long as they are an illegal alien or a failed asylum seeker.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Hungary: “Europe’s Borders Must be Protected”
The Court of Justice of the European Union, the EU’s top court, has ruled that Hungary violated EU law when it prevented illegal immigrants from seeking asylum. The ruling paves the way for the European Commission, the EU’s powerful administrative arm, to impose financial penalties over Hungary’s restrictive immigration policies. The Hungarian government has vowed that it will not bow to pressure to jump aboard the EU’s multicultural bandwagon.
In its December 17 ruling, the court, informally known as European Court of Justice (ECJ) accused the Hungarian government of corralling migrants into so-called transit zones and of limiting their ability to apply for asylum. The court also found that Hungary did not allow asylum seekers to leave detention while their cases were being considered and offered no special protection to children and the vulnerable.
The case stems from a lawsuit filed by the European Commission over a 2015 decision by Hungary to establish two transit zones on its southern border with Serbia to stop a mass influx of migrants from Africa, Asia and the Middle East. The action prevented migrants from entering Hungary or transiting the country to reach other parts of the EU.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
NIS Uncovers Illegal Network Transferring Immigrants From Somalia to Greece Via Istanbul
An investigation by the Greek Security and Intelligence Services has brought to light the existence of an organised network responsible for transferring illegal migrants from Somalia to Greece via Istanbul.
The network is said to include the Turkish consulate in Mogadishu, Somalia, the Erdogan Training and Research Hospital, as well as the City University, which is also located in the Somali capital.
The National Intelligence Service of Greece (NIS) also noted that numerous Turkish-based Islamic non-governmental organisations are part of the network transporting illegal Somali immigrants.
The findings of the NIS secret report were announced by the Greek Minister of Immigration and Asylum, Notis Mitarakis, who pointed out that out of the total of 214 illegal immigrants who arrived in the island of Lesvos this November, 142 were Somali nationals.
Additionally, the investigation helped the NIS locate and stop over 2,500 illegal Somali immigrants, who were ready to cross into Greek territory from Turkey.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
People smuggling gangs are offering a ‘Christmas discount’ to migrants wanting to cross the Channel to Britain illegally for as little as £300 a head.
Security sources said the organised criminals have slashed prices as the UK Border Force prepares for a surge in crossings over the festive period.
Intelligence reports suggest average costs for migrants are around £500 to £1,000, with some gangs offering deals for as little as £300, it is understood.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
The Supreme Court on Friday morning declined to issue a ruling one way or another on a case about whether or not the Trump administration may direct that illegal immigrants be excluded from the census count for the purposes of congressional representation.
An unsigned opinion from the majority of the court concluded that it would be premature to issue a ruling because it is uncertain how the administration will eventually implement the directive to not count illegal immigrants from a memo President Trump signed in July.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Vatican: Coronavirus Should Not Take Attention Away From Migrants
ROME — “The pandemic must not make us forget other dramatic situations, such as violence and abuses against migrants,” said Father Fabio Baggio of the Vatican’s office for Migrants and Refugees in an interview with Vatican News Friday.
Commemorating the U.N.’s International Migrants Day Friday, Father Baggio said that “a whole series of dramas that existed before the pandemic are still there and some are even aggravated. Among these, there was also the tragedy of displaced persons, refugees, migrants who were raped or whose rights have been violated.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Cancel Culture: Social Justice, Political Correctness, And the Woke Menagerie, Part 4
We are in a battle, one of wits, words, and betrayal. Soon it will become even more deadly than it is now. We must win this war, because there will be no room for a do-over if we lose. The loss will not only be homes and lives, but the flame of freedom across the entire world…
Deconstruction and Critical Theory
We are seeing it, and have been for decades, in the tearing down of society itself. We are seeing the replacement of objective truths with subjective truths (that change with the political weather). It is the destruction, or as Jacques Derrida, a well-known Algerian-French philosopher who was prominent in the 60s counterculture scene,termed it, “deconstruction” of Western values. He wrote, “in Western culture, people tend to think and express their thoughts in terms of binary oppositions (white / black, masculine / feminine, cause /effect, conscious /unconscious, presence / absence, speech/writing). But, per dictionary.com, deconstructionists say we must question “all traditional assumptions about the ability of language to represent reality and emphasizes that a text has no stable reference or identification because words essentially only refer to other words and therefore a reader must approach a text by eliminating any metaphysical or ethnocentric assumptions through an active role of defining meaning, sometimes by a reliance on new ‘word construction’, etymology, puns, and other word play”. In other words, gobbledygook works as well, actually better than, logic.
Critical Theory, like all things Marxist, uses moral relativism as a basis for all judgments; insisting that everything is only true or false relative to a particular point in time (and that is even subject to be discounted). It rejects the existence of universal principles, and all history is the history of oppression. Therefore, it is imperative to tear down the status quo as well as all social norms and rules. Everything in our worldview — our traditional concepts of right and wrong, society, social institutions, is wrong and must be destroyed to make the world safe for the proletariat, who are, at best, useful idiots to the ruling Marxist globalists. Their entire reason to exist is to tear down, not to build up. It is about class struggle against the existing power structure of freedom and property. There are not to be political parties, no elections, no bicameral legislative bodies, only a Marxist elite.
Social Justice as well described by Dr. David Randall, PhD, in his report “Social Justice Education in America”: “Justice traditionally judges freely chosen individual acts, but social justice judges how far the distribution of economic and social benefits among social groups departs from how they “ought” to be distributed. … (it) justifies the exercise of the state’s coercive power to distribute “fairly” goods that include education, employment, housing, income, health care, leisure, a pleasant environment, political power, property, social recognition, and wealth.” Redistribution means the state takes from the producer to buy the support of the non-producer, eventually destroying the producer’s incentive to produce anything, creating poverty for all; this is what they call equality — equally poor.
This is manifestly at variance with the values we Americans hold to, and the Constitution was written to uphold. And, it is cultural Marxism. Dr. Randall explains that these tools, social justice, political correctness and so on, are part of a “…process that requires constant, incremental changes to our culture through its institutions which also includes changes of meaning for terms and labels.” i.e., NewSpeak.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
France: City of Paris Fined €90,000 for Hiring Too Many Women
The municipality of Paris has been fined for employing too many female leaders, Romanian news agency Mediafax reports. The fine of €90,000 is aimed at “ensuring gender balance in the labor market.” Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo reacted by saying that the fine was absurd.
“This fine is evidently absurd, unfair, irresponsible and dangerous,” Hidalgo said. Women in France should be promoted with vigor because such promotions have been lagging all over France and the gap is too large. In order to reach parity one day, we must accelerate the rhythm and make sure that more women than men are being promoted.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Travel Agencies and Tourism Bookings See Massive Surge in Wake of COVID-19 Vaccine
If current bookings continue at their current pace for any extended period of time, a large swell in vacation travel is expected to hit by the summer of 2021 through the end of the year.
From cruise lines to tour companies, to travel agents, and resort hotel management, leaders in the tourism industry are reporting a significant uptick in business following a stretch of little to no activity.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
World Tourism Chief: Mandatory Vaccines Will “Kill” Travel Industry
The head of one of the world’s most prominent tourism lobby groups has warned that if governments embrace “no jab, no fly” polices, it will kill the travel industry.
Gloria Guevara, head of the World Travel and Tourism Council, said Thursday “I don’t think governments will require vaccination next year,” warning that “If they do that they will kill their sector.”
Bloomberg reported on Guevara’s comments, as she added that the first people to get the vaccine “are the last people who will travel,” the elderly and at-risk.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
YouTube Mass Disables All Comments on “Art Track” Music Videos, Angering Communities
In a move that has angered many music fans, artists, and producers, YouTube has discontinued comments on “Art Track” music videos and scrubbed all of the existing comments from these videos in the process.
Art Track music videos are auto-generated videos that consist of a music track from an album and the album artwork. According to YouTube, the purpose of Art Tracks is to allow artists to automatically provide a YouTube version of every track on their albums without producing a music video. This allows artists to get maximum exposure on YouTube by uploading their entire catalog and having all their tracks appear in album playlists and search results.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Now Beethoven is a nigger. Yeah. Right.
a nigger with dread locks.
Beethoven had a swarthy complexion, and was sometimes nicknamed “The Spaniard”; hardly surprising, as his ancestors came from the Netherlands, which were occupied by Spain for centuries. But why look for an obvious explanation, if you can find a more “woke” one?
Recently a student-tourist guide commented
how much darker (African) the “Celts and Saxons most certainly would have looked”. Crisis.
UK Police Tell People to Report “Extremist” Friends and Relatives
So a snitch in time saves nine. Okay
But just a few years ago, if you reported to UK Police about genuine law breakers-grooming gangs–you would be called a racist, bigot, Islamophobe.
Heck, last year Tommy Robinson “reported” on a court trial of a grooming gang, and Tommy was imprisoned.
I just subscribed to Tommy Robinsons page on Parler. He is one of my heroes.
1.When i have the mask on i pull it down under my nose so i am able to breath fresh air.Today i went to the super market and having the mask under my nose i was told that unless i wear it properly i will be unable to buy the food i needed.
2.
Today i read that the philosopher Sergey Melnick(you know him? i don’t)said that this is our last Xmas because we are going to have one religion named “religion of peace”.
All religions into one,he means.
I would like to see how this will be succeeded with the Orthodox Greeks!!!
3.Our Gov has close down our churches.They will not let us celebrate Xmas and especially the most important for us,6th of January .
Also we will not celebrate the 25th of March which is the 200th anniversary of the war of Independence and the Easter which is not only a religious day but also national.
I am convinced that our rulers are paranoid and that we all here live under a soviet nightmare.
I dread the time when we say,enough is enough.
I don’t dread the enough is enough, it is long past due where we finally said it and finally acted!
“Stand steady in the ranks lads. Hold your fire. Wait ‘til you see the whites in their eyes”.
In order to go out we must send an MSM to 13033(gov) and
fill one of the six codes below.
1 Go to a pharmacy or see a doctor or donate blood, if recommended after contact.
2 Go to an in-store supply store of essential goods (supermarket, mini market), where it is not possible to send them.
3 Go to a public service or bank, to the extent that electronic transaction is not possible.
4 Move to help people in need or to accompany underage students to / from school.
5 Going to a funeral ceremony under the conditions provided by law or going to divorced parents or parents who are in a dimension that is necessary to ensure communication between parents and children, in accordance with the provisions in force.
6 Physical exercise outdoors or movement with a pet, individually or in groups of three, observing in the latter case the necessary distance of 1.5 meters.
The majority we fill the number 6 and today ,having a sunny but cold day,all the Athenians were out.
herding the sheep to the shearing and then to the slaughter
So ? Sheep!? Or Wolf? Which are you? If you are looking for the sheepdog to come save you? LOL The sheepdog is on permanent vacation due to being told and scolded and shamed by being told he is no longer needed, so you are on your own.