Gates of Vienna News Feed 12/8/2021

Various American corporations and universities have rolled back their vaccine mandates after judicial decisions have increasingly ruled against forced vaccinations. Meanwhile, Dr. Anthony Fauci said that Americans should require that holiday guests prove their vaccination status before being allowed into their homes.

In other news, police in Rome arrested an African migrant for posing nude in a public fountain.

To see the headlines and the articles, click “Continue reading” below.

Thanks to Dean, Insubria, Reader from Chicago, SS, 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.

Financial Crisis
» Fear of Inflation? EU Will Likely Reduce VAT on Medicines and Food
 
USA
» 3M Rescinds Vaccine Mandate Moments Prior to Second Peaceful Protest at Brownwood Facility
» Biden’s Supreme Court Commission Takes ‘No Position’ on Court-Packing
» Bill Gates Believes “Acute Phase” Of Pandemic Will Finally End in 2022
» Black Lives Matter Stands in Solidarity With Jussie Smollett: ‘We Can Never Believe Police’
» Carjackings, Vehicle Thefts Skyrocketing Across the Country
» Chicago Police Release Plan for Weekend, Consider Closing Off Downtown: Report
» ‘David Burge’ Goes Ballistic Over Civil Asset Forfeiture After Dallas Cops Snatch $100k From Innocent Woman
» Fauci: Americans Should Require Holiday Guests to Prove Vaccination Status
» First Amendment Group Requests Rep. Thomas Massie Stop Blocking Critics on Twitter
» GOP Senator Says Don’t Rule Out First-Use Nuclear Attack on Russia
» Harrisburg Man Found Guilty of Threatening “ISIS Style Beheading” Of Court Judges
» Hispanic Voters Shift Toward Republicans, Now Split Evenly Between Both Parties: Poll
» Judge Grants Project Veritas Request to Insert Special Master After FBI Raids
» Jussie Smollett Seen Partying With Alleged Hate Crime Attacker Days Before Attack
» Kansas Universities Pause Vaccine Mandate After Federal Court Ruling
» Kim Potter Trial Over Daunte Wright’s Death Kicks Off Wednesday With Opening Arguments
» Kim Potter Trial: Daunte Wright Robbery Victim Recounts ‘Evil’ Deed in Exclusive First Interview
» ‘Let’s Go Brandon’ Boat Wins Virginia Parade Contest, Then Stripped of Award
» Los Angeles DA George Gascon Blasted Over ‘Tone Deaf’ Press Conference Amid Spiking Crime: ‘An Embarrassment’
» Man Arrested for Setting Fire to Christmas Tree Outside Fox News Headquarters
» Michigan Medicine Halts COVID-19 Vaccine Mandate for Some Employees, Including Nurses
» NYC Vaccine Mandate Blocked by Judge in Blow to Bill De Blasio
» Philadelphia’s Former Democratic Mayor Slams Soros-Funded DA for Refusing to Call Murder Surge a ‘Crisis’
» Rumble CEO Says the Platform is Preparing to Compete With Amazon and Microsoft
» San Francisco Woman Charged 120 Times for Alleged Shoplifting Arrested Again, Jailed
» Seattle’s Marxist City Council Member Kshama Sawant Trails Behind in Recall Election
» Senate Poised to Pass Resolution to Nullify Biden Vaccine Mandate
» Smollett Jurors Dismissed Amid Pause in Deliberations, Ask Court for Calendar of Events: Live Updates
» Twitter un-Nukes Ghislaine Maxwell Trial Tracker Account Following Outrage
» Twitter Bans Popular Account Highlighting Nancy Pelosi Stock Trades, @nancytracker
» Twitter’s Lobbying of Government Reaches New Heights
» University of Iowa Ordered to Pay Nearly $2m in Legal Fees Related to Religious Liberty Suits
» Watch: Hillary Clinton Weeps While Reading Her 2016 Victory Speech
 
Europe and the EU
» 4k Healthcare Workers Protest in Brussels Against Vaccination Drive
» Confusion and Lack of Enforcement as Italian ‘Super Green Pass’ Debuts
» COVID-1984: Boris Locking Down Britain Before Christmas… Again
» EU Guidance Not to Say Xmas But Holiday an Anachronism — Pope
» Finland: Millennial PM Goes Clubbing Without Official Phone — Misses Call That She Needs to Quarantine
» French Cops Foil ‘ISIS’ Christmas Knife Rampage as They Arrest Two in Paris: ‘Radicalised’ Suspect, 23, Admits Plan to Stab ‘Disbelievers’ In Packed Streets
» Germany’s Multicultural Suicide
» Germany: Antifa Enforces Mask Rules on Berlin Train, Throws Out Young Couple Who Refused to Wear Face Mask
» Germany: Berlin Archbishop Bars Unvaccinated Catholics From Attending Mass
» Hungary Opposes EU Plans to Interfere With National Taxation
» Italy to Introduce Spot Checks for Vaccine Passports in Restaurants and More
» Largest Icelandic Utility Cuts Power to Crypto Miners Amid Grid Crunch
» Poland Launches Mandatory COVID-19 Vaccinations for Health and Uniformed Services Along With Teachers Starting in March
» Professor Says COP26 Climate Change Summit Could Have Been Omicron Super Spreader Event
» Reports: UK Government Could Mandate Vax Passes This Week in Snap Decision
» Slovakia Extends Lockdown. Stores Will Open for the Vaccinated
» UK: Boris to Impose More Restrictions as Distraction From Huge Lockdown Scandal
» UK: Explosion in New Heart Conditions Explained as “Post Pandemic Stress Disorder”
» UK: Farage Slams Boris for Calls to Have ‘National Conversation’ on Mandatory Vaccination
» UK: TV Show Mysteriously Deletes Poll After Vast Majority Oppose Mandatory Vaccination
» Vaccine Center in Romania Created a Christmas Tree Made From Empty Vials
» Vast Majority of Brits Want Government That Made a Mockery of Lockdown to Impose More Lockdown Rules on Them
» Woke Scottish Govt to Replace Word ‘Addict’ With ‘Person With Problematic Substance Use’
 
Russia
» Russian TV Broadcasts Private Conversation Between Merkel and Lukashenko
» Russia is Trying to Block Access to Tor
 
Far East
» Less Than One COVID Death a Day in Japan as New Cases Plummet
 
Australia — Pacific
» Yokes on Them: Antifa Attack Egged on by Mum Backfires
 
Immigration
» European Court of Human Rights Says Poland Shouldn’t Remove Illegal Migrants Crossing From Belarus
» Italy: Rome Police Arrest Immigrant Posing Nude in Public Fountain
» Syrian Confesses to Murdering Two Russian Women in Cyprus for Mocking Him
» UK Blowing Massive Sums on Pizza for Boat Migrants
 
Culture Wars
» Cringe ‘Booster’ Song Possibly the Worst Yet
» Italy: Transgender Madonna Sparks League Leader’s Ire
» Popular Anime YouTuber Totally Not Mark Hit With Mass Copyright Claims
» Reasons to Ditch YouTube for Rumble
 
General
» Google, Facebook, And Amazon Own 80-90% of the Digital Ads Market, Report States
 

Fear of Inflation? EU Will Likely Reduce VAT on Medicines and Food

EU countries will be able to reduce value added tax (VAT) on more products than before, with EU finance ministers agreeing on rules which would reduce the tax on basic foodstuffs and medicines.

The move comes at a time when Europe is facing soaring inflation. Individual governments have attempted to reduce taxes in order to offset rising prices, such as the case of Czechia, which waived the VAT on energy and gas last month.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

3M Rescinds Vaccine Mandate Moments Prior to Second Peaceful Protest at Brownwood Facility

News spread among 3M employees that the company’s mandatory vaccine mandate had been rescinded just minutes before a second peaceful protest was slated to begin outside the Brownwood facility at noon Wednesday.

3M’s corporate office sent emails to employees Wednesday in light of Tuesday’s news that a federal judge halted the Biden Administration’s federal vaccine mandate for federal contractors and subcontractors nationwide.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

Biden’s Supreme Court Commission Takes ‘No Position’ on Court-Packing

Biden’s Presidential Commission on the Supreme Court on Tuesday voted unanimously Tuesday in favor of approving their final report which included taking no position on the issue of packing the court. The report’s next stop will be President Biden’s desk.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

Bill Gates Believes “Acute Phase” Of Pandemic Will Finally End in 2022

Now that millions of people are beginning to question all the ‘FUD’ surrounding the omicron variant, Bill Gates, the world’s de facto vaccine czar during the early days of the outbreak (before his professional reputation was sullied by the scandal surrounding his divorce from Melinda Gates) is re-emerging to try again to convince as many people as possible to get vaccinated.

The Microsoft co-founder said 2021 didn’t bring as much improvement in the COVID situation as he had hoped. With more COVID deaths this year than in 2020, the delta variant and challenges with vaccine uptake, progress has been underwhelming, Gates wrote in a “year in review” post on his blog Tuesday.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

Black Lives Matter Stands in Solidarity With Jussie Smollett: ‘We Can Never Believe Police’

A Black Lives Matter leader said Tuesday that the movement will continue to support Jussie Smollett regardless of the outcome of his trial, which she described as a “white supremacist charade.”

Melina Abdullah, a former California State University professor and police abolitionist who co-founded BLM Los Angeles, said Smollett — who is accused of faking a racist, homophobic hate crime against himself — “has been courageously present, visible, and vocal in the struggle for Black freedom.”

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

Carjackings, Vehicle Thefts Skyrocketing Across the Country

Experts say carjackings have risen exponentially over the past 18 months or so, and many of the offenders are teenagers.

“In 2020, Chicago carjackings were up a staggering 134%, with 1,416 people being forcibly removed from their vehicle,” the National Insurance Crime Bureau reports. “This trend has continued in 2021, with Chicago seeing a 44% increase, Washington, D.C. up 45%, and New York an 81% increase.”

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

Chicago Police Release Plan for Weekend, Consider Closing Off Downtown: Report

Chicago’s police department is reportedly telling its commanders to familiarize themselves with a plan to shut down the city’s central business district ahead of potential unrest this weekend.

The drastic measure — mentioned in a new internal memo circulating amongst staff — is just an option on the table at this point, according to WLS. Last weekend, violence plagued Chicago’s Loop neighborhood and officers have been ordered this week to cancel upcoming days off “to address current crime patterns.”

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

‘David Burge’ Goes Ballistic Over Civil Asset Forfeiture After Dallas Cops Snatch $100k From Innocent Woman

On Tuesday, CBS Dallas glorified an incident at Dallas Love Field Airport in which a 25-year-old woman traveling with $100,000 in cash had it seized by the cops in what’s known as civil asset forfeiture. If you need a primer, see our previous reporting here and here.

CBS reported:

High praise for a K-9 officer at Dallas Love Field Airport after more than $100,000 was found in a passenger’s luggage.

On December 2 the canine — named ‘Ballentine’ — alerted on an individual checked suitcase. It turns out the bag, that belonged to 25-year-old woman from Chicago who was on a layover at the airport, contained blankets and two large bubble envelopes filled with $106,829 in cash.

The woman who owned the bag was not arrested, but the money was seized and police say it will be subject to the civil asset forfeiture process.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

Fauci: Americans Should Require Holiday Guests to Prove Vaccination Status

Dr. Anthony Fauci suggested Wednesday that Americans should require holiday guests to prove they are vaccinated.

During a live streaming session hosted by the Washington Post, Fauci pushed the hosts of holiday parties to demand the vaccination status of guests before they enter the gathering.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

First Amendment Group Requests Rep. Thomas Massie Stop Blocking Critics on Twitter

A free speech group has called on Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) to unblock Twitter users on his official account.

Massie had been the subject of criticism by media types over the last week since he posted a family photo, featuring him and family members holding rifles and other firearms.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

GOP Senator Says Don’t Rule Out First-Use Nuclear Attack on Russia

A GOP senator who sits on the Senate Armed Services Committee said in a Fox News interview while commenting on Tuesday’s Biden-Putin virtual talks which focused on soaring Ukraine tensions he won’t rule out a major American ground war with Russia.

Even more eye-brow raising was Senator Roger Wicker’s (Mississippi) suggestion that the United States should not rule out “first-use nuclear action” against Russia in the event Moscow threatens Ukraine with a military offensive.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

Harrisburg Man Found Guilty of Threatening “ISIS Style Beheading” Of Court Judges

HARRISBURG, Pa. — A Harrisburg man has been found guilty of threatening both federal and state judges, according to U.S. Attorney William Ihlenfeld II.

After a three day trial Keith Thomas Dougherty was found guilty of mailing threatening communications and two counts of interstate communication with threats to injure.

In May 2017, March 2019, and January 2020 Dougherty made threats to injure federal and state judges in the Middle and Western Districts of Pennsylvania.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

Hispanic Voters Shift Toward Republicans, Now Split Evenly Between Both Parties: Poll

Hispanic voters have for the most part been a Democratic Party stronghold, but a new poll finds the demographic is steadily moving to the right amid President Biden’s widespread unpopularity.

A new poll from The Wall Street Journal found that Hispanic voters are now split between Republicans and Democrats on the generic ballot at 37%. A further 22% responded that they were undecided.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

Judge Grants Project Veritas Request to Insert Special Master After FBI Raids

Authored by Zachary Stieber via The Epoch Times

A federal judge on Wednesday agreed to appoint a special master to shield certain materials from the bureau and prosecutors that the FBI seized from Project Veritas.

A special master, typically a retired judge, is appointed in a small number of cases to sift through seized materials and separate out documents that are privileged, or legally protected from authorities.

While a government filter team could adequately go through the materials, a special master is being appointed to “ensure ‘the perception of fairness,’“ U.S. District Judge Analisa Torres, an Obama nominee, wrote in the 5-page order.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

Jussie Smollett Seen Partying With Alleged Hate Crime Attacker Days Before Attack

Photos have surfaced showing Jussie Smollett, who is on trial for allegedly staging a hate crime against himself, partying with one of his attackers several times in the months leading up to the “attack,” including just 10 days before the incident.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

Kansas Universities Pause Vaccine Mandate After Federal Court Ruling

TOPEKA, Kan. (KSNT) — Three Kansas universities have paused their coronavirus vaccination mandates after a ruling from a federal district court judge on Tuesday.

A federal court blocked a third vaccination mandate imposed by the Biden administration for federal contractors. The University of Kansas, Wichita State University, and Kansas State University all announced that they will be pausing their requirement due to the ruling.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

Kim Potter Trial Over Daunte Wright’s Death Kicks Off Wednesday With Opening Arguments

MINNEAPOLIS — The manslaughter trial for former Minnesota Police Officer Kim Potter is set to begin with opening statements on Wednesday, nearly eight months after the veteran cop shot and killed Daunte Wright while trying to arrest the young Black man during a traffic stop in a Minneapolis suburb.

Potter, 49, had been an officer for 26 years and was working for the Brooklyn Center Police Department on April 11, 2021, when she and other officers, including a trainee, attempted to stop Wright and then tried to arrest him after learning of a warrant for his arrest. Wright, 20, can be seen in a police video climbing back into the driver’s seat of a vehicle as the officers scuffle with him.

In Potter’s body camera video from the shooting, she can be heard yelling, “I’ll tase you!” and “Taser! Taser! Taser!” before firing her handgun.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

Kim Potter Trial: Daunte Wright Robbery Victim Recounts ‘Evil’ Deed in Exclusive First Interview

MINNEAPOLIS — EXCLUSIVE: Struggling with loss, she moved out on her own at 18, got a job and did her best to make ends meet — until Daunte Wright showed up in her Minnesota living room with a handgun and tried to steal from her.

“Everybody feels so horrible for this man, but no one takes the time to see how horrible of a person he was,” says a Minnesota woman who police allege Wright choked and robbed at gunpoint.

At 15, a concussion ended her dreams of a soccer career.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

‘Let’s Go Brandon’ Boat Wins Virginia Parade Contest, Then Stripped of Award

A boat emblazoned with the anti-President Biden message, “Let’s go, Brandon,” in Christmas lights has been disqualified from a Virginia holiday parade after it initially won the No. 1 prize.

The boat was awarded first place at the annual Yorktown Lighted Boat Parade contest Saturday evening, but hours later, the Yorktown Foundation, the non-profit organization that sponsors the parade, announced the boat had been disqualified and stripped it of its award over its “overt political message.”

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

Los Angeles DA George Gascon Blasted Over ‘Tone Deaf’ Press Conference Amid Spiking Crime: ‘An Embarrassment’

Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascon was surrounded by several colleagues from other states Wednesday while defending his policies amid a second recall attempt to oust him and a crime wave of shootings and brazen robberies.

Gascon has taken heat since taking office last year over his rollback of tough-on-crime measures like the death penalty, charging juvenile suspects as adults and the leveling of criminal enhancements, which can significantly increase prison sentences.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

Man Arrested for Setting Fire to Christmas Tree Outside Fox News Headquarters

Quick, somebody check Chris Cuomo’s alibi!

In the latest act of aggravated vandalism to make headlines in the Big Apple, the New York Post reports that a man has been arrested for allegedly setting fire to the Christmas tree standing outside the News Corp building in midtown Manhattan. The tree, which is notable for being situated outside Fox News’ midtown studio (which is inside the building, downstairs from other Rupert Murdoch-controlled media properties like the NY Post and the Wall Street Journal), attracts crowds of holiday gawkers every year since it’s located just around the corner from the 30 Rock Christmas Tree.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

Michigan Medicine Halts COVID-19 Vaccine Mandate for Some Employees, Including Nurses

ANN ARBOR, Mich (WXYZ) — COVID-19 vaccine requirements, especially in the workplace, remain a topic of discussion as mandates go into effect.

“That mandate forced me, forced me to decide. It was either be vaccinated or be let go,” said a former employee of Michigan Medicine whose departure from the health system after 15 years of employment stemmed from their opposition to its COVID-19 vaccine mandate.

But now, Michigan Medicine has paused the vaccine mandate for all of its union employees, including nurses.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

NYC Vaccine Mandate Blocked by Judge in Blow to Bill De Blasio

Mayor Bill de Blasio’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate for New York City employees, including the NYPD, has been blocked by a Manhattan court.

On Tuesday, Judge Frank P. Nervo in the Supreme Court of New York gave notice that the mandate was suspended, pending a hearing scheduled for December 14.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

Philadelphia’s Former Democratic Mayor Slams Soros-Funded DA for Refusing to Call Murder Surge a ‘Crisis’

Philadelphia’s former Democratic mayor blasted the city’s current Democratic district attorney and called his recent comments on the record crime surge in Philadelphia as among the most “ignorant” and “insulting” comments ever spoken by an elected official.

Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner responded to the city’s crime surge, which includes 521 murders so far this year, by saying earlier this week, “We don’t have a crisis of lawlessness, we don’t have a crisis of crime, we don’t have a crisis of violence.”

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

Rumble CEO Says the Platform is Preparing to Compete With Amazon and Microsoft

Rumble CEO Chris Pavlovski has revealed that the video platform, billed as a free-speech friendly and neutral alternative to YouTube, is building its own internet infrastructure, including a cloud service, that will make it immune to censorship.

Appearing on Fox Business, Pavlovski was asked how the company — which recently announced it would go public in Q2 of 2022 — intends to defend itself from the type of censorship that targets apps and platforms at the level of infrastructure, citing Parler as an example.

He said that the difference is in Rumble building its services from the ground up instead of relying on Big Tech and being vulnerable to various forms of “canceling.”

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

San Francisco Woman Charged 120 Times for Alleged Shoplifting Arrested Again, Jailed

A woman in San Francisco, who was arrested for 120 alleged shoplifting incidents and released on zero bail, is back behind bars after allegedly stealing again.

Police apprehended Aziza Graves, 41, on Dec. 4 at the Westfield San Francisco Centre mall and was charged with one count of petty theft. There were also three local warrants for her arrest and one warrant in El Dorado County, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.

Graves was previously arrested in November following an investigation by the District Attorney’s office and the police for thefts at a Target at the Stonestown Galleria totaling more than $40,000 from October 2020 to November 2021. She was charged with eight felony counts of grand theft and 120 misdemeanor counts of petty theft.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

Seattle’s Marxist City Council Member Kshama Sawant Trails Behind in Recall Election

Seattle’s Marxist city council member Kshama Sawant is trailing behind in the Recall Election after Tuesday night’s results narrowly show more residents in favor of recalling Sawant than allowing the controversial city council member to retain her seat.

Although too close to call, preliminary results from election night show 53 percent have voted to recall Sawant. She now trials behind by a mere 7 percentage points, a margin that Sawant has overtaken in the past. With thousands of mail-in ballots left to be counted, the votes could keep Sawant behind or swing her to victory.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

Senate Poised to Pass Resolution to Nullify Biden Vaccine Mandate

The Senate is expected to vote as soon as Wednesday to nullify President Biden’s vaccine mandate for large employers, giving Republicans a big symbolic victory.

Republicans say they expect the resolution will pass with at least 52 votes after centrist Sens. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) and Jon Tester (D-Mont.) announced their support for the proposal. Every single Republican senator will vote for it.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

Smollett Jurors Dismissed Amid Pause in Deliberations, Ask Court for Calendar of Events: Live Updates

Jurors took a pause in deliberations and asked the court, “Can we have a copy of the calendar of events?”

There had been a display on screen showing the month of January 2019 with specific dates marked off by prosecutors listing what happened on those days. Jurors want copies of it.

While Smollett’s attorneys are present, the actor is not.

The jurors have been dismissed for the day and will resume deliberations on Thursday morning at 10:15 a.m. ET as long as all 12 jurors have arrived to court by then.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

Twitter un-Nukes Ghislaine Maxwell Trial Tracker Account Following Outrage

Update (1550ET): Twitter has restored the Ghislaine Maxwell tracking account following this morning’s outrage.

During the trial of Ghislaine Maxwell, a few Twitter accounts have been providing extremely detailed information — Adam Klasfeld, Inner City Press, and the ‘Maxwell Trial Tracker.’

On Wednesday, Twitter nuked the latter.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

Twitter Bans Popular Account Highlighting Nancy Pelosi Stock Trades, @nancytracker

Twitter has booted @NancyTracker, a popular account that documented Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi’s stock trades and drew attention to the millions of dollars she and her husband have generated through trading.

The account had over 200,000 followers when it was banned. Some of its most popular tweets highlighted that Pelosi’s role as a government official gives her access to “insider information” and noted that Pelosi’s returns have significantly outpaced both the market and some of the world’s best investors.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

Twitter’s Lobbying of Government Reaches New Heights

Twitter has increased spending on lobbying to record levels in the last quarter, perhaps due to increased scrutiny over content censorship decisions and data privacy from lawmakers.

Tech companies use lobbyists to protect their interests in Washington. Over the past few years, Twitter has significantly increased its lobbying efforts, according to figures from Open Secrets.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

University of Iowa Ordered to Pay Nearly $2m in Legal Fees Related to Religious Liberty Suits

The University of Iowa was ordered to pay almost $2 million in attorneys’ fees to the nonprofit legal organization that represented two Christian student groups that sued the public university for violating their religious liberty.

The three-member Iowa State Appeal Board approved writing two checks to The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty on Monday, following the groups’ victory in federal court after years of litigation, according to The Iowa Gazette.

The Business Leaders in Christ (BLinC) sued the university in 2017 after the student club was removed from campus and kept from student activity funding because it required its leadership to affirm a biblical definition of marriage and sexuality.

The university said at the time that it prohibits any discrimination based on sexual orientation and accused the BLinC of violating the school’s Human Rights Policy and the Iowa Civil Rights Act when it denied a gay member a leadership role.

After a federal court ruled in BLinC’s favor and mandated that the group be reinstated, UI deregistered 38 other student groups, including InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, which went on to sue the school in a 2018 companion lawsuit that alleged religious discrimination.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

Watch: Hillary Clinton Weeps While Reading Her 2016 Victory Speech

For the first time, former secretary of state and first lady Hillary Clinton read out loud the speech she would have given if she won the 2016 presidential election.

An emotional Clinton read her speech in an excerpt of her Masterclass talk on the power of resilience shared by the Today Show, which will be released in full on on the platform Thursday.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

4k Healthcare Workers Protest in Brussels Against Vaccination Drive

Brussels: Over 4,000 healthcare workers protested in Brussels against the federal government’s decision to make vaccinations compulsory for all medical staff.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

Confusion and Lack of Enforcement as Italian ‘Super Green Pass’ Debuts

As the Italian “Super Green Pass” vaccine passport debuted this week, some Italians have expressed confusion at the new regulations and reported a lack of enforcement by police.

The Super Green Pass, which only allows people to access bars, restaurants, and other venues by either being fully vaccinated or having proof of recovery from the Wuhan coronavirus, made its debut on Monday along with other stricter rules on unvaccinated people.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

COVID-1984: Boris Locking Down Britain Before Christmas… Again

Speaking after a day of swirling controversy over an allegedly lockdown-busting Christmas party at Downing Street, UK PM Boris Johnson has introduced vaccine passports for England and has extended a number of other measures, potentially pointing to an imperilled Christmas for the second year in a row.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

EU Guidance Not to Say Xmas But Holiday an Anachronism — Pope

Dictatorships tried to do the same but failed says Francis

(ANSA) — ROME, DEC 6 — Pope Francis said Monday the EU’s recently issued and then swiftly withdrawn recommendations not to say Happy Christmas but instead Happy Holidays were an “anachronism”.

“In history many dictatorships have tried to do these things, I’m thinking of Napoleon, the Nazi dictatorship, the Communist one.

“Today it is a fad, watered-down secularism, it is distilled water.

“But it did not work, throughout history”.

The pontiff said the EU should not become “a vehicle for ideological colonization”.

The European Commission advised member States to use the term ‘happy holidays’ rather than Happy Christmas so as not to offend the sensibilities of non-Christians, but soon did a U-turn after a wave of protests.

Aboard the plane, Francis also said he was always ready to go to Moscow to see his “brother”, the Orthodox Russian Patriarch Kirill.

Answering questions on board the papal plane taking him back to Rome from a four-day trip to Cyprus and Greece, Francis said a meeting with Kirill was “not far away”.

The pope also said that populism and empires were twin enemies of democracy, and said Paris Archbishop Michel Aupetit’s resignation over a reported affair with a woman in 2012 had been “unfair since he was the victim of gossip”.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]
 

Finland: Millennial PM Goes Clubbing Without Official Phone — Misses Call That She Needs to Quarantine

Finland’s Prime Minister Sanna Marin missed a Wuhan coronavirus contact alert because she had left her government phone at home when she went out partying at a Helsinki nightclub.

The millennial prime minister was alerted to possible Covid-19 contact exposure after Finland’s Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto, who the premier had met with on Friday, tested positive for the virus. However, Marin missed alerts instructing her to limit contacts on Saturday evening which were sent to her ministerial government telephone.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

French Cops Foil ‘ISIS’ Christmas Knife Rampage as They Arrest Two in Paris: ‘Radicalised’ Suspect, 23, Admits Plan to Stab ‘Disbelievers’ In Packed Streets

French police have arrested two suspected ISIS militants who were plotting a stabbing spree over the Christmas holiday period, according to local media.

The 23-year-old men were detained at separate addresses in the greater Paris area last Monday, according to news channel BFM TV.

One of the suspects told officers he wanted to slaughter ‘disbelievers’ and that he hoped to be shot dead so that he could be ‘martyred’, Le Figaro reported. He also pledged allegiance to ISIS.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

Germany’s Multicultural Suicide

“Western hegemony is over,” said Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan recently. “It lasted centuries, but it is over”.

At the same time, the mosques of Cologne, the fourth-largest city in Germany, have obtained permission to broadcast the call to prayer every Friday over minaret loudspeakers.

“Many residents of Cologne are Muslims,” said Mayor Henriette Reker, “and in my opinion it is a sign of respect to allow the call of the muezzin.”

To others, the Muslim call to prayer represents the same cry of conquest that the Christians of the Middle East and Africa hear five times every day and night at the doors of their churches and homes. Now it is Germany’s turn.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

Germany: Antifa Enforces Mask Rules on Berlin Train, Throws Out Young Couple Who Refused to Wear Face Mask

On Saturday, Antifa activists attacked a young couple on Berlin’s rapid train transit system (S-Bahn) who had been involved in protesting against COVID-19 measures and mandatory vaccines in Germany.

The couple were not wearing a mask when they got on the S-Bahn train line 42, which is a requirement in Germany usually enforced by the police or other government authorities. Around 20 masked individuals got on the train, and one of them screamed, “Antifa mask control.”

The Antifa activists, who were a part of a counter-demonstration, forcibly removed the couple from the train at the Gesundbrunnen station for refusing to put on a mask. Only individuals who have proof a COVID-19 vaccination or negative test status are allowed to ride the S-Bahn.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

Germany: Berlin Archbishop Bars Unvaccinated Catholics From Attending Mass

ROME — Berlin archbishop Heiner Koch has barred unvaccinated Catholics from attending Mass in his archdiocese, sparking protests by members of the German faithful and an outcry from Catholics worldwide.

Last Sunday, German Catholics organized a prayer vigil in Berlin’s Hedwig’s Cathedral, “singing, praying, and displaying a sign which read: ‘No 2G: Church for all,’“ LifesiteNews reported this week.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

Hungary Opposes EU Plans to Interfere With National Taxation

Hungary plans a post-epidemic economic relaunch based around tax cuts, and does not support measures from Brussels that interfere with national tax policy, Finance Minister Mihaly Varga said in Brussels after a meeting of EU finance ministers (Ecofin).

The Hungarian minister of finance explained that the issue surrounding the mandate of a working group in Brussels had been the subject of a debate among EU ministers. According to a proposal, the EU Working Party on Corporate Taxation would have a say in the future not only on the possible tax benefits but also on the “general characteristics” of the tax system. As he said, the current draft text does not give a precise description of what is meant by general characteristics, so it remains unclear the extent of the mandate being pushed by the EU working group, which could lead to legal uncertainty.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

Italy to Introduce Spot Checks for Vaccine Passports in Restaurants and More

The Italian government has announced harsher restrictions of civil liberties for those who do not have a vaccine passport.

Those without a passport will no longer be allowed in indoor restaurants, museums, and theaters. The police will go around checking if diners at restaurants have a “super” green health pass, which proves someone has been fully vaccinated or has recently recovered from the virus. Those who have recently tested negative will no longer be allowed into theaters and concerts. Only a vaccine pass will be considered for entry.

For local transportation and checking into hotels, Italians will need a “basic” green pass, which includes the proof that one has recently tested negative.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

Largest Icelandic Utility Cuts Power to Crypto Miners Amid Grid Crunch

This week, a power crisis has developed in Iceland, forcing the island’s largest utility company, Landsvirkjun, to reduce electricity to energy-intensive industries, such as data centers and metal smelters, including the denial of new power contracts to crypto miners.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

Poland Launches Mandatory COVID-19 Vaccinations for Health and Uniformed Services Along With Teachers Starting in March

Minister of Health Adam Niedzielski declared that the pandemic situation in Poland has stabilized, and the average number of infections has maintained a level of 23,000 per day for the last week and a half.

He pointed out, however, that there has been no clear decrease in worrying pandemic statistics and warned that the new Omicron variant has raised risk levels.

“One measure on which we have recently agreed on is the introduction of mandatory vaccinations for selected working groups. Following the example of Germany and Austria, we are planning to introduce obligatory vaccinations for three groups starting March 1, 2022: the health services, teachers and uniformed services,” Niedzielski stated.

He added that the period until March was the one in which the vaccinations should be completed, as mandatory vaccinations will be a requirement for work after March 1.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

Professor Says COP26 Climate Change Summit Could Have Been Omicron Super Spreader Event

Professor Neil Ferguson says that the Cop26 climate change summit where thousands of technocrats gathered in early November could have been an Omicron super spreader event.

According to reports, Omicron’s prevalence in Scotland “could be down to COP26, the UN climate conference held in October and November.”

“It’s speculation, but it’s coincidental with when we think it may have been seeded in that area,” Mr Ferguson said.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

Reports: UK Government Could Mandate Vax Passes This Week in Snap Decision

Reports have indicated that the UK government is planning to introduce a raft of new COVID restrictions, including vaccine passports, as soon as Thursday, citing the spread of the Omicron variant, despite it being weaker and only causing mild symptoms by all accounts.

The Financial Times reports that Three senior Whitehall officials have confirmed that so called ‘Plan B’ restrictions are to be introduced, which include ordering people to work from home into the new year, and mandating vaccine passports for venues with ‘large crowds’.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

Slovakia Extends Lockdown. Stores Will Open for the Vaccinated

Slovakia will extend the current curfew with exceptions, however, stores that are currently closed will open for customers vaccinated against the coronavirus or recovered from the disease from Friday. Some schools will switch to remote learning.

The agreement on the measures differs in part from the original proposal of the Slovak Minister of Health Vladimir Lengvarsky, who proposed extending the current two-week national closures in their current form for another week until Dec. 16 and later opening stores for vaccinated people or those who recovered from COVID-19. The new measures, which will be discussed by the government on Wednesday, should apply until Jan. 9, unless the epidemic situation becomes worse.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

UK: Boris to Impose More Restrictions as Distraction From Huge Lockdown Scandal

The same people angry at the government for abusing their power, want to give that same government more power to abuse.

Utter madness.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

UK: Explosion in New Heart Conditions Explained as “Post Pandemic Stress Disorder”

Experts in the UK say that an explosion in new heart illnesses in younger patients can be explained by a new condition called “post-pandemic stress disorder.”

Yes, really.

A London Evening Standard report quotes senior vascular surgeon Tahir Hussain, who works at an NHS hospital in London.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

UK: Farage Slams Boris for Calls to Have ‘National Conversation’ on Mandatory Vaccination

Brexit leader Nigel Farage has criticised Boris Johnson for claiming that the UK may need to have a “national conversation” about mandatory vaccination.

On Wednesday night, Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced an expansion of the mask mandate into more indoor public spaces including in theatres and cinemas as well as shops and on public transport, with the government also recommending the public work from home “if you can”.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

UK: TV Show Mysteriously Deletes Poll After Vast Majority Oppose Mandatory Vaccination

A major morning television show in the UK deleted a Twitter poll asking if vaccines should be made mandatory after the results showed that 89% of respondents oppose compulsory shots.

Yes, really.

Good Morning Britain, which often tries to set the news agenda, posted the poll which asked the public, “With Omicron cases doubling every two days, is it time to make vaccines mandatory?”

The last screenshots Twitter users were able to obtain before the poll was wiped showed 89% oppose mandatory vaccinations, with just 11% in favor after a total of over 42,000 votes.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

Vaccine Center in Romania Created a Christmas Tree Made From Empty Vials

Staff at one of Romania’s largest vaccination centers in Bucharest have built a very unconventional tree.

The vaccine tree, which stands over 10 feet tall, is made up of empty COVID-19 vaccine vials.

Employees have been working hard on the display since early November. They’ve worked tirelessly, not during work, but on their own time, sometimes staying until 2 a.m. to carefully put each one of the 19,000 vials in place.

           — Hat tip: Dean [Return to headlines]
 

Vast Majority of Brits Want Government That Made a Mockery of Lockdown to Impose More Lockdown Rules on Them

A new poll shows that the vast majority of Brits want the same government that just made a mockery out of lockdown rules to impose more lockdown rules on them.

Yes, really.

Earlier today, Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced new restrictions in the name of fighting the Omicron variant, which has killed precisely zero people on the planet.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

Woke Scottish Govt to Replace Word ‘Addict’ With ‘Person With Problematic Substance Use’

Drug abusers are to be treated like they have “a health problem” rather than a propensity to indulge in self-destructive and sometimes criminal behaviour in Scotland, with terms like “alcoholic” and “addict” scrapped in favour of woke alternatives.

The Scottish Government, roughly equivalent to a U.S. state government, wants alcoholism and drug abuse to be treated as a health condition in the belief that this might do something about Scotland’s problem with drugs deaths, in particular, with fatalities up 5 per cent in 2020 to 1,339 — the highest annual death toll yet recorded.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

Russian TV Broadcasts Private Conversation Between Merkel and Lukashenko

Independent Belarusian journalist Tadeusz Giczan drew attention to a program on Russian television in which Angela Merkel’s conversation with Alexander Lukashenko was presented.

He posted a commentary as well as a video clip from the program on Twitter.

Giczan emphasized that during the conversation, the German chancellor frequently called Lukashenko “Mr. President” although most of the Western countries consider last year’s presidential election in Belarus to be rigged by what critics say is an authoritarian government.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

Russia is Trying to Block Access to Tor

The Tor Project, which is behind the Tor network and browser, has announced that its main website has been blocked country-wide in Russia.

This happened after access to Tor started to be blocked by some ISPs in Russia at the beginning of this month, while the decision to block the main website was made by Russia’s communications and media regulator, Roskomnadzor, a blog post said.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

Less Than One COVID Death a Day in Japan as New Cases Plummet

In the nation with the oldest people, less than one person a day is dying from Covid-19.

           — Hat tip: SS [Return to headlines]
 

Yokes on Them: Antifa Attack Egged on by Mum Backfires

An 18-year-old activist threw an egg onto the stage where Independent MP for the United Australia Party, Craig Kelly, was giving a speech.

The incident happened at one of the many Freedom rallies held in Melbourne in opposition to Daniel Andrews’ pandemic legislation and the wider issue of vaccine mandates and vaccine passports.

After the unprovoked attack, the crowd surrounded the 18-year-old, who had come to the rally with his mother, until security arrived.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

European Court of Human Rights Says Poland Shouldn’t Remove Illegal Migrants Crossing From Belarus

In an official statement from Dec. 6, 2021, the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) requested interim measures to be introduced by Poland, Lithuania and Latvia to resolve the situation of illegal migrants crossing the border from Belarus.

“The European Court of Human Rights is receiving and processing requests for interim measures on a daily basis concerning the situation at the borders with Belarus. In most cases, the applicants claim to be on Polish territory allegedly with a view to seeking international protection,” the statement sent to Polish authorities reads.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

Italy: Rome Police Arrest Immigrant Posing Nude in Public Fountain

ROME — A squad of police officers subdued and arrested an African immigrant who was posing nude in a public fountain in Rome’s Piazza dell Repubblica Wednesday.

A video released by the Italian daily Il Messaggero shows the naked man, wearing only a red cap, perched atop one of the statues of the Naiads, sculpted by Italian artist Mario Rutelli for the unveiling of the fountain in 1888.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

Syrian Confesses to Murdering Two Russian Women in Cyprus for Mocking Him

A Syrian man has confessed to murdering two Russian women, with the man saying that he shot them three times in total because he overheard them mocking him.

The murder of the two Russian women, 43-year-old Alraeesi Khaiat and 33-year-old Mariia Gazibagandova, has provoked shock on the island nation of Cyprus. Eighteen days after the crime, the 32-year-old Syrian perpetrator confessed to investigators that he killed the women, with investigators detailing how he “coldly” described the manner in which he ended their lives, according to the Philenews media outlet.

After killing the two women, wrapping them in nylon, and hiding them in a basement of a cottage in Kato Amiantos, Cyprus, he brought two Syrian workers, who he allegedly found in Limassol. They helped him dig a pit two meters deep, which he then turned into a grave.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

UK Blowing Massive Sums on Pizza for Boat Migrants

The U.K. government is spending large amounts of taxpayer money on pizza for illegal aliens arriving via the English Channel, according to reports.

Brexit architect Nigel Farage recently reacted to reports that over $13,000 was spent on Domino’s pizzas for migrants during the month of September.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

Cringe ‘Booster’ Song Possibly the Worst Yet

No, they didn’t release a new series of Black Mirror, this is real life.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

Italy: Transgender Madonna Sparks League Leader’s Ire

German queer mag cover shot disgraceful insult says Salvini

(ANSA) — ROME, DEC 7 — A photo of an Italian LGBTQI+ activist dressed as a transgender Madonna has raised the hackles of the rightwing League party and its leader Matteo Salvini.

The snap of Riccardo Simonetti, published on the cover of German queer monthly Siegessäule, spurred Salvini to say “is it possible that certain people can’t manage to respect even the Virgin Mary and Holy Christmas?.

“It isn’t a fun provocation, it is a disgraceful insult”.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]
 

Popular Anime YouTuber Totally Not Mark Hit With Mass Copyright Claims

Mark Fitzpatrick publishes reviews of manga and anime on his YouTube channel “Totally Not Mark.”

However, Toei Animation came after the channel. The Japan-based production company hit Mark with 10 copyright claims overnight.

“Over the last twenty-four hours, I’ve sat back in disbelief, shock, and sorrow as my life’s work has been unfairly ripped away from me,” begins Mark in his response video to Toei and YouTube.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

Reasons to Ditch YouTube for Rumble

Video sharing platform Rumble has established itself as a solid competitor to YouTube by consistently rolling out new features and bringing popular creators to the platform. This has helped it attract more than 100 million monthly visits.

YouTube, on the other hand, has bragged about censoring millions of videos and regularly commits to boosting mainstream media outlets instead of the independent creators that helped build the platform.

If you’re tired of YouTube’s censorship and rejection of small creators, keep reading to discover the reasons you should ditch it and start using Rumble instead.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

Google, Facebook, And Amazon Own 80-90% of the Digital Ads Market, Report States

Google and Facebook’s parent companies Alphabet and Meta, along with Amazon, now nearly entirely dominate the global digital ad market outside China. Over the past five years, the three giants doubled their share of revenues.

The digital ad market — whose complex mechanics are by and large opaque and poorly regulated, represents the bread and butter of these corporations’ financial might, and has had “a good pandemic,” as media investment company GroupM’s new report reveals.

GroupM’s report that came out on Monday estimates that Google, Facebook, and Amazon have between 80 and 90 percent of the world’s digital ad market, China excluded, although GroupM execs are saying that some of these companies limit disclosures about their market share, making it difficult to pinpoint the exact numbers.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

3 thoughts on “Gates of Vienna News Feed 12/8/2021

  1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rtqBdq1c2P8

    The 21-year-old migrant returned from Belarus to Erbil after a failed attempt to reach Europe. In the video, he tells in detail about the methods of “work” of the Belarusian security forces and about the conditions in which they had to be. His story in Russian: “We wanted to go to Belarus because our ultimate goal was to get to Europe. But, unfortunately, it didn’t work, it became a nightmare for us. We tried to get to the crossing points through smugglers, but the Belarusian security forces They caught us and beat us. Then we decided to unite in a large campground to get to the border with Lithuania together. They forced us, sprayed pepper spray on our eyes, they still had metal brass knuckles, and then beat us with these brass knuckles. in such conditions, we again tried to cross the border. We were pressured not only physically, but also psychologically, beating with wooden sticks. After an unsuccessful crossing, we returned to the tent city. Thousands of people were on the border with Poland, but we were again taken to the border with Lithuania. We spent seven days there. This time we got good food from them, but then they took us back to the camp near Grodno. It is far from Minsk, about 270 km. There were terrible conditions to some I have never seen in my life. Men, women, children. The food was bad, everything looked terrible, there were marks on my body, I got sick. My skin was covered in pimples. There was no warm water, it was cold there, we were intimidated that they would put us in prison at the border crossings. Yesterday we were forcibly deported through the Minsk airport, we spent the night there one night. And today we were deported to Erbil. “

  2. They blocked Tor in a very peculiar way. Blocked the ability to access this site from a regular browser. But Tor himself, who has it installed, works great.
    I had to install it once.
    For example, in Russia, the site of the Iranian Political Club has been blocked for cartoons about Porkollah and about Muhammad and Aisha. The site has been blocked by the Chechen prosecutor’s office.

    Two of my social media groups were blocked by the Chechen prosecutor’s office for insulting the feelings of Muslim believers. So it goes.

Comments are closed.