New research indicates that in the wake of Covid lockdowns, 25% of German fourth-graders are unable to read properly. Meanwhile, the German Catholic Church stands to lose about a third of its real estate, due to the accelerating departure of believers from the church.
In other news, taxes in the UK that were meant to target the ultra-wealthy will now impact 20% of taxpayers.
To see the headlines and the articles, click “Continue reading” below.
Thanks to Dean, LP, Reader from Chicago, Roger, SS, Upananda Brahmachari, 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.
Dutch Economy Contracts by 0.7 Percent in the First Quarter, Despite Slight EU Growth
Gross domestic product in the Netherlands fell by 0.7 percent in the first quarter of 2023 compared to the previous quarter. The contraction took place despite 0.3 percent GDP growth in the European Union as a whole. Statistics Netherlands (CBS) largely attributed the contraction to a fall in the trade balance and an increase in the use of natural gas held in reserves.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Former Czech President Joins Critics in Slamming Fiala’s Austerity Package
Former Czech President Milos Zeman has weighed into the political storm brewing over Prime Minister Petr Fiala’s tax hikes, claiming the proposed measures will not have the desired economic effect and will only cause greater misery to the Czech population.
Zeman, who only stepped down from his presidential role in March, offered his thoughts on the government tax reforms in a social media post on Wednesday.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
UK: Taxes Meant to Clobber Super Wealthy Will Now Hit One-in-Five
Millions more working Britons will be forced to pay the tax rate meant to impact the super-wealthy in one of the largest tax hikes in half a century by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s poorly-named Conservative Party.
According to research conducted by The Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) one in five taxpaying adults in Britain will be artificially hit with tax rates originally created for the super wealthy as a result of Rishi Sunak in 2021 freezing the salary at which people begin paying income tax at £12,570 and the higher rate at £50,270 for six years. The move was then extended to 2028 by Sunak’s finance chief Jeremy Hunt last year.
The process, dubbed fiscal drag, means that tax thresholds do not raise along with inflation, resulting in people who were previously in lower bands being unjustly dragged into higher tax brackets.
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
Air Force Vet Identified as Zodiac Killer Suspect But FBI Didn’t Act on DNA Proof, Group Claims
A volunteer cold case team says an FBI official confirmed the man they believe to be the “Zodiac Killer” is currently listed as a suspect and accuses government agencies across the country of not properly investigating the alleged serial killings.
Thomas Colbert, an investigative journalist and leader of the non-profit volunteer team Case Breakers, said in a press release this week that a whistleblower on his team was told by an FBI agent that Gary Francis Poste, an Air Force veteran, is considered a suspect in a database for the killings and that the lab has a “partial” DNA sample.
“The felon has been secretly listed as the Zodiac ‘suspect’ in Headquarters’ computers since 2016,” the group wrote in a press release. “With his ‘partial DNA’ safely secured at the feds’ Quantico, Virginia lab.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
A high-ranking federal prosecutor in Massachusetts is stepping down after watchdog reports published Wednesday revealed she broke numerous Department of Justice (DOJ) policies by attempting to meddle in a local electoral race, joining a Democrat Party fundraiser where Jill Biden appeared, among other things.
In the 161-page report on Rachel Rollins’ alleged violations, Inspector General Michael Horowitz’s office said that she “fell far short of the standards of professionalism and judgment that the Department should expect of any employee, much less a U.S. Attorney.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Bryan Kohberger Indicted by Grand Jury in Idaho Student Murders
Criminology Ph.D student Bryan Kohberger was indicted Wednesday by a grand jury in Latah County for the home invasion murders of four University of Idaho students.
A new arraignment has been scheduled next week for May 22, at 9 a.m., Fox News reports.
With this indictment, Kohberger will not be able to counter the evidence used for his arrest at a preliminary hearing that had been scheduled for June 26.
This also spares the two survivors who were in the house, as well as potential witnesses from having to testify under cross-examination before the trial.
Last year, Kohberger was arrested at his parents’ house in eastern Pennsylvania and charged with first-degree murder in connection with the Nov. 13 deaths of students Kaylee Goncalves, Maddie Mogen, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin.
Kohberger was a criminal justice student at Washington State University.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
CBS News Pushes Bill Gates’ Plan to Fight ‘Climate Change’ by Blocking the Sun
CBS News has aired a show that offered up radical suggestions for fighting so-called “climate change.”
Among those ideas, “CBS Saturday Morning” pushed a plan backed by Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates and leftist billionaire George Soros.
The plan involves blocking the Sun’s rays from reaching the Earth using solar geoengineering.
The scheme would lower the planet’s temperature and allegedly combat “global warming.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Central Florida Man Pleads Guilty to Making False Statements to FBI With Connections to ISIS
U.S. Attorney Roger B Handberg said Moad Mohamme Benkabbou of Kississemmi has pleaded guilty to two counts of lying to the FBI about his connection to ISIS.
During the federal investigation in August 2022, Benkabbou, 23, admitted to making untrue statements under oath to federal investigators.
The indictment revealed Benabbou swore support to the terrorist organization and was planning to travel overseas to join ISIS.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Charges Dismissed Against Man Accused of Shooting 4 People Over Food Delivery
Charges have been dismissed against a Detroit man accused of shooting four people, including two 14-year-olds, after getting into an argument over a food order delivered to the wrong address, according to prosecutors.
The four people who were shot did not show up to testify at the preliminary exam last week, said Wayne County Assistant Prosecutor Maria Miller. Prosecutors are still deciding whether to reissue charges against Deon Thomas.
Thomas, 32, was facing 24 felony charges, including four counts each of assault with intent to murder, assault with intent to do great bodily harm less than murder and felonious assault. He also had 12 felony firearm charges.
Detroit police said they found two Detroit 14-year-olds, a 36-year-old Detroit woman and a 31-year-old Dearborn Heights man with gunshot wounds when they arrived just before 9 p.m. April 13 to the 13570 block of Penrod Street in Detroit.
A food order was delivered to the 36-year-old woman’s house, which led to the argument between Thomas and the four victims, police said.
| — Hat tip: Roger | [Return to headlines] |
Allies of newly-elected Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson are pushing a $12 billion financial package that would raise taxes for certain residents in the city and divest from policing and surveillance.
Released Tuesday, the proposal from Action Center on Race & the Economy (ACRE) and People’s Unity Platform outlined “several measures Mayor Brandon Johnson can take to raise or save up to $12 billion a year to fund true community safety.”
>From housing and education to climate and violence prevention, the People’s Unity Platform called for Johnson’s office to take action on a number of its suggestions in the proposal titled “First We Get The Money.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Corporate Media Runs With George Soros ‘Holocaust Survivor’ Lie
Elon Musk tweeted a milquetoast five-word criticism of George Soros, sending the corporate media into a full-on moral panic about “anti-Semitism.”
Via The Atlantic:
Last night, Elon Musk made two rookie social-media mistakes: He tweeted after 10 p.m., and he echoed paranoid anti-Semitic conspiracy theorists. “George Soros reminds me of Magneto,” he declared, likening the financier to the Marvel supervillain, both of them Jewish Holocaust survivors. In case the meaning was unclear, Musk quickly clarified to another user, “He wants to erode the very fabric of civilization. Soros hates humanity.”
George Soros is the exact opposite of a Holocaust survivor; he was a Holocaust perpetrator back in his native Hungary when he enthusiastically sold out his own fellow Jews to his adopted Nazi daddy.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Crowder Declares “War” on YouTube for Removing Alex Jones Segments
Conservative host Stephen Crowder has vowed “This means WAR,” after YouTube removed several of his videos, including clips of Infowars founder Alex Jones guest hosting his show.
Crowder tweeted out screenshots of his inbox and notifications from YouTube that his content has been purged for “violating community guidelines.”
Crowder came out punching, declaring that “I don’t give a s*** that we’re ONE STRIKE AWAY from being banned permanently,” and saying he will never stop whether YouTube likes it or not.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Decline and Fall: CNN Drops Below Newsmax in Prime Time Ratings Collapse
Struggling CNN dropped into fourth place behind Newsmax for prime time viewership ratings last Friday night, the slump following a rare climb to the top driven by Donald Trump’s town hall appearance.
Forbes reports CNN could only garner an average total audience of 335,000 viewers, trailing behind Newsmax’s 357,000 viewers during the evening.
Fox News finished first in prime with 1.44 million viewers, and MSNBC was second overall with 1.084 million viewers.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Former activists Michelle Saahene and Melissa DePino recently ended their partnership over disagreement about how each should be compensated according to the Los Angeles Times.
The L.A. Times reported on Saahene and DePino’s professional relationship which originally began after capturing on video of two Black men being arrested at a Philadelphia Starbucks after asking to use the restroom in 2018. The video went viral which lead the two women to form the company Privilege to Progress (P2P) to promote sensitivity training for corporations.
However, over the past few years, their professional and personal relationship following the Starbucks video crumbled over Saahene accusing DePino of being insensitive to her role as a Black woman.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Elon Musk Slams Working From Home as ‘Morally Wrong, ‘ Says ‘Laptop Class’ Living in ‘La-La Land’
Tesla CEO Elon Musk said Tuesday that working from home is “morally wrong” when others in the service industry still have to show up in person.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Elon Musk Claims ‘I Am the Reason OpenAI Exists’ in CNBC Interview
In a bold statement made during an extensive interview with CNBC, Tesla CEO Elon Musk claimed on Tuesday that he is the key reason behind the existence of OpenAI, the startup responsible for the creation of the fastest-growing business application of all time, ChatGPT.
“I am the reason OpenAI exists,” Musk asserted. “It wouldn’t exist without me.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Elon Musk Warns Suppression of Hunter Biden Laptop Story Was ‘Election Interference’
Elon Musk appeared on the leftist network CNBC and warned the liberal viewers that efforts to suppress the Hunter Biden laptop story by Democrats and their allies amounted to “election interference.”
Musk told CNBC’s David Faber that the suppression of the story by Big Tech and the corporate media was a “terrible thing that happened.”
He warned that the effort was not a “conspiracy theory” as it has been proven to have impacted the 2020 election.
Musk made the comment when Faber claimed that the Twitter boss shares “conspiracy theories” on social media.
“Some of these conspiracy theories have turned out to be true,” Musk responded.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Failed Johnson & Johnson COVID Vaccine No Longer Available in US
After much fanfare for its initial rollout over two years ago, the J&J jab is no longer on offer for Americans.
Via CNN:
The Covid-19 vaccine from Johnson & Johnson is no longer available in the United States, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
All remaining doses expired last week, and the CDC directed providers to dispose of any that they had left over.
About 19 million people in the US have received the J&J vaccine since it first became available. But more than 31.5 million doses have been delivered to states and other jurisdictions, leaving about 12.5 million doses unused, according to CDC data.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Hunter Biden Lobbied Obama’s State Department on Behalf of Corrupt Romanian Oligarch
Hunter Biden lobbied former President Barack Obama’s State Department on behalf of a corrupt foreign oligarch, records have revealed.
Hunter was paid over $1 million to lobby the Obama administration while his father, Joe Biden, was serving as vice president.
In 2016, Hunter Biden met with a State Department official to help the corruption case on behalf of Romanian real estate tycoon Gabriel Popoviciu.
The case is now raising questions about whether the younger Biden engaged in unregistered foreign lobbying.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Illinois Assault Weapon Ban Kept in Place by US Supreme Court
The U.S. Supreme Court declined Wednesday to block the Illinois “assault weapons” ban from being enforced as its constitutional status is being considered in lower courts.
This ruling comes after a gun shop owner in Illinois requested an injunction against the ban.
There were no noted dissents and the request for an injunction went to Justice Amy Coney Barrett.
The Protect Illinois Communities Act, which was passed on Jan. 10, bans the sale and new possession of semi-automatic “assault weapons” and prohibits sales of big capacity magazines, according to Fox News.
However, current owners of weapons listed in the bill such as AR-15s and AK-47s would not have to turn them in.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit is considering the case, but it will likely be appealed to the Supreme Court.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Judge Grants Kari Lake New Trial on Signature Fraud Case
Arizona’s Republican gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake has been granted a new trial to hear her signature fraud case in court.
Lake will finally get the opportunity to get her case heard in court.
Her case contests Arizona’s questionable election results and accuses officials of major failings in the state.
As Slay News reported, the Arizona Supreme Court ruled in March that a lower court improperly dismissed Lake’s challenge.
Her lawsuit alleges that Maricopa County officials potentially violated signature verification policies.
In a major win for Lake, a Maricopa County judge has agreed to hear the case.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Major Shakeup at Fox News as Sean Hannity to Replace Tucker Carlson
Reports are emerging that a major shakeup is underway at Fox News.
The network has seen its viewer numbers plummet as Fox fired star anchor Tucker Carlson.
The Drudge Report has a massive scoop and is reporting that Fox News is about to announce a major shakeup to its primetime lineup.
Drudge is reporting that Sean Hannity will take over the key timeslot at 8 pm that was held by Carlson.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Matt Gaetz Drops the Hammer on FBI: ‘We Have to Deauthorize, Defang and Defund’
Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) is furious with Special Counsel John Durham’s final report and is calling for action to be taken to reign in the powers of the FBI.
As Slay News reported, Durham’s explosive report revealed that former FBI Director James Comey knew the Trump-Russia story was a hoax that was invented by Hillary Clinton but he still pursued investigations into the false claims.
According to Durham’s findings, Comey was briefed on Hillary Clinton’s plan to falsely link Trump to Russia in August 2016, just weeks before the presidential election.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Montana Becomes First State to Completely Ban TikTok
Montana Republican Gov. Greg Gianforte on Wednesday signed into law legislation that forbids Chinese social media platform TikTok from operating within the state.
While numerous states have moved to bar use of the app on official devices, Montana’s legislation is the first seeking to bar the app from operating within an entire state at all, Reuters noted.
Montana lawmakers approved the plan in April, with the state House voting 54-43 to bar the app’s operation. The state Senate backed in in a 30-20 vote. The measure further forbids app stores from offering it for download within Montana’s borders.
The app has come under fire from security officials and policy makers due to the close relationship between parent company ByteDance and the Chinese Communist Party.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
The city is sinking at a rate of 1-2 millimeters per year, scientists say, under the weight of its towering skyscrapers. It may not sound that bad, but parts of New York City are sinking much faster.
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
O’Keefe Video Catches Fox Producer Spilling Why Carlson Got the Boot
From the “We Knew That Already” Department… Everyone in the conserv-o-sphere has had their opinions as to why Fox News showed Tucker Carlson the door. If you had Dominion and/or Big Pharma in the pool, ding, ding, ding! You’re our big winner for the day. And let’s be honest: everyone knew it was one or the other, or as it turned out, a combination of both. But James O’Keefe, who wasted absolutely no time getting back on the horse following his departure from Project Veritas, had one of his journalists meet Fox producer Sean Langille, who confirmed what we already knew.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
OpenAI’s Sam Altman Closes in on $100m Funding for Iris-Scanning Cryptocurrency Plans
OpenAI’s CEO Sam Altman is securing $100 million in funding for the company’s dystopian iris-scanning technology to create a global cryptocurrency called Worldcoin, according to The Financial Times. The company is preparing to launch Worldcoin in the next few weeks.
The funds are being procured from new and old investors, according to sources familiar with the matter. Previous investors include FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried who is facing charges for major fraud, internet entrepreneur Reid Hoffman, Andreessen Horowitz’s crypto fund, and Khosla Ventures.
The company plans to use iris-scanning technology to create a global digital ID that will be used to access Worldcoin.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Report: Feinstein Doesn’t Remember Being Gone From Senate for 10 Weeks
A disturbing report in the LA Times details how 89 year old Democrat Senator Diane Feinstein doesn’t remember that she has been absent from the Senate for 10 weeks due to illness.
Feinstein was sick with Shingles and its after effects for over two months, missing 93 votes in the Senate and leading many, even within her own party, to call for her to step down.
Yet when she was asked by a reporter how other Senators have reacted to her return, she was adamant that she hadn’t been anywhere.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
RFK Jr. Outs New NIH Head Nominee as a Pfizer Lackey
The NIH has a newly nominated Pfizer rubber stamper in chief.
Via The White House:
Today, President Biden announced his intent to nominate Dr. Monica Bertagnolli as Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the world’s preeminent biomedical research organization. Dr. Bertagnolli is a world-renowned surgical oncologist, cancer researcher, educator, and physician-leader who has the vision and leadership needed to deliver on NIH’s mission to seek fundamental knowledge and promote human health.
Statement from President Biden: “Dr. Bertagnolli has spent her career pioneering scientific discovery and pushing the boundaries of what is possible to improve cancer prevention and treatment for patients, and ensuring that patients in every community have access to quality care.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Rubio Releases New COVID Origin Report That Exposes Chinese Cover-Up
On Wednesday morning, Sen. Marco Rubio’s (R-Fla.) office unveiled a chilling 328-page report on the origins of COVID-19, following an extensive 18-month investigation.
The report is based on a wealth of evidence that had remained undisclosed or overlooked by the U.S. government. Senator Rubio himself described it as a “groundbreaking look at what was happening in China during the years and months leading up to the known outbreak of the pandemic.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Reparations task force member Rev. Amos Brown told The New York Times, “Of all these billionaires in San Francisco, you could establish a reparations fund” to pay millions to Black residents.
California is one of multiple states negotiating over economic reparations for Black Americans whose ancestors were victimized by the Atlantic slave trade and its legacy, despite the fact California was designated as a free state when it joined the Union in 1850.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Seattle Area Sees More Overdoses in 2023 Already Than in All of 2020
There have been more overdose deaths in Washington state’s most populous county this year as of Monday than in all of 2020, according to data from Seattle-King County Public Health.
The department recorded 524 overdose deaths in the county in 2023, exceeding the entire annual total of 2020, during which the county saw 508 overdose deaths. It is now on pace to exceed last year’s record-breaking total of 1,000 overdose deaths.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Several senators suggested that generative AI tools should be restricted and that only companies with a government-approved license should be able to provide the software during a Tuesday Senate Judiciary Committee hearing titled “Oversight of A.I.: Rules for Artificial Intelligence.”
Sam Altman, the CEO of OpenAI, testified during the hearing and agreed with the push for AI access to be restricted via licensing.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Suspect Charged With Shooting 2 People, Pistol-Whipping Trans Woman Outside Philadelphia Club
PHILADELPHIA — Authorities have announced an arrest in an incident outside a Philadelphia speakeasy that left three people with serious injuries last year.
Joel Martinez, 22, was arrested in connection with the incident that occurred back on June 12, 2022, near Rosehill and East Westmoreland streets.
Martinez is accused of shooting a young woman and a teenage girl while also pistol-whipping a trans woman.
Police say the victims were leaving the nightclub when they encountered another group of people, including Martinez. At that time, Martinez allegedly uttered a derogatory word at one of the victims and an argument ensued.
During the argument, police say Martinez pulled out a handgun and fire at least six shots, striking two of the victims. He’s then accused of pistol-whipping the third victim.
| — Hat tip: LP | [Return to headlines] |
An Islamic extremist has been given 10 life sentences and another 260 years in prison for killing eight people with a truck on a bike path in Manhattan and severely injuring 18 others.
Sayfullo Saipov remained remorseless Wednesday and said the tears of victims and family members in the courtroom were small compared to the blood and tears that those in the Islamic faith have suffered.
‘I was here in the court during the three-month trial, and I saw and I heard the victims, families and friends,’ he said through an interpreter before his sentencing. ‘The court would be filled up with the tears and blood of the Muslim population.’
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Tucker Carlson Plays Ace Card, Checkmates Rupert Murdoch
An interesting report was posted to social media saying Ex-Fox News star Tucker Carlson had an ace card up his sleeve he played to checkmate Rupert Murdoch during exit negotiations.
When Carlson made the shock announcement that he would relaunch his show on Twitter, everyone assumed Elon Musk had made him an offer he couldn’t refuse.
However, Musk said that was not the case, revealing that Carlson would be a free agent, at least in regards to Twitter.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
‘We Sale Your Bank’: WaPo Reporter Rewrites Disastrous Fetterman Word Salad as a ‘Quote’
To protect the ever-brilliant Sen. John Frankenstein — er, Fetterman (D-Pa.) — a Washington Post reporter rewrote a muddled Fetterman ramble and posted it as a quote. Apparently, journalism now means covering up government idiocy by pretending an official is actually coherent.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Canada’s Liberals Try to Defend Plan to Target Anonymous Social Media Accounts
Canada’s ruling Liberals have found themselves accused of working against free press, as they continue their “war on misinformation.”
This time, the Liberals were caught doing this during their party congress that saw attendance from members coming across the country, and one of the things they did was pass a resolution — albeit a non-binding one — regarding the need to tackle “online misinformation.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
According to a new Abacus Data poll released Monday, more Canadians judge Conservative Party of Canada leader Pierre Poilievre to be more “competent” than Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
The poll, based on interviews with 2,500 respondents between May 9-12, focused on which of the two major party leaders is seen as more competent, more reflective of Canadian values, most in tune with the national interest, and more honest about the political views he actually holds.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
CBC Creates Minecraft Game That Teaches Kids to Navigate Online “Misinformation”
You don’t — or perhaps, you by now do — expect a media outlet, a national, government-funded broadcaster like Canada’s CBC to be in the business of teaching children how to recognize “online misinformation”?
But here we are.
It’s about a “blocky, ultra-popular” game called Reporting 101: Misinformation coming from CBC Kids News, and targeting students from grade 4 to 8. And it is nominally tied to some undoubtedly positive if not key skills, although it may be misinterpreting their actual meaning rather severely: digital literacy, and critical thinking.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Last week, the new design for Canada’s passports was revealed. Many blasted the change that removed images commemorating heroes like Terry Fox, and historical achievements such as the Battle of Vimy Ridge and replaced them with simplistic images such as a person raking leaves.
Conservative Party of Canada leader Pierre Poilievre was among those quick to rebuke the change, grilling Prime Minister Justin Trudeau over it during Question Period. Trudeau—who once said veterans were asking for more than the government could afford—deflected by accusing Conservatives of not caring about veterans.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
COVID Shots Had Zero Impact on Reducing Deaths, Study Find
Messenger RNA (mRNA) shots for Covid had absolutely no impact on reducing the overall mortality rate related to the virus, a new study has confirmed.
The study, published in the renowned Cell journal, was led by Professor Christine Stabell Benn at the University of Southern Denmark.
Professor Benn and a team of health researchers found that the mRNA vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna may have saved a very small number of lives in cases where the patients were extremely vulnerable.
However, any lives saved were offset by the number of vaccinated trial participants who died from cardiovascular problems as a result of the jab.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
In an exclusive interview with Remix News conducted a few days after CPAC Hungary 2023, Jorge Buxadé, who is the vice-president of Spain’s Vox party and leader of the Vox delegation in the European Parliament, explains why the government of Pedro Sanchez is allowed to trample on the rule of law and democratic principles when Poland and Hungary are constantly attacked by Brussels for much less
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
France to Join US, UK in Training Ukrainian Fighter Pilots
The Zelensky government’s longtime lobbying of Western capitals to supply advanced fighter jets just got a big boost, after on Monday French President Emmanuel Macron confirmed his country has “opened the door” to training Ukrainian fighter pilots.
He said this the day after he hosted President Volodymyr Zelensky in Paris, amid a broader European tour by the Ukrainian delegation, wherein Macron also pledged to send more tanks to help defend against Russia.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Germany: Generation Lockdown: Quarter of Fourth Graders Cannot Read Properly
One in four fourth-graders in Germany cannot read properly post-lockdown, international research has shown.
Data published as part of the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) has found that one in four fourth graders in Germany cannot read properly as of 2021.
The data has contributed to fears that the country’s prolonged COVID lockdown has badly damaged a generation of children, with the country’s government warning that nearly three-quarters of children in the country have been left with mental health difficulties as a result of COVID restrictions.
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
Italy: Climate Activists Stage Daring Protest on Rome Ring-Road
(ANSA) — ROME, MAY 17 — Four members of Italy’s Ultima Generazione (Last Generation) civil-disobedience group abseiled down from a bridge on Wednesday to halt traffic on Rome’s ‘Tangenziale’ ring road in a daring stunt that is part of their efforts to highlight the need to tackle the climate crisis.
As they did so, a group of 10 other protestors blocked the traffic in the other direction.
The group held up a banner declaring “We Won’t Pay for Fossil Fuels”, referring their campaign to stop public investment in, and subsidies of, fossil fuels, the biggest source of the greenhouse emissions causing the climate crisis.
Firefighters had to intervene to get the abseiling activists down.
All the protestors have been reported to criminal prosecutors.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Netherlands: Police Arrest 14 Climate Activists While Clearing Out University of Amsterdam Building
On Tuesday evening, the police arrested 14 people while clearing out a University of Amsterdam building. The climate activists had occupied a hall at the Roeterseiland campus. They are suspected of, among other things, a “breach of the local peace and rebellion,” the police said on Twitter.
The activists occupied the hall to demand that the university break ties with the fossil fuel industry. There have been similar occupations at other academic institutions this month.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Polish Weapons Manufacturer Plans to Increase Artillery Shell Production by 500%
Polish Armaments Group (PGZ) aims to increase production to over 200,000 units of ammunition per year from the current 30,000 to 40,000 units, confirmed PGZ President Sebastian Chwalek after discussions with the European Commission and arms manufacturers.
The PGZ president said recent events on the Ukrainian front have accelerated ammunition deliveries for 155 mm howitzers in support of Ukraine. He also highlighted the EU’s decision to provide Ukraine with approximately 1 million rounds of artillery.
The talks in Brussels focused on joint ammunition purchases, which will involve Poland’s Mesko, Dezamet, and Polish Armaments Group as well as delegations from major European ammunition manufacturers.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Scholz’s Call to End Unanimous Voting is a Call for a European Superstate, Says Senior Polish MEP
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz told the European parliament last week that there is a need to reform the voting system in the European Council so that more decisions would be taken by qualified majority voting, thus removing the veto for member states.
In an interview on public Polish Radio 24, Law and Justice (PiS) MEP Jacek Saryusz-Wolski told listeners that plans for a European superstate ruled by an oligarchy of Germany, France, and their allies in EU institutions are a threat to Polish sovereignty. Saryusz-Wolski argued that the EU today is breaching its powers with its institutions usurping competencies of the member states, and claimed that Poland has suffered from this during the rule of law dispute.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Shrinking German Catholic Church to Lose a Third of Its Property
ROME — An ongoing exodus from the Catholic Church in Germany has produced a financial and membership crisis, a new report asserts.
According to a report appearing in Kirche und Recht, the German Catholic Church stands to lose some 40,000 properties by 2060, including rectories, community centers, and churches.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Sweden Must Prepare to Leave the EU, Says Influential Sweden Democrats Party Leader
Sweden must fully prepare to leave the European Union in order to maximize its negotiating position with the bloc, stated Jimmie Åkesson, leader of the anti-immigration Sweden Democrats party.
In an article published by Svenska Dagbladet on Monday, Åkesson and his co-author, Swedish MEP Charlie Weimers, expressed their desire for Sweden to “maximize its influence” in the European Union, outlining three measures the Swedish government must take.
First, the government should seek to make constitutional changes in order to introduce a “referendum lock,” which would enshrine into law the requirement of a public vote before any further powers can be transferred from Stockholm to Brussels.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Polish President Andrzej Duda welcomed government officials from across Central and Eastern Europe to Poland on Tuesday as he opened the third congress of the Three Seas Initiative.
This is an event during which local government officials from 12 countries located near the Baltic, Black, and Adriatic Seas talk about the future of the initiative and about regional security.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
UK: Just Stop Oil Protesters Disrupt Hearing Into Met’s Coronation Policing
A hearing into the Metropolitan Police’s treatment of protesters on Coronation day was briefly interrupted by Just Stop Oil activists.
The Home Affairs Committee’s hearing was paused about 25 minutes into proceedings on Wednesday morning.
Voices could be heard in the chamber, followed by people groaning and asking for security to intervene, before the video feed cut out.
Separately, eight Just Stop Oil members were arrested at Parliament Square.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
CIA Releases Video Urging Russians to Spy on Their Own Country
In an unusual attempt at public outreach ‘spy-style’, the world’s most powerful intelligence organization is openly encouraging Russians to spy on their own country.
The CIA released a nearly 2-minute video Monday on its official YouTube, Twitter, and Telegram channels. The Russian-language, professionally produced video urges individual Russians to provide intelligence on their country in the midst of the Ukraine war.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
A Patriot Missile air defence battery in Ukraine “was likely damaged” in a Russian missile barrage this week, a report claims, possibly confirming Russia’s claim the day before they had “struck” a Patriot in Kyiv with a ‘hypersonic’ missile.
The Ukraine war has been characterised to a certain degree in recent days with a return to Cold War form by Russia and the United States with a barely disguised competition over who has the better missiles. An important question, the United States could feel confident with a report earlier this month that their state-of-the-art Patriot air defence system had taken down one of Russia’s much-vaunted “undefeatable” Kinzhal (Dagger/Killjoy) missiles for the first time in combat.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Russian Forces in Retreat Near Bakhmut, Ukraine and Wagner Say
NEAR BAKHMUT, Ukraine, May 18 (Reuters) — The Ukrainian military and Russia’s Wagner private army both reported further Russian retreats around the city of Bakhmut on Thursday, as Kyiv pressed on with its biggest advance for six months ahead of a planned counteroffensive.
Ukrainian troops near the front line said Russia was bombarding access roads to slow the Ukrainian assault, which has shifted momentum after months of slow Russian gains in Europe’s deadliest ground combat since World War Two.
| — Hat tip: Dean | [Return to headlines] |
Ukraine’s Supreme Court Chief Justice Arrested on Corruption Charges Over Massive Bribery Scheme
The chief justice of Ukraine’s Supreme Court has just been arrested on corruption charges after he was caught accepting a $2.7 million bribe.
The head of the nation’s highest court, Vsevolod Kniaziev, has been detained by Ukrainian prosecutors, according to the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO).
Long before Russia invaded, Ukraine was considered the most corrupt nation in Europe.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
India: Radical Islamic Racket Busted Converting Hindus in Madhya Pradesh
Five suspects had married Hindu girls, with two of these men having converted to Islam only a few years prior, the Madhya Pradesh Police anti-terrorist squad (ATS) sources said.
Anurag Dwary | NDTV Online Desk | Bhopal | May 15, 2023:: The first Indian module of radical Islamic outfit Hizb-ut-Tahrir (HuT), which was busted by the Madhya Pradesh Police anti-terrorist squad (ATS) on May 9, has a religious conversion angle, sources have said.
Five suspects had married Hindu girls, with two of these men having converted to Islam only a few years prior.
ATS sources said two key accused of the busted module, including Bhopal-based gym trainer Yasir Khan and Hyderabad-based Mohd Salim, who till a few years back was known as Saurabh Rajvaidya, the son of Bhopal-based retired Ayurveda doctor Dr Ashok Jain.
Mohd Salim is a senior staff at the faculty of pharmacy at a college in Hyderabad, reportedly run by a politician’s family.
ATS sources said five of the accused were converted from Hinduism to Islam, including Mohd Salim (earlier Saurabh Raj Vaidya), Abdur Rehman (earlier Devi Narayan Panda) and Mohd Abbas Ali (earlier Benu Kumar).
Mohd Salim’s parents in Bhopal’s Berasiya area alleged that Dr Kamal, a senior colleague of their son when he was teaching at a private college in Bhopal in the early 2000, brainwashed him and converted him into “Salim”.
“He is our only son among our five children. It was Dr Kamal only who brainwashed him to switch to Islam and the videos of controversial fundamentalist Islamic preacher Dr Zakir Naik further contributed to our son’s conversion to Islam,” his father said…
| — Hat tip: Upananda Brahmachari | [Return to headlines] |
Pakistani Police Surround Imran Khan’s Home, Claim Former Leader is Hiding Suspects in Recent Riots
ISLAMABAD (AP) — Police surrounded the home of former Pakistan’s former Prime Minister Imran Khan on Wednesday, claiming he was sheltering dozens of people allegedly involved in violent protests over his recent detention.
The police deployment was likely to anger Khan’s many followers and raised concerns about more clashes between them and the security forces. Last week, Khan supporters had attacked public property and military installations after he was dragged out of a courtroom and detained.
The popular opposition leader was released over the weekend and returned to his home in an upscale district of Lahore, Pakistan’s second largest city and the capital of the Punjab region.
On Wednesday, Khan took to Twitter after 200 police officers surrounded the house, and a prison van appeared on the scene.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
China Orders Foreign Embassies to Remove Pro-Ukraine Posters — Report
The Chinese government has sent a notice to multiple embassies and international organizations, asking them to remove inappropriate signs from their premises, a Japanese news agency reported on Tuesday.
The request most likely refers to pro-Ukraine posters displayed by embassies of Canada, Poland and Germany.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
69yo Woman Hangs Off Bridge for 90 Minutes
Climate protesters have brought Adelaide’s streets to a standstill after abseiling off the side of a bridge while rallying against a fossil fuel conference.
A group from Extinction Rebellion gathered around protester Meme Thorne, 69, as she suspended herself from the side of the Morphett St bridge, bringing traffic and trams to a standstill in the area.
They were protesting against the Australian Petroleum Production and Exploration Association (APPEA) conference that was being held at the nearby Adelaide Convention Centre.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Liverpool Girls’ High School in Sydney said on Tuesday that Year 9, 10 and 11 students would have to work from home immediately, while all staff and students still in school would have to use masks.
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
One Nation NSW leader Mark Latham has threatened to countersue independent MP Alex Greenwich if he continues with a lawsuit against him, saying ‘he started this’.
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
Shocking Moment Schoolgirls Trade Punches With Train Passenger in Front of Horrified Commuters
Two girls, both 15-years-old, have been recorded brawling with a passenger on a Sydney train between the stations of Regents Park and Berala.
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
A teenager has been stabbed to death in front of shocked commuters outside a busy train station.
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
Billionaire energy mogul Elon Musk was left clearly stunned after learning a fact about life in Australia that millions here deal with every month: ‘I didn’t realise it was that expensive’.
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
African Migrants Arrested for Raping Disabled Elderly Woman at Her Home in France
African migrants were arrested for raping an elderly disabled woman during a home invasion in France this month, according to reports.
The disturbing incident unfolded at around 5:30 p.m. on May 3 in La Courneuve, a commune in the Paris metro region.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
The British government has been paying convicted Albanian criminals to go back to their home country — even commuting the sentences of those currently incarcerated — yet many of those deported intend to return to Britain within days.
The findings are from an investigative report by the BBC into the effectiveness of the U.K. government’s deportation schemes after Home Secretary Suella Braverman’s pledged to ramp up the expulsion of foreign nationals living in Britain illegally.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Belgium: Over One in Four Criminal Convictions Are for Foreigners
Over one-quarter of those given criminal convictions in Belgium were foreign nationals, data published by the government has revealed.
More than one in four people given criminal convictions in Belgium in 2020 were citizens of another country, data released by the country’s government has shown.
The figures were obtained after a request made by Flemish nationalist party Vlaams Belang, which is now urging the country’s federal government to implement arrangements allowing foreign criminals to serve their sentences abroad.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Border Authorities Encountered More Than 200k Migrants at Southern Border in April: CBP
Border authorities encountered 211,401 migrants at the United States’ southern border with Mexico during the month of April, the latest report from U.S. Customs and Border Protection indicated.
That figure marked a 10% surge from the March total of 191,956. Total encounters at ports of entry specifically increased by 12% from March. CBP indicated that an increase from March to April is “typical” and noted that the figures marked an 11% drop from the previous April.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
DeSantis Sends Florida National Guard to Texas to Help Stop Illegal Immigrants From Entering US
Florida Republican Governor Ron DeSantis announced on Tuesday that he is deploying resources to Texas to aid in the efforts to secure the US southern border against the massive influx of illegal immigrants.
DeSantis said in a statement, “The impacts of Biden’s Border Crisis are felt by communities across the nation, and the federal government’s abdication of duty undermines the sovereignty of our country and the rule of law.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Several migrant youths have appeared before a court in Nice after being charged with a heinous attack on a young White couple as they strolled through the city on Sunday evening.
The couple was walking down Boulevard de Gorbella in the southern French city when they were approached by two teenagers with whom they made eye contact.
The two suspects reportedly proceeded to utter racist insults at the young couple. According to the victims’ lawyer, Rudy Amsellem, the couple were called, “S****y French filth, White filth.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Judge Blocks NYC Mayor Adams From Busing Migrants Upstate
A New York judge temporarily barred New York City Democratic Mayor Eric Adams from busing migrants to a neighboring municipality as the city struggles to cope with the influx of new arrivals.
The city sent the first batch of asylum seekers to the suburbs earlier in May, a move that has drawn vehement opposition from the Republican leadership of upstate counties.
New York Supreme Court Judge Sandra Sciortino’s Tuesday order did not force the removal of migrants who have already arrived at select Orange County hotels, but forbade the city from sending any additional migrants. The Hill reported. Orange County Executive Steven Neuhaus and county Department of Social Services Commissioner Darcie Miller had brought the case.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Migrants Moved From School Gym in Brooklyn Amid Protests and Backlash
SUNSET PARK, Brooklyn (WABC) — New York City officials have moved migrants out of a school gym in Brooklyn amid growing backlash from parents over the city’s housing plan.
After receiving criticism over the plan to house asylum seekers in city schools, asylum seekers were moved Wednesday from the gym at P.S. 188 in Coney Island to an undisclosed, long-term location in Manhattan.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Poland’s Migration Crisis With Belarus Isn’t Over Yet a Dozens Attempt Illegal Crossing Every Day
Dozens of illegal migrants are attempting to cross into Poland every day, with approximately 2,500 illegal crossing attempts recorded in March and April and a total of 1,300 attempts so far in May, according to Polish authorities.
A total of 108 migrants, including citizens of India and Yemen, attempted to illegally cross from Belarus into Poland on Monday, and 75 illegal crossings were attempted on Tuesday, according to the Polish Border Guard.
Some attempted to cross the border via the Swislocz River, with five Cameroon nationals apprehended at the Krynki outpost after crossing the river on Monday and Tuesday. In the area of the Narewka Border Guard post, 17 foreign nationals identified as young men with Russian visas were detained.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Dozens of migrants were pictured arriving in Dover this morning after crossing the English Channel — as the total number of people arriving by small boats so far this year is expected to pass 7,000.
Groups of asylum seekers in seven dinghies were picked up at sea by Border Force in the morning and early afternoon after making the dangerous 21 mile trip in hazy conditions.
The arrivals — which onlookers say included women and children — looks set to be the busiest day since May 1 when 246 migrants arrived in six boats
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
In the latest amnesty-style scheme from the Conservative government to cover over its failures to deal with the ever-growing asylum backlog, tens of thousands of Iraqi and Iranian migrants will have their asylum claims “fast-tracked” by the Home Office.
Following a similar scheme launched in February to ‘streamline’ the right for thousands of migrants from Afghanistan, Eritrea, Libya, Syria, and Yemen to remain in the country after just filling out a questionaire rather than actually being interviewed by an immigration official, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s government is looking to do the same for up to 20,000 alleged asylum seekers from Iraq and Iran in the coming week
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Adidas has been slammed for using what appears to be a male model to show off new swimwear as part of their ‘Pride 2023’ collection.
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
A character in the Archie Comics universe is getting a transgender rebrand as part of an effort to make the series “a little bit more queer.”
In the new series starring “Strange Science” character Danni Malloy, who was known as the love interest to main character Dilton Doiley and sidekick Jinx Holliday, will be now be a transgender woman in a new comic.
Publisher Archie Comics announced on May 15th that Malloy would be making an appearance in its Chilling Adventures anthology, according to a Gizmodo’s io9 report. The series is written by trans comic writer Magdalene Visaggio and illustrated by artist Butch Mapa.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
The Victorian Government has held a drag queen story-time at Parliament House after a council shut down its library event following protests and threats of violence.
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
‘Build-a-Queer’: Queer Trans Project Sends Sex Change Kits to Kids Without Parental Consent
A radical left-wing transgender activist group based in Florida called the Queer Trans Project secretly shipped hundreds of sex change kits that included weapons to children across the United States without parental consent, according to The Epoch Times.
The “build-a-queer-kits” created by the Queer Trans Project included breast binders, artificial male genitalia, tucking tape, condoms, tampons, and more. According to its website, more than 900 kits have been shipped out across 45 states.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Anheuser-Busch is planning a temporary camo print redesign of some of its Bud Light and Budweiser packaging in an effort to stop a sales slide in the wake of the disastrous partnership with trans TikToker Dylan Mulvaney. The beer brand released a promotional can emblazoned with Mulvaney’s image, and Mulvaney posted images of the can, drinking beer, and reclining in the rub while drinking beer wearing pearls.
Apparently this was not the image Bud Light customers wished to emulate, and sales tanked while the brand was eviscerated on social media for the gaffe.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Canada: Breaking: Josh Alexander Arrested in Calgary During School Protest Against Gender Ideology
CALGARY, Alberta (LifeSiteNews) — Canadian Catholic high school student Josh Alexander was arrested this morning outside a public high school for taking part in his own international walkout protest event, which was held today to fight back against the transgender “woke agenda” targeting girls in schools.
Alexander came to Calgary specifically to protest at Western Canada High School today, as part of the international “I Stand with Josh Alexander” walkout protest event, which began at 10:00 a.m. local time.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
DeSantis Signs Bill to Ban Gender Treatments for Minors
Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis on Wednesday signed into law a statewide ban on gender-related treatments for minors.
“You have a movement amongst, I would say, rogue elements of the medical establishment, to do things that is basically the mutilation of minors,” the governor said, according to Newsmax.
“You have actually some states in this country that want to be a haven for these types of procedures, and even welcome minors without their parents’ consent,” he added. “We’re obviously doing the opposite here.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Facebook Deletes “Jesus Died So You Could Live” Post, Calls it “Hate Speech”
Facebook sure has its own interpretation of what constitutes broad-minded tolerance — not to mention, legal speech.
One religion’s central postulates should not be more or less acceptable than another’s, whether the “moderator” (that is, censor, a person or a machine) agrees or not.
But when a Christian posts that, “Jesus died so you could live” — which would be one of the religion’s core beliefs — the person behind the post may yet end up accused of “hate speech” over on Facebook.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
NY School Mandatory Sex Ed for Fifth Graders Features Graphic Depictions of Sex Acts
How young is too young? A progressive school on Long Island, N.Y., thinks that fifth graders are old enough to be exposed to graphic depictions of vaginal and anal sex as well as masturbation and homosexuality. The Waldorf School of Garden City is using the “Our Whole Lives” sex ed curriculum that uses the book It’s Perfectly Normal as a “supplementary resource,” which is progressive teacher-speak for making controversial books available for inquisitive pre-teens to read.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Outta Here: LA Dodgers Cave, Eject Anti-Catholic Group From LGBTQ Pride Event After Backlash
The Los Angeles Dodgers officially removed a left-wing group of so-called “trans nuns” from their Pride Night honoree list after religious groups raised concerns the event would facilitate anti-Catholic hate.
The MLB team announced that it would be honoring the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, a group of “queer and trans nuns,” during a June 16 event, but quickly received backlash from religious groups for the decision given the history of anti-Catholic messaging and shocking performances.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
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The alarm:
Too many real Swedes are seen in Swedish media
Published May 18, 2023 in Fria Tider
A survey by Mediekompaniet sounds the alarm that men are overrepresented in domestic news and that there are too many images of white people in the media.
– To be flamboyant, you can say that middle-aged white men are seen the most, says Lita Nazar, marketing and communications manager at Mediekompaniet, to Kulturnyheterna.
She calls the result “distressing”.
The survey is said to show that men still dominate the media presence in domestic news with 66 percent, while women make up 34 percent – the same result as the corresponding measurement from 2019.
The differences are even greater in foreign news, where women make up 24 percent of the presence, while men account for 76 percent.
The report also includes an analysis of images in news articles. It is claimed that non-white people are almost non-existent in the images, especially outside of sports contexts, and that even people with “bigger bodies” (fatty?) are underrepresented.
– Both from a democratic point of view but also from a journalistic and financial point of view. If people don’t feel portrayed or don’t think the media speaks to them, it may ultimately mean that they stop consuming them, says Lita Nazar to SVT.
+++
Lita Nazar: non muslim female Arab?
https://www.qwant.com/?t=images&q=Lita+Nazar
+++
An adjacent heading:
Refugee child was going to drown Swedish girl –
instead died himself because he couldn’t swim
Men dominate the media presence? And this is a bad thing why?
Almost no females I know pay any attention to the news; most males don’t either. However I don’t think overrepresentation is a problem unless something is also done to correct the overrepresentation of females on Instagram, TikTok, and OnlyFans, none of which I have any interest in either.
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Select any link
https://article.wn.com/view-bitchute/2023/05/19/King_Charles_the_antichrist_of_England_The_Heart_of_the_Beas/
King Charles – the antichrist of England: The Heart of the Beast With Kate Shemirani
https://article.wn.com/view-bitchute/2023/05/19/King_Charles_the_antichrist_of_England_The_Heart_of_the_Beas/
You are [ad hominem redacted].
King Charks swore his allegience to Jesus Christ when he was coronated. He is also a protestant.
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The WHO dictatorship:
Now it shall already be jerked off at the age of three!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
WHO wants to ‘early-age’ sexualize children.
“Schools must equip children
to have sexual partners”
– say the UN and WHO
https://stopworldcontrol.com/children/
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WHO # 2
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WHO “comprehensive sexuality education” (CSE) program
is teaching children about masturbation.
https://twitter.com/RevaAida/status/1655687161633546241
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WHO #3
Worse than a cholera epidemic!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Agency for Education’s sexualization
of school children
PUBLISHED TODAY 6:00 in News Voice
part 1 + 2 of 3
A new curriculum for primary and lower secondary schools will come into effect in the fall of 2022. Sex education, renamed “sexuality, consent and relationships”, will now take up more space in teaching.
For example, the Swedish National Agency for Education wants children to explore their sexuality already in preschool. This is wrong and risks harming our children, according to Martin Lantz and the citizens’ initiative Vi tillsammans.
The new system is based on the EU and WHO standards for sex education. It no longer consists of a few lessons in grade 8, as you over thirty remember it. Now, sex education will be cross-curricular in most subjects, starting as early as pre-school class. The change is taking place in the same way as in other European countries as the European Union (EU) introduces the World Health Organization (WHO) standard for sex education.
The WHO intends to change sex education for children. Talking about biology and contraception is not enough. They want educators to encourage young children to enjoy their bodies and teach a positive approach to sex. They want pre-school children to experience “…pleasure from touching their own body and masturbation in early childhood” (Quote from Standards for Sexuality Education in Europe, WHO & BZgA, 2010).
Sexuality education is now to be cross-curricular in most subjects, starting in pre-school classes.
Together with Swedish experts, the WHO produced this new standard for sexuality education in 2010. It describes how children aged 0-4 should be encouraged to explore gender identities and learn how to withhold or give consent to sexual activity. When justifying the new standard, the WHO and its proponents, in our view, often use misleading language, claiming that the teaching is age-appropriate, medically correct, culturally appropriate and has a proven positive impact on children.
In 2019, the government commissioned the Swedish Public Health Agency (FHM) to develop a national strategy for introducing WHO sex education in Sweden. This is how FHM describes the assignment:
“Many important initiatives and changes have been implemented in the school sector, such as more subject-integrated sex and cohabitation education. The work is supported by a national quality review from the Swedish Schools Inspectorate, development efforts from the Swedish National Agency for Education, other authorities, regions and several civil society organizations, as well as international guidelines on sex and cohabitation education from UNESCO and WHO Europe.” (From Sexual and reproductive health and rights in Sweden 2017 – Results from the population survey SRHR2017, FHM, 2019).
In Sweden, which the WHO considers a pioneering country, the tax-funded National Association for Sexual Education (RFSU) has great influence in shaping the content of primary school sex education. They write:
* * * * * * * * * *
part 2
“The very ability to get hard, get wet in the vagina and have an orgasm is something that all people are born with.” (From Barns sexualitet – en vägledning, RFSU, 2015.)
RFSU’s publication Children’s sexuality – a guide, focuses on children from infancy to the beginning of puberty. The text follows the WHO standard and is intended to provide support to parents, preschool staff and teachers.
In some countries, such as Romania, Poland and Hungary, there is now growing opposition to the new sex education standard. According to the EU, opposition to their sex education is often based on two objections: sexualization attacks children’s innocence and can lead them to commit sexual acts that they later regret. Sex education (appropriate for young children), if needed, is the responsibility of parents, not schools. To address the criticism, the WHO has produced a Q&A:
Ask: What do you mean when you say that sex education should start from birth?
A: The WHO has decided this because sexuality involves more than just the sexual act.
Question: According to some critics, the standards encourage 1- to 4-year-old children to masturbate and play doctor and 6-year-old children to explore same-sex relationships. Is this correct?
Answer: That’s right. Otherwise, educators may behave inappropriately and harm children.
Question: Does WHO sex education corrupt or morally corrupt children and young people?
Answer: No, just the opposite.
(From Standards for Sexuality Education in Europe: Frequently asked questions, BZgA, 2016).
In Sweden, Finland, the Netherlands, Belgium and Estonia, public resistance is considered low. We believe that the concern that resistance will grow in Sweden as well is a not too far-fetched explanation for the unclear and misleading language of the curriculum. But now it seems that Swedish teachers’ limited interest in sexualization is seen as a problem.
The Ministry of Education therefore ensured that sex education became compulsory in all teacher training courses, including those for preschool teachers, in 2021 (Increased competence on neuropsychiatric difficulties and sex and cohabitation in teacher training, U2020/00176/UH, Ministry of Education, 2020).
Despite knowing better, children are increasingly exposed to adult sexuality, not only by perpetrators, through pornography and social media, but now also in classrooms. Children are not equipped to bear the weight of adult sexuality. Instead, we parents, educators and concerned citizens should do everything we can to prevent the sexualization and confusion of children by the National Agency for Education.
Sex education for children and adolescents should reflect community standards. The WHO does not represent any community that I know of.
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WHO # 4
part 3
Too many adults can tell us how they were forced to bear the burden of adult sexuality as children. Early and inappropriate sexualization affects thoughts, feelings, actions and leads to sexual and other abuse and continued broken relationships.
Teachers and school administrators are amazing; they love their subjects and children and want nothing more than to help them learn and develop. Many of them are parents themselves and know that sexualization harms children. But unfortunately, there are also school staff who have a radical sexual and social agenda.
We don’t think they understand that they are harming and confusing children with the new sex education. If we let them embrace the new standard of sex education unchallenged, we are failing children.
Now we urge you as an educator to inform yourself and your colleagues about the agenda of the EU, the WHO and the National Agency for Education. Get organized and discuss the problems with the curriculum (as well as the teacher training courses and the resource materials provided for educators) with the teams and the head teacher, who has the overall responsibility for education.
Think about how you can inform parents. Well-informed teachers and parents, acting together with judgment and wisdom, will be the countervailing force needed to stop the new sex education. Seek allies among school staff, media and authorities.
If you are one of those who do not want your children to be exposed to the new sex education, it may be difficult to speak up. But you should know that you are not alone. If you are worried, other parents in your children’s school are worried too. The vast majority of us don’t want this to happen.
Get in touch with parents and build networks. We together will help you build such networks. Get to know your child’s teachers, school administrators and other parents. They are probably worried too and with your support they can act more easily.
You can give your children a healthy foundation in relationships and sexuality. Let them know that they can always come to you with any questions or concerns. Teach them to trust their instincts and to stand up for themselves.
Parents and others working to protect children will be needed as we take back control of sex education and work together to stop this new standard.
Text: Martin Lantz, Aida Reva, Maria Gontevas, Jesper Kekki, Lorena König, Marianne Liljeholt, Tina L Hedenquist for Vi tillsammans.
As regards the article on the German fourth-graders not being able to read post-lockdown: the younger the age cohort in Germany, the higher the percent of culture enrichers (that is why the linked Breitbart photo is likely deliberately misleading: it shows two non-Turks or non-Syrians or non-Black girls).
As elsewhere in Europe, the male name Mohammed is becoming more and more frequent among newborns.
It is thus possible that more factors are in play than the lockdown as such: culture enricher kids may have been differentially affected by the lockdown, if their parents had less interest, or less ability due to their jobs, in trying to home school their children for a while so as to compensate the lack of schooling, etc.
Migrants in a fight gnawed off the ear and nose of the Russians standing up for the teenager
In the Kemerovo region, migrants gnawed off the ears and noses of two passers-by because they stood up for a teenager. This was reported by an eyewitness of the incident and a friend of the victims on the page “Everything is fine, this is Novokuznetsk” on VKontakte.
According to him, near the market in Kuzbass, a migrant hit a schoolboy, after which he fell to the pavement. This was seen by passers-by who decided to protect the teenager. But the migrants pounced on them, biting off the tip of one of their noses and the other’s ear.
https://lenta.ru/news/2023/05/19/nos/
https://vk.com/wall-183355870_278208
Cultural enrichment in Krakow, Poland:
“Another beating of a ticket inspector in Krakow
On Thursday in Krakow, the 10th beating of a ticket inspector took place in the last six months. This time the aggressor turned out to be a foreigner, an employee of a corporation. The controller went to the ER. He suffered a neck injury. He has a week’s sick leave…
…The black employee of the corporation did not want to identify himself, he did not have a valid ticket. He began to yank at the controllers when the vehicle door was locked. He tried to escape through the window but failed. After the struggle, he paid the fine on the spot with a card , Piotr Wieczorek, spokesman for the company controlling the tickets told PAP.”
https://www-rmf24-pl.translate.goog/regiony/krakow/news-kolejne-pobicie-kontrolera-biletow-w-krakowie,nId,6786199?_x_tr_sl=en&_x_tr_tl=de&_x_tr_hl=en-US&_x_tr_pto=wapp#crp_state=1
The Polish government wants to replace Germany in importance in the new EU. American military bases, African orcs, and western alphabet mafia perverts are just a small price Polish citizens will have to pay regardless of whether they want it or not in return for their leaders becoming junior partners of the US hegemony.
Unlike the Germans, the Poles don’t play, especially with 3rd world orcs, they put the boots to them when they misbehave. Like the Germans used to do to the bloody turks and africans of the us army, it was their favorite past time.
German fourth graders not able to read.
Thats exactly what the Powers to Be want.
Idiots, easy to impress and control etc.
Just give them fancy graphics like comics and they will do anything.
(Yes, I know many will not like it…)
There is a Roleplaying game called RIFTS by Palladium books.
There the EVIL Coalition (composed of evil white old cis-men) rules a part of the old USA. (Ok, the rest is ruled by monsters, magic-users, insects and the slavers from Atlantis – but the Coalition is the most evil institution and state on Earth. And the NGR New German Republic is not far behind. Both throw non-humans out of their territory. Could have something to do with some non-humans work together with the monsters. Better safe than sorry. But EVIL!!!)
And only the upper crust can read or write. That is by design.
Now, did the Powers take RIFTS as an inspiration or has Mr Siembieda (President for life from Palladium books) been given some “hints” to design a RPG around?
Conspiracy theory, conspiracy theory…
.
.
The United Nations are currently rolling out
Agenda 2030,
with the notorious “sustainability goals”.
This worldwide project aims to completely transform every aspect of human existence:
food,
sexuality,
family,
work,
finance,
health,
education,
everything!
This will supposedly put an end to:
poverty,
hunger,
inequality,
sickness,
and other bad things.
A former executive director who worked at the UN for two decades, tells a different story. He explains that the UN is controlled by
CRIMINALS
who use it to enrich themselves, and enslave humanity.
WATCH “SECRETS OF THE UNITED NATIONS”
https://stopworldcontrol.com/unevent/