#canada coronavirus

[covid-safer-hotties]

Mask Sale!

[allthecanadianpolitics]

An Edmonton constable who spoke at a "Freedom Convoy" rally, thanked protesters and posted a video suggesting vaccine mandates were "unlawful" and "unsafe" was sanctioned ten months of pay before being permitted to return to the job.

Edmonton Police Service Const. Elena Golysheva "acknowledged the inappropriateness of her actions" during a disciplinary hearing in June, according to documents CTV News Edmonton obtained through the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act.

Full article

Tagging: @politicsofcanada

[newsfromstolenland]

"Most Canadians say they would support or share some support for the return of face mask mandates this fall in indoor public space if deemed necessary by officials, according to a new survey conducted by Nanos Research.

The poll conducted for CTV News found seven in 10 Canadians said they would support the return of face masks mandates to some extent. Fifty-two per cent said they would support the return of such mandates, 17 per cent said they would "somewhat support" them, while 22 per cent would be against them. Eight per cent would be "somewhat" opposed to the idea."

Full article

so can we please do this already?

tagging: @allthecanadianpolitics

[bopinion]

2024 / 33

Aperçu of the week

“All we have to do is call our opponent a communist or a socialist or someone who will destroy our country.”

(Donald Trump. We'll see about that...)

Bad News of the Week

Since the end of the coronavirus pandemic - although there hasn't actually been one - I've been waiting for its successor in a slightly anxious mood. Another rapidly infecting virus that spreads worldwide, is potentially deadly and, above all, restricts all our lives again. Now it's here: Mpox. For the first time since Corona, the WHO (World Health Organization of the United Nations) has declared the highest alert level, a “public health emergency of international concern”. Because of the virus that was previously called “Monkey Pox”. Discovered in Congo at the end of 2023, it has now also broken out in Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi and Kenya.

The initial figures spoke of 14,000 suspected cases. Based on the usual 50% rate and the reported 500 deaths, this means that one in twelve people who become infected will die. That's a lot. So it's certainly a virus that should be taken seriously. One day later, it was reported that the first case in Europe had emerged in Sweden. Then the first three in Asia in Pakistan. It's the usual pattern: on the one hand, every infectious disease spreads faster and more uncontrollably in times of international travel. On the other hand, specific cases are only discovered when they are specifically sought or tested for. So the numbers will now quickly go through the roof. Because the spread is already more advanced than we know.

What will happen now? What will the states do? How will society react this time? And above all: what have we learned? There is a lot of talk in Germany about the need to come to terms with everything that has happened around COVID. Also to learn from the mistakes. There is a lot of need for clarification - for example with regard to the procurement of masks, the closure of schools, compulsory vaccination, curfews and unequal treatment in the retail sector. And what has happened since (drum roll please!): Nothing. What applies to politics also applies in private life. Some friends turned out to be conspiracy theorists, others were law and order hardliners, most were simply irritated and unsettled. There were even rifts right through families. Rifts that still exist.

And now we could all be facing the same situation, just as ill-prepared. And if Mpox doesn't develop into a pandemic, perhaps swine fever will spread to humans. Or bird flu. Or something else entirely, be it from the South American jungle or from the secret laboratory of some deep state. Or a revenant from the past spreads again - cholera still exists after all and first cases of polio are reported from Gaza. No, I'm not panicking. But I do have one or two worries. After all, humanity has shown itself more than once to be incapable of learning from the past. I would love to be wrong about that.

Good News of the Week

Venezuela is not giving up. It is wonderful to see how the people are fighting for democracy, no longer wanting to put up with the corruption of their “elites” and finally wanting to have a perspective worth living in. Just under a month ago, elections were held in the Latin American country, which could actually live in prosperity and peace but is suffering from dramatic economic decline, inflation and poverty since years. Or as investigative journalist Sebastiana Barráez says in the news magazine Der Spiegel: “Maduro has couped!”

Initially, the state electoral authority declared President Nicolás Maduro Moro, who has been clinging to power since 2013, the winner without providing any evidence - as is actually required by the constitution. The opposition has now had access to more than 80 percent of the printed protocols of the individual polling stations and has made them public. According to these, their candidate Edmundo González won with around 67 percent of the vote - compared to 30 percent for the incumbent head of government. So did Maduro commit electoral fraud? It looks like it.

The United Nations and the Carter Center had sent election observers to Venezuela. They have now criticized the election authority's actions and declared that the official result was not achieved democratically. The panel of experts speaks of an “unprecedented process in recent electoral history”. No wonder that most Latin American countries as well as the USA and Europe did not recognize the “official result”. And Maduro? He doesn't give a damn. The despot has further intensified the repression against the population with the help of the military, the National Guard and other state organs loyal to him. According to the independent rights organization Foro Penal, over 2,000 people have been arrested since the election. These include opposition politicians. And journalists. That speaks a clear language.

According to a report in the Wall Street Journal, the US government has now offered Maduro and close associates of the regime an amnesty if they relinquish power. I wish the Venezuelans would keep up the pressure. And the international stage too. Until Madura and his clan really abdicate. Because then the country, which has already been abandoned by 20% of its population in recent years, could return to better times. In a survey conducted by the Gallup polling institute in December 2012, the country's inhabitants were among the happiest people on earth. It would be nice if this vague memory could become reality again.

Personal happy moment of the week

“Your application for an Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA) has been approved. You are now authorized to travel to Canada by air.” Nothing more to add here. Taking off this sunday. Boy am I excited...

I couldn't care less...

...about the discussion that Germany “only” came 10th in the medal table at the Summer Olympics in Paris - behind hosts France and Great Britain, even though their populations are smaller. “What does it take for more medals?” asks the Tagesschau news channel. That is of little interest to me. Much more important is the charisma of athletes as figures of identification for a nation, the role model function for children, the motivation to surpass oneself. After all, it's not for nothing that the Olympic motto is “Taking part is everything”. In that sense, Eddie the Eagle really did fly.

It's fine with me...

...that the Democrats' party conference is now turning into a coronation mass. Because the most important decisions have been made: Presidential candidate and his (better in this case “her”) running mate. Normally, I would now say that political program content should not be completely secondary. But I don't care about that at the moment. The main thing is momentum. The main thing is optimism. The main thing is not to go back. The main thing is that Donald Jessica Trump doesn't triumph in November. Harris Walz!

As I write this...

...we're trying to catch a mouse. Apparently it was raining too hard outside and it wanted to get out into the dry. Now she's hiding behind a bookshelf and is afraid of us - even though we want to rescue her and set her free. Update: we've got her and she's fine. Second update: there seems to be another one...

Post Scriptum

It's good when someone doesn't look away but points. Even if it's about Israel committing an injustice. After all, you are then almost reflexively vilified as an Anti-Semite. In this respect, I am pleased that the European Union is showing more and more backbone in this regard. In this case, I am not referring to the maltreated Gaza Strip, but to the West Bank, where the Palestinian population is suffering more and more from brutal attacks by militant Israeli settlers - who can be sure of the backing of Benjamin Netanyahu's increasingly right-wing extremist government.

Once again, there have been attacks by extremist Israeli settlers on the population of the West Bank. And now EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell has had enough. He will “present a proposal for EU sanctions against the supporters of the violent settlers, including some members of the Israeli government”. Including the government! That's a bombshell. I very much hope that he finds the necessary support for this. Because this massive problem is currently all too easily overlooked in the great shadow of Gaza.

[coldhearthotlove]

I live in The United States, and views on COVID range drastically depending on where you are and who you speak to individually.

In some cities/towns, you’ll occasionally see a few people here and there wearing masks (especially in more urban areas, from what I’ve noticed).

In other areas though, you won’t see a mask in sight.

My Dad lives a conservative, rural town, and every time I go there, and go to local places, I’ve never seen a single person wearing a mask…

It seems like in some areas, people act exactly like pre-2020, as if COVID doesn’t exist, and never has.

Unfortunately, COVID in The United States has also become “political”.

Some people think it’s a major public health crisis, while others think “it’s just a cold” and “the government is trying to scare you so they can control you with masks, vaccines, and lockdowns.”

So, if you live outside of the U.S., I’m curious…

Do your News Channels ever talk about COVID?

What about your friends, family, community? (schools, work environments) Do they ever mention it? Do they ever take safety precautions?

Do you still see people in public wearing masks?

Was COVID made into a “political issue”, like in the United States?

How is COVID generally treated in your country? (as of September 2023)

[snarky-badger]

For my Canadian people:

The updated Moderna shot has been approved in Canada as of yesterday (Sept 12th 2023). CTV News mentioned that the new shots will be available in October. Though each province will be putting out messages when the updated vaccines will be available.

Pfizer vaccine is still being approved by Health Canada.

CDC finally fuckin' recommended the new COVID boosters for everyone in the US. letting my american followers who don't check the news know because i've been turned away for wanting to get an extra booster & now won't be anymore & it's Lovely. most americans are not going to get these and are going to grumble about them, which sucks as far as spread goes - but DOES mean u can schedule with ur local pharmacy sooner rather than later. please do so. ur immunocomprised friends and ur own body will thank u.

[tilos-tagebuch]

🇨🇦 Corona - Neue Studie belegt: Die Gründe für die Übersterblichkeit sind hausgemacht

Eine frisch veröffentlichte und brisante Studie über die überhöhte Sterblichkeit in 125 Ländern während der COVID-19-Pandemie ergab, dass die Hauptursachen für die Todesfälle weltweit auf die Reaktion der öffentlichen Gesundheitsbehörden zurückzuführen waren, einschließlich der Anordnungen und Abriegelungen, die zu schwerem Stress führten, sowie auf schädliche medizinische Eingriffe und die COVID-19-Impfstoffe.

Der Bericht, der 521 Seiten umfasst, darunter Hunderte von Zahlen, enthält eine detaillierte Untersuchung der übermäßigen Gesamtmortalität während der Covid-Periode in 125 Ländern, die etwa 35% der Weltbevölkerung ausmachen.

Source: https://www.0815-info.news/Web_Links-Corona-Neue-Studie-belegt-Die-Gruende-fuer-die-UEbersterblichkeit-sind-hausgemacht-visit-11510.html

[ppcbug]

Reminder that Maxime Bernier was the only politician fighting and advocating for your rights during the lockdowns. All 338 MPs were silent!!!

#voteppc

[immaculatasknight]

A Canadian legend

[covid-safer-hotties]

Also preserved in our archive

By Niles Niemuth

The Toronto Police Service (TPS) escalated their campaign to crackdown on and suppress protests against the Gaza genocide last week with the announcement of a second arrest in relation to a March 7 protest. In addition to mischief charges which could bring up to 10 years in prison, the two demonstrators are facing charges of “disguise with intent” for wearing medical masks which protect from COVID-19 and other infectious diseases during the protest. This latter “offence” also carries a maximum sentence of a decade in prison.

“While demonstrations may end, investigations into criminal activity continue and we pursue all leads to hold individuals accountable,” Toronto Police Chief Myron Demikw declared in a statement Tuesday on X. He then boasted, “Over the last year we have made 80 demonstration-related arrests and laid 124 charges. Arrests can happen at any time after an offence.”

Tens of thousands in Toronto and across Canada have turned out to protest week after week for more than a year as Israel, with the backing of American imperialism and Ottawa, has carried out its ethnic cleansing operation in Gaza launched in the aftermath of the October 7 uprising led by Hamas. Protesters’ demands that the trade union-backed Liberal Trudeau government press for a ceasefire and stop arming Israel have been rebuffed, with Trudeau and Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly instead smearing protesters opposing genocide as “antisemites.”

Pro-Palestinian protest encampments erected by students, faculty and supporters on campuses across Canada have been broken up by court injunctions and police raids. The deployment of far-right Zionist vigilante groups on campus to provide “security” has been openly encouraged by the federal government, with a new law passed enabling private security firms to access government funding. Groups in line to profit from this funding stream include Magen Herut, whose members must be Zionists and have experience in policing or military service, and Shomrim, an international vigilante group present in Hasidic communities. Magen Herut members have “patrolled” at anti-genocide protests, where they have surveilled and intimidated participants.

Immediately upon Israel’s launch of its genocidal onslaught on Gaza, Canada’s political establishment closed ranks to launch a vicious witchhunt against anyone who spoke out against the mass slaughter. The New Democrats, who were in a confidence-and-supply agreement with the Liberals at the time, threw Member of the Ontario Provincial Parliament Sarah Jama out of their parliamentary caucus because she issued a statement declaring her solidarity with the Palestinians and accusing Israel of apartheid, an accusation supported by the United Nations. Trudeau has repeatedly sought to intimidate protesters by repeating the lies of extreme Zionist forces, including in February when he accused demonstrators of being antisemites merely because they marched past Toronto’s Mount Sinai Hospital.

With the backing of the governments of Liberal Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Tory Ontario Premier Doug Ford, Demikw and the TPS have launched a far reaching campaign of harassment and arrests of pro-Palestinian protesters under the title “Project Resolute.” The Breach published an investigation in June which revealed the extensive character of the secretive political policing operation, which has included early morning raids, trumped-up charges and efforts to turn protesters into informants.

The police operations have gone hand in hand with the efforts of the political establishment to smear protesters as “antisemitic.” Eleven people were arrested last November in relation to a postering protest against the CEO of Indigo Books, who happens to be Jewish, over her campaign to support the Israel Defense Forces, with the police insinuating that their actions were “hate motivated.”

Demikw and TPS have been carrying out their crackdown in coordination with the RCMP’s Integrated National Security Enforcement Team and the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS), Canada’s premier spy agency.

Faisal Ibrahim, 38, was arrested and charged on October 19 with one count of mischief, interfering with property and a count of disguise with intent in relation to the March 7 protest. A research assistant and teaching assistant at the University of Toronto, Ibrahim had been targeted by Zionist social media pages for his pro-Palestinian activism before being charged by TPS.

Rachelle Friesen, 38, of the Student Christian Movement of Canada and Community Peacemaker Teams, was charged on October 1 with two counts of mischief that obstructs, interrupts or interferes with the lawful use, enjoyment or operation of property and one count of disguise with intent in relation to pro-Palestinian protests on November 13, 2023 and March 7, 2024.

After living in Israel for five years, including four as Peace Program Coordinator with the Mennonite Central Committee, Friesen was deported from the country in 2014 and banned for 10 years for her advocacy on behalf of the Palestinians.

Protesters interrupted the Scotiabank Giller Prize gala at the Four Seasons Hotel in Yorkville on November 13, 2023 to protest the bank’s complicity in the Gaza genocide. Evan Curle and Maysam Abu Khreibeh, both 25, and Fatima Hussain, 23, were charged at the time with obstructing, interrupting, or interfering with the lawful use, enjoyment or operation of property and using a forged document.

March 7, meanwhile, was a day of action by students and others protesting RBC and calling for the bank to divest from support for Israel, respect Indigenous sovereignty and end financing for the Trans Mountain Expansion and Coastal Gas Link pipelines.

The police claim that both Friesen and Ibrahim “wore medical masks to conceal their identity” during a March 7 protest in Midtown Toronto and that their participation prevented an employee from entering her workplace and forced her to leave the area in fear of her safety.

In another recent effort to suppress the protests, the Trudeau government in coordination with the Biden administration in the United States banned the Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network as a “terrorist entity” and placed sanctions on activist Khaled Barakat.

Samidoun has organized protests in opposition to the Gaza genocide across Canada. Its international coordinator Charlotte Kates was arrested in April in Vancouver following a speech in which she led the crowd in a chant of “Long live October 7th” and advocated for the delisting of Hamas, Islamic Jihad, Hezbollah and other groups as terrorist organizations. The organization’s listing as a terrorist entity resulted in its bank accounts being frozen and make it difficult for members to travel internationally.

The unanimous endorsement of Israel’s genocide within the political establishment has introduced a climate of fear and censorship into Canadian cultural life. In the latest example of this, the Aurora Cultural Center north of Toronto closed down an exhibit titled Expressions of Critical Thought after one day this month due to complaints of “antisemitism” on social media because some of the works on display referenced Palestine. The Center told the artists in an October 4 email that the show was being censored due to “concerns raised by members of our community regarding the traumatic responses to some of the artworks.”

“I feel what they did contributes to the consistent dehumanization of Arabs in general,” Iraqi-Canadian artist Hala Alsalman told Hyperallergic. “I’m the only Arab who was showing, but obviously it’s not just me, it’s all of us.” Chantal Hassard, a co-curator of the show and grandchild of Holocaust survivors, noted that there was nothing antisemitic about the art on display and the claims were a “dangerous mischaracterization of the term.”

[allthecanadianpolitics]

A new COVID-19 subvariant, known as JN.1, has emerged and is now the prevailing strain across Canada, prompting health experts to caution that it may be more infectious and could even have extra symptoms. Currently, the subvariant makes up the highest proportion of all COVID-19 variants, accounting for more than half (51. 9 per cent) of all infections in Canada, according to the latest data from the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC). JN.1 was first detected in Canada on Oct. 9, and since then has rapidly increased.

Continue Reading

Tagging @politicsofcanada

[newsfromstolenland]

Wear a fucking mask!

[bopinion]

2024 / 38

Aperçu of the week

„No borders, just horizons – only freedom.“

(Amelia Earhart, US-American aviation pioneer and author)

Bad News of the Week

It has now been decided who will be Germany's next Chancellor: Friedrich Merz, the chairman of the conservative CDU (Christian Democratic Union). For some time now, the CDU and its permanent Bavarian partner, the CSU, have been stable, not to say uncatchable, leaders in all polls. Now that all conceivable intra-party rivals - the Minister Presidents of North Rhine-Westphalia, Bavaria and Schleswig-Holstein - have withdrawn in favor of Merz, he can already look forward to the crowning glory of his political career.

I am not happy about that. Because Friedrich Merz is an arch-conservative hardliner who can certainly be called reactionary. Or from yesterday. His views stood in the way of Angela Merkel at the beginning of the millennium, who eventually pushed him out of the way on her way to the political center of society. Since then, he has made a career and money in the investment business at Blackrock. And he suffered on the political sidelines under such impositions as the acceptance of refugees or same-sex marriage. After Merkel's bumpy (not to say bungled) withdrawal from the party, he saw his chance to make a comeback, which he managed to do on the third attempt. Since then, he has proven with almost every statement that the last 20 years have passed him without leaving a trace.

The basis of Merz's practically pre-programmed march to power, on the other hand, is not the lack of personnel alternatives - because all three mentioned would have been veritable capacities - but the suicidal behavior of his political opponent. Rarely have I seen a governing coalition so self-destructive as at present. Of course, the partnership of Social Democrats, Greens and Liberals was not a love match. Nevertheless, they seemed to have come together, the cover of the coalition agreement read “Daring more progress - an alliance for freedom, justice and sustainability”. And indeed: rarely has a coalition implemented so many of its defined plans in concrete terms: as of today, more than two thirds of them have been executed.

At the same time, the coalition, known as the “traffic light coalition” due to its party colors of red, yellow and green, is unable to sell its successes. Instead, they are constantly attacking each other in public. The Liberals in particular are constantly attacking their Green partners, almost as radically as the opposition Conservatives. The unsurprising result: the work of the actually successful coalition is now rated as good by only 16% of the population. The rest are left with only the constant quarrels that are fought out in the open.

The result of this “recipe for success” can be seen, for example, in the results of the state election in Brandenburg on Sunday. The Greens ended up with just 4.1%. And the liberal FDP at a barely countable 0.8% - which is no longer even shown in the results but classified under “Others”. There was immediate talk of a hot autumn of decisions. This means that nothing less than the possibility of the Liberals breaking out of the coalition is becoming increasingly tangible. This would result in a clear shift to the right in the event of an early general election. A scenario in which there would be many losers - including freedom, justice and sustainability.

Good News of the Week

I think inclusion is important. Because every person is fundamentally worth the same. I say that as an old white man from a westernized economic nation. Who has to realize around him that this legitimate concern is not supported by everyone.

Only recently, for example, my conservative home state of Bavaria rejected gender-appropriate language. Gender asterisks, colons and mediapoints are now expressly “inadmissible”. In our authorities, schools and universities, the use of gender-sensitive gender language is expressly forbidden now. I'm almost ashamed of that.

I am therefore delighted that another conservative state politician has now taken a very different stance: Marco Prietz of the CDU in Lower Saxony now no longer calls himself “Landrat” of the district of Rotenburg an der Wümme - but “Landrätin” (like District Administratress instead of Administrator).

In the new General Service and Business Instructions - i.e. the work manual of the administration - the female form is now used throughout. His reasoning: “Why is it always only women who have to deal with the explanation that male designations also include them?” Moreover, the majority of employees are female. He is right. A beautiful symbol.

Personal happy moment of the week

On the morning of our return flight from Canada, we receive an e-mail from Lufthansa: our flight has been canceled. After a lot of back and forth (first with Air France to Paris? No way!) we were supposed to take the same direct flight 24 hours later. This threw various schedules out of kilter and caused work scheduling problems for me and some of my colleagues. I decided to look on the bright side: an unexpected bonus day with the family in Québec.

I couldn't care less...

...that there are now random checks at German borders again. To curb the allegedly problematic illegal migration. Tobias Singelnstein is a professor of criminology. He considers the current debate on the subject to be “very overheated” and the whole thing to be nothing more than “a symbolic measure” from a practical point of view. He also questions whether the controls are even permissible under European law. He is right. It would be nice if politicians would listen to the experts.

It's fine with me...

...that Apple is now also jumping on the artificial intelligence bandwagon. Because if any company has regularly managed to pack complex technology into devices and applications suitable for everyday use, then it's my favorite Californian fruit.

As I write this...

...I'm recovering from the “North American autumn flu” that my wife and I caught on the last few meters of our vacation - including Corona, while we're at it. Or rather, I'm not recovering because a lot of work has piled up during three weeks of vacation (which I last did seven years ago). Which almost always feels urgent. And which forces me to be at my desk despite everything. Force majeure, so to speak.

Post Scriptum

There will be elections in Austria next Sunday. And there is a real chance that the right-wing populist party FPÖ (Freiheitliche Partei Österreichs / Freedom Party of Austria) will win and form a significant part of the government. We have already had a taste of who the FPÖ is and what it stands for in some of Austria's federal states where the FPÖ is in government and through its role as junior partner in a conservative national government under the conservative Sebastian Kurz.

And I don't like that. Because I generally don't like “right-wing”. During the Cold War, neutral Austria was always a kind of relay between the NATO and Warsaw Pact power blocs. And Vienna was the center of intelligence activities and contacts. And it was no coincidence that it became a central location of the United Nations in Europe alongside Geneva. Within the framework of the European Union, the country has actually learned that it should not need borders. And is now developing a tendency towards nationalistic isolationism again. What a pity.

[thquill]

On the Anti-Monarchists

In the build up to the coronation of King Charles, the anti-monarchists claim that the monarchy is ill-legitimate because they were not democratically instituted.  These people ought to be called democratic positivists in that they inadvertently accept that all democratically instituted governments are legitimate regardless of whether they are despotic or not.  Democracy, to them, is an…

[skittlemxkade]

We deserve to be mad about COVID-19.

This one's a bit longer but I think it's important.

mx. kade I recently had a conversation online with a couple hundred people about what the future of our lives, as a society, looks like. Now that we’re three years into a global pandemic and most of the world wants to pretend like it’s over, I think it’s fair to have an honest discussion about the way the world has been over the past couple of years, from the viewpoint of a retail…

[paddysnuffles]

Western Media: China's not counting its covid numbers anymore!

Me: Neither is Canada, what's your point?

I'm currently in the midst of having Covid and I've been explicitly told by my boss that I'm expected to treat having Covid "like a cold or the flu" and should come in if I feel well enough to.

Funny how there's no outrage about Canada, only China.