Australia: Judge in COVID Vaccine Case Did Not Disclose Past Links to Pfizer Before Dismissing Case Against Pfizer
July 10th, 2024Just another day at the office…
Via: Sky:
As recounted in a detailed article by eminent law Professors Augusto Zimmermann and Gabriël Moens, in ‘Re Dr Julian Fidge v Pfizer Australia Pty Ltd & Anor’, injunctions were sought in the Federal Court against Pfizer and Moderna on the basis that they failed to apply for necessary licences to deal with Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) in Australia under the Commonwealth Gene Technology Act 2000 (GT Act).
Dr Fidge sought to present evidence showing the mRNA vaccines produced by Pfizer and Moderna objectively satisfy the legal definitions of GMOs, pursuant to section 10 of the Act.
If this were the case, the court then had to consider the question whether Pfizer and Moderna had knowingly breached the GT Act.
If the court so found, then Pfizer and Moderna would be prevented from further using their mRNA COVID vaccines in Australia.
The judge hearing the matter, Helen Rofe, found in favour of Pfizer and Moderna, dismissing Dr Fidge’s case on the grounds that it had no prospects of success since he is not an “aggrieved person” for the purposes of section 147 of the GT Act.
This is where the matter gets intriguing.
To avoid any reasonable apprehension of bias, judges are required to consider whether having acted for one of the parties appearing before them in the past ought to be disclosed.
However, the law firm representing Dr Fidge alleges that at no stage either prior to or during the hearing of the case, did Justice Rofe disclose that, while practising as a barrister, she seemingly both directly and indirectly represented Pfizer in at least five separate and long-running matters.
As Zimmermann and Moens affirm, the rules regarding judicial bias require that, when a judge has had prior dealings with one or more parties to proceedings, he or she is obliged to consider disclosing all details and inviting the parties to make submissions on whether that judge should recuse him or herself from the proceedings.
Related: Constitutional Complaint Brought Against Federal Court Judge for Concealing Pharma Connections
Polish Army Chief: “We Need to Prepare Our Forces for Full-Scale Conflict”
July 10th, 2024Via: Reuters:
Poland needs to prepare its soldiers for all-out conflict, its armed forces chief of staff said on Wednesday, as the country boosts the number of troops on its border with Russia and Belarus.
Poland’s relations with Russia and its ally Belarus have deteriorated sharply since Moscow sent tens of thousands of troops into neighbouring Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, starting a war that is still being fought.
“Today, we need to prepare our forces for full-scale conflict, not an asymmetric-type conflict,” army chief of staff General Wieslaw Kukula told a press conference.
“This forces us to find a good balance between the border mission and maintaining the intensity of training in the army,” he said.
Speaking at the same event, deputy defence minister Pawel Bejda said that as of August, the number of troops guarding Poland’s eastern border would be increased to 8,000 from the current 6,000, with an additional rearguard of 9,000 able to step up within 48 hours notice.
Related: F-16 Jets Are En Route to Ukraine
Speed Limiters Now Mandatory in All New EU Cars
July 9th, 2024Via: Autoweek:
Cars have been able to figure out when they’re speeding for a while, thanks to GPS as well as traffic sign recognition, and they’ve also been able to pump the brakes automatically when needed.
Having a computer automatically slow down a car in response to posted speed limits, therefore, was not really a question of technical feasibility for some time—but mandating it has been a question of political will.
That political will has materialized in the European Union, and starting July 7 all new cars sold in the EU will feature intelligent speed assistance (ISA) systems.
The systems themselves have been working their way into newly introduced models of cars starting in 2022, so quite a few new cars on the road already feature them. The July 2024 regulation extends that mandate to all new vehicles being manufactured for sale in the EU.
Newsom’s California: Delivery Drivers Now Being Accompanied By Armed Guards Due To “Crime Concerns”
July 8th, 2024Via: ZeroHedge:
Things have gotten so utopian in the state of California, delivery drivers are being accompanied by armed guards due to “crime concerns” while out making deliveries.
One company, Core Mart, has started hiring the guards to escort its drivers. Which means that somewhere, in a board room, it likely made more financial sense to pay for all new security staff than it did to continue to allow drivers to get robbed (and inventory lost) as was happening prior.
Israel Activated Hannibal Directive on October 7
July 8th, 2024Via: Independent:
The Israeli army invoked its controversial “Hannibal Directive” during the 7 October Hamas attack, according to a report, a measure that has the potential to increase risks to civilian lives.
The directive was created by the Israeli military in the 1980s as an operating procedure designed to prevent the kidnap of soldiers by whatever means necessary, even if that comes at the expense of the lives of civilian hostages.
It has previously been blamed for possible war crimes, encouraging excessive or indiscriminate fire, and was formally discontinued in 2016.
But the protocol was invoked at three military facilities attacked by Hamas last year, the Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported, citing testimonies of army officers and soldiers.
“Hunter Biden’s the Real Point Person in Joe’s White House”
July 8th, 2024Via: New York Post:
Democrats trying to dislodge Joe Biden will first have to combat the proxy commander-in-chief, Hunter Biden — and that’s more easily said than done.
With the Biden family digging in behind Joe staying put, any staffers or party grandees deputized to strong-arm Joe Biden out of being their candidate in November had better not underestimate the first son.
While the focus has been on four-time Vogue cover girl Jill Biden and her screeching assurances that Joe is hale and hearty and fit for another four years, the first son has flown under the radar.
But Hunter is glued to his father’s side for a reason. He was with him at Camp David to help prepare for the disastrous debate; was there for the vainglorious Annie Leibovitz family photo shoot post-debate; then flew back with the president to the White House, where he has been ensconced ever since.
Biden Says He’ll Drop Bid for Re-Election if “The Lord Almighty” Tells Him To
July 7th, 2024
Crooked Joe Biden says everyone is telling him to "stay in the race" and that he's in it until the end: "If the Lord Almighty came down and said, 'Joe, get out of the race,' I'd get out of the race, but the Lord Almighty's not comin' down." pic.twitter.com/qMaMrovVcB
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) July 6, 2024
Via: ZeroHedge:
On one hand, the Bidens now say it will take an ‘act of God’ (so, the CIA) to remove him from the race.
On the other hand, seven major news organizations have staged a mockingbirdian PR coup against the man for whom they’ve spent five years running cover.
Ukraine: German Volunteer Medic Claims Ukrainian, American and Other Foreign Fighters Committed Potential War Crimes
July 7th, 2024Not surprising, if true. The source is The New York Times…
Via: ZeroHedge:
A military correspondent with The New York Times has issued the newest bombshell report this weekend which shines a spotlight on not just Ukrainian troops but American and foreign fighters who’ve volunteered with pro-Kyiv forces and have committed potential war crimes. The report, titled Killings of Surrendering Russians Divide an American-Led Unit, reveals how US troops are participating in units which conduct extra-judicial killings of Russians who have legitimately surrendered.
Much of the eyewitness accounts come from a German volunteer identified as Caspar Grosse, a medic in an all-foreign unit led by an American who says he witnessed clear war crimes and that his conscience has forced him to speak out.
Other Atrocities: Russian Attack Destroyed Children’s Hospital in Kiev, Killed 36 Civilians
Quilts and Cats of Calico
July 6th, 2024This is very far off topic.
My wife and daughter, Niamh, love the Calico board game. Besides the cats in the game, our actual cats love to “help” with the gameplay.
I won’t play Calico and neither will my boys. Although my youngest daughter is fascinated with Calico, she is too young to play. She helps with distribution of the game tiles and prevents our cats from “helping” too much with the layout.
Earlier this year, a beautiful and faithful representation of the Calico board game was released on Steam: Quilts and Cats of Calico.
I bought the game (it’s on sale right now) because Niamh was hoping to be able to play more Calico when my wife wasn’t able to play.
One problem: Hardly anyone is playing Quilts and Cats of Calico in multiplayer. Niamh is playing against the highest tier AI and she thinks actual people would be more challenging.
So, if you like cats and puzzles, please check out Quilts and Cats of Calico and consider playing in multiplayer mode.
Thank you!
UChicago: World’s First Anode-Free Sodium Solid-State Battery
July 6th, 2024This is definitely interesting. In terms of years we would have to wait for this, I wonder what, “Closer than ever,” means?
Via: University of Chicago:
UChicago Pritzker Molecular Engineering Prof. Y. Shirley Meng’s Laboratory for Energy Storage and Conversion has created the world’s first anode-free sodium solid-state battery.
With this research, the LESC – a collaboration between the UChicago Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering and the University of California San Diego’s Aiiso Yufeng Li Family Department of Chemical and Nano Engineering – has brought the reality of inexpensive, fast-charging, high-capacity batteries for electric vehicles and grid storage closer than ever.
