PANDA | Science. Sense. Society.

Just like an army of ants caught in an ant mill, individuals, groups and even whole societies are sometimes caught up in a death spiral - a vicious cycle of self-reinforcing dysfunctional behavior characterised by continuous flawed decision-making, myopic single-minded focus on one (set of) solution(s), denial, distrust, micromanagement, dogmatic thinking and learned helplessness. Dr Schippers uses this presentation to define and describe the death spiral effect and offer a positive way forward in terms of evidence-based solutions to escape it. Her organisation, Great Citizens Movement (Great Citizens Movement – co-creating a new world) looks at how we can make sure to reignite critical thinking in society via "Letters to the future" and in doing so, offer ways to reverse the downward trend of society. This presentation incorporates the following two papers: https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=4352765 and https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=4372540 Michaéla Schippers is Professor of Behaviour and Performance Management at Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University Rotterdam, the Netherlands. She worked with Jordan Peterson for several years, and they published a paper on how setting life goals closed the gender and ethnic minority performance gap. The two also spoke in a podcast on the pandemic of narcissism. The Covid event has revealed that it was about more than just public health and the political, economic and societal aspects of the response are of far greater significance than the virus itself. There remains a continued drive toward the transformation of our societies in ways that threaten democracy and our existing ways of life. Open Society Sessions aim to examine the political, societal and economic dimensions of our recent experience and analyse developments in the future. Support our work: https://www.pandata.org/donate

Simon Elmer discusses the move from the juridical framework, by which we were ruled for two years by coronavirus-justified regulations, to the regulatory mechanisms of biopower being imposed now, with specific emphasis on Digital Identity, Central Bank Digital Currency, the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals and the World Health Organization’s Pandemic Treaty. Simon Elmer was born and lives in London. In 2002 he received his PhD in the History and Theory of Art from University College London, and he has taught at the universities of London, Manchester, Reading and Michigan. In 2015 he co-founded Architects for Social Housing, for which he is Head of Research. Find Simon's books at these links: The Road to Fascism: For a Critique of the Global Biosecurity State - https://architectsforsocialhousing.co.uk/2022/09/28/the-road-to-fascism-for-a-critique-of-the-global-biosecurity-state/ Virtue and Terror: Selected Articles on the UK Biosecurity State, Vol. 1 - https://architectsforsocialhousing.co.uk/2023/02/09/virtue-and-terror-selected-articles-on-the-uk-biosecurity-state-volume-1/ The New Normal: Selected Articles on the UK Biosecurity State, Vol. 2 - https://architectsforsocialhousing.co.uk/2023/02/09/the-new-normal-selected-articles-on-the-uk-biosecurity-state-volume-2/ The Covid event has revealed that it was about more than just public health and the political, economic and societal aspects of the response are of far greater significance than the virus itself. There remains a continued drive toward the transformation of our societies in ways that threaten democracy and our existing ways of life. Open Society Sessions aim to examine the political, societal and economic dimensions of our recent experience and analyse developments in the future. Support our work: https://www.pandata.org/donate

16 May 2023 | Investigative journalist and former BBC researcher, Sonia Elijah presents her reports focusing on pregnancy and lactation adverse events from indirect exposure to the Pfizer/BNT vaccine. Having written many in-depth investigative reports and interviewed leading experts, Sonia has uncovered major conflicts of interest and malfeasance, notably through her analysis of the Pfizer Covid vaccine safety reports. Sonia's passion is to deep-dive into public interest stories, which the mainstream media avoids. https://childrenshealthdefense.eu/eu-issues/eus-next-instalment-of-damning-data-psur-3-the-pregnancy-and-lactation-cases PANDA’s weekly Open Science Sessions provide an opportunity for science, research and policy to be presented by various leading international experts in a variety of diverse fields. These sessions aim to broaden understanding and inspire new insights. See more of our Open Science Sessions here: www.pandata.org/open-science-sessions/ Support our work: www.pandata.org/donate/

7 March 2023 | For anyone involved in researching the Covid-19 pandemic origin and response, and to improve policies, this presentation by Mark Kulacz reviews available evidence on Remdesivir and will fill in your knowledge gaps on this critical topic. “We still have questions regarding the roll out of Remdesivir - it was perhaps every bit as important as any vaccine that has been trialed or used”. Mark Kulacz was the lead competitive intelligence analyst for Dell's data storage division, before starting the research channel Housatonic.Live https://sites.google.com/housatonicits.com/live/home PANDA’s weekly Open Science Sessions provide an opportunity for science, research and policy to be presented by various leading international experts in a variety of diverse fields. These sessions aim to broaden understanding and inspire new insights. See more of our Open Science Sessions here: www.pandata.org/open-science-sessions/ Support our work: www.pandata.org/donate/

Only if we expose what’s going on and break down all of the infrastructure under these institutions that are so corrupt, will we have a chance of being able to build them back up again.” ~ Dr Julie Ponesse Ethics and philosophy Professor, Julie Ponesse, was fired from her university position in 2021 for not complying with the institution’s vaccine mandate. Dr Ponesse explains the vilification and exclusion she experienced - from the very academics who were influential in her choice of academic philosophy as a career path, as well as the Canadian media - for asking ethics questions about the mandate that led to her termination. Uncensored ethical and philosophical debate is no longer welcome at the very institutions that claim to teach young minds critical thought. “If we don’t have freedom over our body, we have no freedom at all” ~ Dr Julie Ponesse Deafening Silencing is a series documenting the widespread and indiscreet use of direct censorship, de-platforming, smearing, coercing and other attempts to silence individuals questioning the official narrative on the pandemic event and the associated public health measures. The crude censorship methods employed by the mainstream press and large tech corporations enable and support the equally crude propaganda our societies are flooded with. Watch interviews with more silenced voices at https://www.pandata.org/deafening-silencing/ Interviewed by Heike Brunner

Recorded 23 April 2023 - Sound only Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs) have been receiving a lot of attention of late due to the threat they pose to civil liberties and financial freedom. What was once considered a conspiracy theory is now a possibility with banks around the world rushing proof of CBDC concept to market. This is a complex concept that involves many different elements in the global financial system as well as connections other issues. PANDATA's Nick Hudson is joined by Efrat Fenigson, Sean Flanagan and guests including Brownstone Institute's Jeffrey Tucker, Economist George Cooper, Together's Alan Miller, Blockchain Architect Joel Smalley, Associate Professor of Entrepreneurship Per Bylund and more. Follow PANDATA's scientific, sense-making and societal insights on Twitter at https://twitter.com/PanData19 or on our website at https://pandata.org

Prof Tim Noakes spent his academic career at the University of Cape Town (UCT) from 1969 to 2014 earning the MBChB, MD and DSc degrees; the Order of Mapungubwe (Silver) from the State President of South Africa and the Lifetime Achievement Award of the National Research Foundation. A recent analysis has found that he is the third most-cited medical researcher in South Africa; the second highest from UCT. He is also the world's third most-cited living Sports Scientist. However none of this was sufficient to protect him in 2014 from being “cancelled” by the UCT Medical Faculty with support from the then UCT Vice-Chancellor. His crime was that he dared to present the evidence that the dietary advice promoted by that institution and essential all medical faculties around the world, contributes to the global obesity/diabetes pandemic and that the first step in reversing these pandemics would be to tell this truth to the public. With strong support from UCT (and three other prominent South African Universities), also in 2014, the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA) charged Noakes with unprofessional conduct for a single seven-word Tweet on social media. The case was heard over 28 days stretched out over 4 years ending in June 2018; Noakes and his team of 3 expert witnesses delivered more than 7000 pages of scientific evidence during 12 days of testimony under oath with cross-examination. The decision of the original HPCSA committee as well as the committee appointed to hear the Appeal of the Prosecution against the original finding (unfavorable for the HPCSA), concluded that Noakes was innocent of all charges. The final count was 13 decisions in favor of Noakes; zero for the HPCSA. In this presentation, Prof Noakes shares the full story of his case and explains how he experienced the "cancel culture" that threatened his stellar career. You can follow him on Twitter at @ProfTimNoakes The Covid event has revealed that it was about more than just public health and the political, economic and societal aspects of the response are of far greater significance than the virus itself. There remains a continued drive toward the transformation of our societies in ways that threaten democracy and our existing ways of life. Open Society Sessions aim to examine the political, societal and economic dimensions of our recent experience and analyse developments in the future. Support our work: https://www.pandata.org/donate

Dr David Bell presents on the proposed new World Health Organization emergency powers and looks at what they mean and what they don't mean. Dr Bell is a clinical and public health physician, with a PhD in malaria epidemiology and modelling of interventions. He has held advisory and reviewer posts for the WHO, The Global Fund, the Wellcome Trust, and the European Commission, amongst others. His research and operational experience includes the Western Pacific and Southeast Asia, and East and Southern Africa. David has worked as Director of the Global Health Technologies Portfolio at Intellectual Ventures Global Good Fund; and as a Programme Head for Malaria and Acute Febrile Disease at the Foundation for Innovative New Diagnostics (FIND) in Geneva; and also as a coordinator introducing malarial diagnostics and scale-up with the WHO. David has over 90 peer-reviewed publications and is an internationally requested reviewer and speaker. He is a Fellow of the Australasian Faculty of Public Health Medicine and the Royal College of Physicians (UK) as well as a member of PANDA's executive committee. The Covid event has revealed that it was about more than just public health and the political, economic and societal aspects of the response are of far greater significance than the virus itself. There remains a continued drive toward the transformation of our societies in ways that threaten democracy and our existing ways of life. Open Society Sessions aim to examine the political, societal and economic dimensions of our recent experience and analyse developments in the future. Support our work: https://www.pandata.org/donate

There is a fundamental tension between reliance on expert knowledge and equal citizenship in a constitutional democracy. On the one hand, it is generally understood that in a democratic society, citizens are equal and independent co-deliberators in the public sphere, meaning that no citizen’s evidence or reasons should be downgraded in public deliberation just because he has less access to power or money. If one citizen’s reasons or evidence are given more weight, it should be because their reasons are more persuasive, or their evidence is of a higher quality, or because they have proven themselves to be more qualified or knowledgeable about a subject than other citizens. If these conditions have been met, then giving more weight to the arguments or reasons of one citizen than another may be publicly justified and not inherently offensive to civic equality. However, in practice this is not how public deliberation functions, for a number of reasons. First, people often use proxies like credentials and reputation to demonstrate their superior qualifications, and reputation or credentials may not be a reliable marker of superior knowledge. So the guy with the Harvard Ph.D may be gaining an unfair or inappropriate advantage in public debate even though his knowledge is no better for the purpose at hand than the next person’s. Second, people who are smart and well trained in a field of knowledge may be quite adept at dazzling the public with a display of erudition or “expertise” that conceals the weaknesses in their position or distort the data, giving rise to a relationship of intellectual domination or manipulation that is inconsistent with equal citizenship. Third, those with impressive credentials may be co-opted in a selective or one-sided way by politicians to legitimate their policy preferences, with no regard to opposing experts. Fourth, the danger of manipulation is only exacerbated in a world of intense specialisation, in which policymakers and ordinary citizens often have neither the time nor the energy to master the knowledge required to evaluate the plausibility of expert opinion. The purpose of this presentation by research fellow Dr David Thunder from the Institute for Culture and Society at the University of Navarra in Spain, will be simply to review some of the main threats posed to equal citizenship by reliance on those conventionally considered to be qualified experts; and to explore some ways these threats might be mitigated both at the individual and institutional levels. David will not be offering any pat answers, but will be suggesting some damage limitation strategies. His hope is that the presentation will open up a conversation about how to better manage the risks knowledge hierarchies pose to freedom and equality of citizens as co-participants in a self-governing society. The Covid event has revealed that it was about more than just public health and the political, economic and societal aspects of the response are of far greater significance than the virus itself. There remains a continued drive toward the transformation of our societies in ways that threaten democracy and our existing ways of life. Open Society Sessions aim to examine the political, societal and economic dimensions of our recent experience and analyse developments in the future. See more of David's work at www.davidthunder.com Watch more Open Society Sessions: https://www.pandata.org/open-society-sessions Support our work: https://www.pandata.org/donate

Recorded 2 April 2023 - Sound only If the policies of the past 3 years are a blue-print for future prophesied pandemics, we should pay close attention to the prophet's toolkit. The Covid-19 RT-PCR test has been at the foundation of the prevailing narrative since the start of the Covid policy response. Never intended to be used as a diagnostic tool for disease, this particular test has been used to curtail freedoms, has been used to influence the perception of disease severity and been used to verify vaccine results. Join PANDA's Nick Hudson with Drs Kat Lindley, Lynn Fynn, Jonathan Engler, Scott Mclachlan, Todd Kenyon, Andrew Bostom, Prof Martin Neil and Kevin McKernan as they shine a light on the test's pitfalls and how it has been used to establish and define the narrative over the past 3 years.

Why and how will the development of AI, national and localized technological ecosystems and cyber-warfare affect great power politics in the next century? The reliance of modern economies on technological advances will also compel states to intervene radically in economics and the lives of citizens, as automation radically alters the economies of tomorrow. Glenn Diesen is a Professor at the University of Southeast Norway, editor of the journal “Russia in Global Affairs” and a published author. His main research interest is within Eurasian integration and geoeconomics, particularly Russian conservatism, political economy and Greater Eurasia. The Covid event has revealed that it was about more than just public health and the political, economic and societal aspects of the response are of far greater significance than the virus itself. There remains a continued drive toward the transformation of our societies in ways that threaten democracy and our existing ways of life. Open Society Sessions aim to examine the political, societal and economic dimensions of our recent experience and analyse developments in the future. Watch more Open Society Sessions: https://www.pandata.org/open-society-sessions Support our work: https://www.pandata.org/donate

“Everything’s been infiltrated by the business model of Big Pharma profiteering. It’s only about that - there’s no public health here.” ~ Dr Jessica Rose Dr Rose is a computational biologist with additional degrees in immunology, molecular biology, biochemistry and applied mathematics. She describes being censored by a respected medical journal, discusses her work regarding the VAERS safety signals, and the pernicious effect of censorship on people injured by the Covid products. “I’m hoping to represent the injured people and give them a bit of a voice through what I’m doing” ~ Dr Jessica Rose Deafening Silencing is a series documenting the widespread and indiscreet use of direct censorship, de-platforming, smearing, coercing and other attempts to silence individuals questioning the official narrative on the pandemic event and the associated public health measures. The crude censorship methods employed by the mainstream press and large tech corporations enable and support the equally crude propaganda our societies are flooded with. Watch interviews with more silenced voices at https://www.pandata.org/deafening-silencing/ Interviewed by Heike Brunner

We have witnessed how the global pandemic preparedness complex doubled down on efforts to lobby governments of sovereign nations to relinquish their decision-making process over future so-called pandemics to WHO. In late September 2022, WHO’s intergovernmental negotiating body (INB) met to discuss its new international instrument on pandemic prevention, preparedness and response and interested parties were invited to submit a video statement in response to one question. With the third anniversary of the Covid lockdowns and the amendments to the WHO International Health Regulations currently being proposed, we reflect on the responses the public hearings garnered. Read the Substack: https://open.substack.com/pub/pandauncut/p/whos-pandemic-preparedness-agenda For detailed insights into the pandemic preparedness industry and the WHO's developing role in it, visit our website at https://pandata.org

With the lifting of the thousands of regulations by which our lives were ruled for two long years, there was an understandable desire to believe that the coronavirus ‘crisis’ was over. But as new crises have sprung up to take its place — war in the Ukraine, the so-called ‘cost of living crisis’ and the return of the environmental crisis — it’s increasingly difficult not to look back on ‘lockdown’ as the first campaign in a war that has not been declared by any government, but is no less real for that. The willingness of our governments to use the forces of the state against their own populations on the justification of protecting us from ourselves signals a new level of authoritarianism — and something like the return of fascism — to the governmental, juridical and cultural forms of the formerly neoliberal democracies of the West, and one of the aims of this book is to examine the validity of this thesis. Its purpose in doing so, however, is not to contribute to an academic debate about the meaning of the term ‘fascism’, but rather to interrogate how and why the general and widespread moral collapse in the West over the past two-and-a-half years has been effected with such rapidity and ease, and to examine to what ends that collapse is being used. Simon received his PhD in 2002 in the History and Theory of Art from University College London. He has taught at the Universities of London, Manchester and Reading and was a visiting professor at the University of Michigan for two years. In 2015 he co-founded Architects for Social Housing, for which he is Head of Research. A prolific writer, Simon has numerous books and collections to his name, including: Implementing the UK Biosecurity State (2020); Brave New World: Expanding the UK Biosecurity State through the Winter of 2020-2021 (2021); Virtue and Terror: Resisting the UK Biosecurity State (2021); He also writes and researches on the UK housing crisis. The Road to Fascism: For a Critique of the Global Biosecurity State can be purchased here: https://architectsforsocialhousing.co.uk/2022/09/28/the-road-to-fascism-for-a-critique-of-the-global-biosecurity-state/ The Covid event has revealed that it was about more than just public health and the political, economic and societal aspects of the response are of far greater significance than the virus itself. There remains a continued drive toward the transformation of our societies in ways that threaten democracy and our existing ways of life. Open Society Sessions aim to examine the political, societal and economic dimensions of our recent experience and analyse developments in the future. Watch more Open Society Sessions: https://www.pandata.org/open-society-sessions Support our work: https://www.pandata.org/donate

Transhumanism is an increasingly popular ideology among political and corporate elites around the world. However, the values and goals that it espouses lead to the creation of technologies that could substantially increase several existential risks, including the establishment of 'stable' totalitarian regimes that are impossible to overthrow. Transhumanist ideology may therefore be an existential risk in itself. Timo Pieters studied religion and philosophy at the Free University of Amsterdam, where he completed a Bachelor's and Master's in Religious Studies, specialising in Buddhism. He was a writer for the European Academy for Religion & Society for three years, and is now involved in the 'effective altruism' movement which seeks to identify and implement the most effective solutions to the world's most pressing problems. Timo is a certified teacher of Paul Ekman's 'Cultivating Emotional Balance', a secular mind-training programme combining emotional psychology and evidence-based meditation practices. The Covid event has revealed that it was about more than just public health and the political, economic and societal aspects of the response are of far greater significance than the virus itself. There remains a continued drive toward the transformation of our societies in ways that threaten democracy and our existing ways of life. Open Society Sessions aim to examine the political, societal and economic dimensions of our recent experience and analyse developments in the future. Watch more Open Society Sessions: https://www.pandata.org/open-society-sessions Support our work: https://www.pandata.org/donate

28 February 2023 | Dr Martin Wucher provides a "crumb-trail" of research and investigation to develop a new model, highlighting the origin, pathology and solutions for the phenomenon of "Long Covid". Namibia-based Dr Martin Wucher has a BSc. in Zoology and Microbiology from Rhodes University, South Africa, as well as a BChD in Dentistry at University of Pretoria, South Africa. He has lectured widely on topics of dentistry, human and business management, and functional medicine with a special focus on chronic disease, mitochondrial and frequency medicine. PANDA’s weekly Open Science Sessions provide an opportunity for science, research and policy to be presented by various leading international experts in a variety of diverse fields. These sessions aim to broaden understanding and inspire new insights. See more of our Open Science Sessions here: www.pandata.org/open-science-sessions/ Support our work: www.pandata.org/donate/

1 March 2023 | As universities in the United States continue to mandate liability-free injections (COVID vaccines) for students at limited risk of contracting COVID, it becomes imperative that more public information be made available for the ingredients of these experimental vaccines. Both the EMA and the TGA have made note of fragmented RNA and smeary western blots suggesting the vaccine manufacturing process lacks fidelity and transparency. Shortly after the TGA data was released, Patel et al. (Pfizer) published a paper attempting to defuse these concerns. This technical presentation and article at https://anandamide.substack.com/p/curious-kittens investigate this finding. Kevin McKernan is the CSO and Founder of Medicinal Genomics and has pioneered the genomics of cannabis and hemp to build a stronger scientific environment (http://Kannapedia.net) for the study of cannabis based therapeutics and blockchain technologies for tracking and verifying cannabis genetics. Previously, Kevin was the CSO of Courtagen Life Sciences, Inc., and was Vice President and Director of R&D of Life Technologies where he managed the development of Life Technologies next generation SOLiD sequencing technology. Integral to the SOLiD R&D process, Kevin oversaw over 100 research collaborations exploring the new biological frontiers with next generation sequencing and saw particular excitement and traction in human tumor sequencing. Kevin initiated an R&D project to investigate chemFET semiconductor based DNA sequencing and spearheaded a process to acquire the DNA sequencing company Ion Torrent for $350M. These collaborations resulted in hundreds of publications and 7 Journal covers from Science Translational Medicine to Nature. Kevin was the President and CSO of Agencourt Personal Genomics, a startup company he co-founded in 2005 to invent revolutionary sequencing technologies that dropped the cost of sequencing a human genome from $300M to $3,000; a 100,000-fold improvement in sequencing speed and cost in a few years. In 2000, Kevin Co-Founded Agencourt Biosciences Corporation and acted as the CSO until it was acquired by Beckman Coulter. Kevin also managed the R&D for the Human Genome Project at Whitehead Institute/MIT resulting in several patents for nucleic acid purification. Kevin holds a B.S. in Biology from Emory University with a focus on cloning and expressing Norepinephrine Transporters. When not decoding DNA and unraveling the mysteries of cannabis medicine, Kevin enjoy boating, skiing, and gardening. PANDA’s weekly Open Science Sessions provide an opportunity for science, research and policy to be presented by various leading international experts in a variety of diverse fields. These sessions aim to broaden understanding and inspire new insights. See more of our Open Science Sessions here: www.pandata.org/open-science-sessions/ Support our work: www.pandata.org/donate/

24 January 2023 | Dr. Gutschi is a pharmacotherapeutic specialist with extensive experience in evidence-based medicine, critical care, antimicrobial therapy, and mentoring and teaching pharmaceutical care. She has been involved in pharmaceutical drug assessment and formulary management, and the preparation of educational materials and research reports for the Canadian Pharmacist Association and for regulatory agencies. She has been employed as a scientific officer for the Patented Medicines Prices Review Board in Canada, and as a clinical pharmacist for the Canadian Forces Health Service Centre, and as a pharmacy consultant for small hospitals to meet multiple accreditation standards. PANDA’s weekly Open Science Sessions provide an opportunity for science, research and policy to be presented by various leading international experts in a variety of diverse fields. These sessions aim to broaden understanding and inspire new insights. See more of our Open Science Sessions here: www.pandata.org/open-science-sessions/ Support our work: www.pandata.org/donate/ * Our apologies for the poor sound quality

Recorded 26 February 2023 - Sound only The term propaganda comes up often in explanations of the Covid phenomenon. What is the super structure of propaganda? What differentiates it from stories that are true? What signs can we look for that might tell us whether we are hearing a fabricated, agenda-driven narrative, as opposed to an honest account of some aspect of reality? Listen to PANDA's Nick Hudson and Gal G in conversation with PANDA's Dr Piers Robinson, Patrick Henningsen, Dr Gary Sidley, Andrew Lowenthal, Dr Yaffa Shir-Raz and Dr Michael Nevradakis.

Fabio Vighi is Professor of Critical Theory and Italian at Cardiff University, UK, where he has been since 2000. Prior to that he lectured in Italian studies at Portsmouth University. He obtained a PhD at Reading University in 1999, and graduated from the University of Bologna (Italy) in 1994. Fabio’s research focuses on critical theory, continental philosophy, theoretical psycho-analysis and film. His current research focuses on the ideology of 'emergency capitalism' in connection with the analysis of global challenges currently faced by the capitalist mode of production. Fabio has published several books, his most recent is "Unworkable: Delusion of an Imploding Civilization" (2022). The Covid event has revealed that it was about more than just public health and the political, economic and societal aspects of the response are of far greater significance than the virus itself. There remains a continued drive toward the transformation of our societies in ways that threaten democracy and our existing ways of life. Open Society Sessions aim to examine the political, societal and economic dimensions of our recent experience and analyse developments in the future. Watch more Open Society Sessions: https://www.pandata.org/open-society-sessions/ Support our work: https://www.pandata.org/donate

Andrew Lowenthal is the co-founder and former executive director of EngageMedia, an Asia-Pacific digital rights, open and secure technology, and documentary film non-profit. He is a former fellow of Harvard's Berkman Klein Center for Internet and Society, and MIT's Open Documentary Lab. Whilst director, EngageMedia produced the Pandemic of Control - a series on Covid-19 and digital authoritarianism. More recently Andrew has written about the 'anti-disinformation' industry as tool for information suppression. He is in the process of developing new initiatives on digital authoritarianism including writing at networkaffects.substack.com. The Covid event has revealed that it was about more than just public health and the political, economic and societal aspects of the response are of far greater significance than the virus itself. There remains a continued drive toward the transformation of our societies in ways that threaten democracy and our existing ways of life. Open Society Sessions aim to examine the political, societal and economic dimensions of our recent experience and analyse developments in the future. Watch more Open Society Sessions: https://www.pandata.org/open-society-sessions/ Support our work: https://www.pandata.org/donate

Arta Moeini is the Director of Research at the Institute for Peace and Diplomacy (IPD), a North American international affairs think tank committed to advancing the principles of realism and restraint in the English-speaking world. Dr. Moeini is an international political theorist and a revisionist scholar of Nietzsche and Modernity whose interests lie at the nexus of contrasting traditions of political realism, culture and politics, and international relations theory. His dissertation, The Case for Anthro-Culturalism: A Nietzschean Rejoinder to MacIntyre’s Critique of Modernity, is an in-depth exegesis of the works of Alasdair MacIntyre and Friedrich Nietzsche, which argues that the fundamental pathology afflicting Modernity is not valuelessness (i.e., axiological crisis) but meaninglessness and will-lessness (i.e., an onto-practical crisis), the latter having profound cultural, political, and international ramifications. Moeini’s current research focuses on the interplay between history of ideas and foreign policy, drawing attention to how a universalist ideology and cosmopolitan elite formation processes combine to secure and advance domestic and international hegemony for a global liberal establishment increasingly facing a legitimacy crisis. He is the author of numerous studies and white papers published by IPD on the future of the international system, the decline of the liberal international order, and the rise of middle powers. His writings have previously appeared in UnHerd, The National Interest, and The American Conservative among others. Dr. Moeini holds B.A. in Political Science and Near Eastern Studies from the University of California Berkeley, an M.A. in International Relations from Johns Hopkins SAIS, and a Ph.D. (with distinction) and M.A. in Government from Georgetown University. See more at Peacediplomacy.org The Covid event has revealed that it was about more than just public health and the political, economic and societal aspects of the response are of far greater significance than the virus itself. There remains a continued drive toward the transformation of our societies in ways that threaten democracy and our existing ways of life. Open Society Sessions aim to examine the political, societal and economic dimensions of our recent experience and analyse developments in the future. Watch more Open Society Sessions: https://www.pandata.org/open-society-sessions/ Support our work: https://www.pandata.org/donate

‘It was hurting my soul more to stay silent, than to speak out’ Canadian Neo-natal ICU nurse, Kristen Nagle, speaks about the silencing of Canadian nurses early in the Covid event. In response to large protests she organized outside hospitals, the Canadian government made it illegal to protest in front of hospitals. Kristen was described as a ‘domestic terrorist’ and subjected to an intense, nationwide media smearing-campaign. She was fired and is being investigated by the College of Nurses, who use her as a case study. The silver lining is that she co-founded Canadian Frontline Nurses, who offer a creative solution to Canadian patients and nurses. “My name is a really fun Google search these days” – Kristen Nagle Deafening Silencing is a series documenting the widespread and indiscreet use of direct censorship, de-platforming, smearing, coercing and other attempts to silence individuals questioning the official narrative on the pandemic event and the associated public health measures. The crude censorship methods employed by the mainstream press and large tech corporations enable and support the equally crude propaganda our societies are flooded with. Watch interviews with more silenced voices at https://www.pandata.org/deafening-silencing/ Interviewed by Heike Brunner Keep the conversation open. Support PANDA's work at https://www.pandata.org/donate/

In this presentation, Dr Amrei Müller gives an update of the on-going revision of the International Health Regulations (IHR) at WHO and evaluate it from a human rights (law) perspective. Whilst focusing on the recently collated amendments to the IHR that have been proposed by WHO member states, the parallel process of the negotiation of a new multilateral treaty on pandemic preparedness and response will also be taken account of. After a brief overview of the parallel processes so far, the Global Health Security (GHS) doctrine is introduced. It is this doctrine that underlies the substantive proposals for the amendments of the IHR (and for the new treaty). These substantive proposals – among them the considerable broadening of the scope of application of the IHR, the building of global biomedical digital surveillance system (including through use of vaccine passports), the fast-track development of investigational vaccines and other medical products, infodemic management, etc. – are then examined. Overall, if adopted, the amended IHR (and the new treaty) will extend and entrench in international health law the top-down, securitised approach to the management of infectious disease outbreaks that dominated the WHO-led global response to Covid-19. This does not only imply a conclusive move away from time-tested holistic pre-Covid approaches to managing infectious disease outbreaks. It is also highly likely that it will bring the revised IHR and the new treaty into conflict with states’ duties to respect, protect and fulfil human rights, as well as with WHO’s responsibilities for human rights. Amrei Müller is currently a lecturer/assistant professor at Sutherland School of Law, University College Dublin, Ireland. She has obtained a PhD in Law from the University of Nottingham, UK. She has researched and published extensively in the area of human rights law, including on international, European and comparative human rights law, the (democratic) institutional dimensions of human rights law, and the human rights to health and science (including in global health emergencies and WHO context). See also: https://people.ucd.ie/amrei.muller

31 January 2023 | Nick St James* is an independent investigator with university experience in epidemiology and virology. In this presentation, he looks at the medical anthropology of the Special Virus-Cancer Programme which spanned 1964-1977, integrating into the NIH just as HIV emerged in public health. Nick’s original HIV Lab Origin Timeline and his Level 150 discussion, a companion piece to the timeline, can be seen here: https://rumble.com/v24j3qs-medical-anthropology-presentation-003.html PANDA’s internal weekly Open Science Sessions provide an opportunity for science, research and policy to be presented by various leading international experts in a variety of diverse fields. These sessions lead to fascinating open discussions and debate and allow our scientists to broaden their understanding and inspire new ideas. See more of our Open Science Sessions here: www.pandata.org/open-science-sessions/ Support our work: www.pandata.org/donate/ *Name is a pseudonym