PANDA | Science. Sense. Society.

Recorded on 5 February 2023 - Sound only While the debate on the origins of the virus has raged, what is clear is that it was principally the narrative around Covid and the departure in the response to Covid that contributed to the excess deaths seen. As with the viral origins debate, the narrative origins debate has generated multiple hypotheses. Whatever the story, its likely quite complex. While the aim of this PANDA Twitter Space was not to land on answers, but rather to enrich perspective, the speakers are some of those who have done deep thinking on these questions. Listen to PANDA's Nick Hudson and Gal G in conversation with Will Jones of the Daily Sceptic, Dr Mike Yeadon, Dr Lynn Fynn, Dr Clare Craig, Michael Senger and more.

Carl Schmitt famously criticized liberal democracy as illusory: the state is in fact always theological, top-down, and unitary. This is made most evident in the state of emergency or exception. The Covid event has seemingly vindicated this critique, and shows us the futility of anything less than political assault on our ruling class. Appealing to liberal mores, in the face of 'health fascism', will accomplish nothing. A new 'theology', a new state, is the only solution. Chris Waldburger attempted to criticize a modern turn to nihilism as a lowly, small-scale scholar for years, both in literature and philosophy. Alongside this, he has had a somewhat bumpy ride as a school teacher, knocking his head against political correctness, egalitarianism, and latterly, the abuse of children by authoritarian nanny-types with social distancing and face coverings and vaccine pressures. His writing began to reach a wider audience via Substack as he reported on the horrors of lockdowns and the failures of vaccines. (You can find his work at chriswaldburger.substack.com.) His work with PANDA includes some writing and thinking the philosophical underpinnings of the emergence of the Covid event from the wrong-turns of the postwar west. The pandemic 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

Since 1999, author Ray McGinnis has taught journal writing workshops for people dealing with grief and loss, to first responders, and in health care facilities. He has also taught poetry writing and memoir workshops across North America. Ray is interested in the stories we tell, the narratives we trust, and how this shapes our world. This includes not just personal stories, but news headlines like the narrative about September 11, and other headlines that saturate citizens with slanted media messages. Earlier in his career, Ray was a program staff in education for the United Church of Canada, serving in several congregations, as well as at the denominations national office (1986-95). He lives in Vancouver, Canada. Ray McGinnis has authored "Unanswered Questions: What the September Eleventh Families Asked and the 9/11 Commission Ignored" (2021), and previously, "Writing the Sacred: A Psalm-inspired Path to Appreciating and Writing Sacred Poetry" (2005). Ray has written several articles for Propaganda In Focus and his latest is the topic of this presentation: https://propagandainfocus.com/justin-trudeau-and-the-politics-of-possible-the-emergencies-act-inquiry-in-canada-and-the-triumph-of-propaganda/ The pandemic 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-... Support our work: https://www.pandata.org/donate

17 January 2023 | Mathew Crawford ties loose ends together with a presentation on the healthy user bias (or healthy vaccinee bias). Through this he demonstrates that the Covid-19 vaccines have no effectiveness whatsoever. Mathew Crawford is an applied statistician, financial quantitative trader, and educator. He is the founder of the MetaPrep Education Group that runs Rounding the Earth, and also the founder of Operation Uplift and the Campfire Wiki project. Currently he writes the Rounding The Earth Newsletter on Substack at https://roundingtheearth.substack.com/, a project that grew out of the frustration of censorship during the Covid-19 pandemic. Mathew also, with Liam Sturgess, hosts interviews on his Rounding the Earth, Roundtable Talks. Watch them at https://rumble.com/c/RoundingTheEarth 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/

Since the collapse of state socialism, and the unleashing of speculative capitalism, societies are increasingly being governed by a politics of fear. In the West we are in a situation in which the Covid state of emergency is beginning to unravel. With growing numbers of people dying in age groups where they shouldn’t be, and many more suffering from side effects of the experimental injections that were supposedly able to ward off infection, expert opinion that the Covid virus emerged from a biowarfare laboratory, and that the pharmaceutical industry is exploiting the situation, is gaining ground. Yet, discrimination on the basis of ‘vaccine’ status was believed rational from the perspective of a ruling class seeking to impose discipline. Now that it appears as if ‘pandemic narrative’ is losing its effectiveness, like ‘terrorism’ before it, other options are being explored. These include replacing money with Central Bank Digital Currencies tied to social credit; climate emergencies; and nuclear war scares. Prof Kees Van Der Pijl was a lecturer in International Relations at the University of Amsterdam, and from 2000 until 2012 professor at the University of Sussex, UK. He is a published author, having written: The Making of an Atlantic Ruling Class (1984, new edition 2012). Global Rivalries from the Cold War to Iraq (2006). The Discipline of Western Supremacy (2014). Flight MH17, Ukraine and the New Cold War (2018). States of Emergency. Keeping the Global Population in Check (2022). He has edited several collections, most recently The Militarization of the European Union (2021). The pandemic 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

22 November 2022 | The Israeli MOH had no adverse events reporting system for the entire year of 2021. They commissioned a research team to analyze the reports from a new system implemented on December 2021. A leaked video reveals that in June, the researchers presented serious findings to the MOH, that indicated long-term effects, including some not listed by Pfizer, and a causal relationship. The Ministry published a manipulative report, and told the public that no new signal was found. Yaffa Shir-Raz, PhD, is a risk communication researcher and a teaching fellow at the University of Haifa and Reichman University. Her area of research focuses on health and risk communication, including Emerging Infectious Disease (EID) communication, such as the H1N1 and the Covid-19 outbreaks. She examines the practices used by the pharmaceutical industry and health authorities and organisations, to promote health issues and brand medical treatments. She also assesses censorship practices used by corporations and by health organisations to suppress dissenting voices in the scientific discourse. Yaffa is also a health journalist, and the editor of the Israeli Real-Time Magazine. Shahar Gavish is a researcher at the Israeli Public Emergency Council For The Covid-19 Crisis (PECC) and a proud PANDA with background in math, probability and risk management. 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/

Hugh McCarthy, based in Northern Ireland, started his campaign in support of children in May 2020. He felt the pandemic response was wrong from the start, both morally and, as he came to see, scientifically. Hugh believed that the impact of any policies implemented should have placed children uppermost, yet this did not happen, and decisions were made solely from the perspective of adults. Hugh has been a lone professional voice in Northern Ireland on this topic. In this detailed presentation, he examines the validity of the restrictive policies which caused the harms - did masks, PCR tests and lockdowns/school closures work or is there evidence of their harms? 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/

"A courageous streak of idealism and stubborn integrity pitched Dr. Robert Malone off the giddy heights of the Medical Cartel. Stranded in the wilderness, he has emerged as the most important prophet for medical freedom, public health, and civil rights." ~ Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Dr Malone's insights into the government side of the Covid story have proven essential to providing perspective on the events that have shaped our recent lives. This is PANDA's full interview of Dr Malone, recorded as part of our Deafening Silencing series on censorship, where he not only speaks about his censorship, but also about his life and his work in the public eye. Read more at https://www.rwmalonemd.com/ Dr Malone writes at https://rwmalonemd.substack.com/ Watch PANDA's Deafening Silencing series at https://www.pandata.org/deafening-silencing/ Keep the conversation open. Support PANDA's work at https://www.pandata.org/donate/

23 November 2022 | "The world is at a crossroads of financial crisis and opportunity with the public losing faith in government, the global financial system and fiat currencies in general. Essentially, there is no guarantee that your money is safe and its purchasing power will persist”. Applied Statistician and Financial Quantitative Trader, Mathew Crawford and Quantitative Analyst and Chief Technology Officer, Joel Smalley put forward two competing options as "future money" - Bitcoin and commodity-backed tokens - both underpinned by blockchain technology but otherwise quite different. The former is natively digital and independent of any real-world asset, secured using Proof-of-Work consensus, the other is the "digital twin" of a real-world asset, secured using Proof-of-Stake consensus. The discussion centres around those principal differences, their relative pros and cons that may, or may not, see either of them emerge as the future of money. The pandemic 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

#censorship #propaganda “The medical aspect of this is just a skirmish. The big fight is about centralised power and globalism” Dr Robert Malone is one of the early pioneers of the mRNA technology for vaccines. Following his prior involvements with bio-defence related vaccine R&D, in January 2020 he was contacted by a US government agency to assemble a team to study the ‘novel virus’ to help inform the public health response in the USA. Shortly after beginning to research Covid-19 and possible treatments, he experienced consistent censorship, smearing, and de-platforming from social media. He has also witnessed a ruthless campaign to erase his earlier professional contributions. “It drives people towards radicalisation, when it (censorship) happens to you.” 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/

Dr Ewa Sidorenko is originally from Poland where she was involved in student political activism against the communist system. Ewa has been in the UK since the 1980s. She received her PhD in 1998 for her thesis: ‘Neo-liberalism after communism: Constructing a sociological account of the political space of post-1989 Poland’. She has taught sociology at Goldsmiths’ University of London, Royal Holloway University of London, and the Open University. Most recently she taught at the Faculty of Education, University of Greenwich. She has published on postmodern uncertainty, identity, community arts, and research methodologies. She is currently completing a research project about the impact of Brexit on The Polish community in UK. Ewa was a left activist in the Labour Party until the election of Keir Starmer, and has supported campaigns for Julian Assange. She is a member of Left Lockdown Sceptics group and occasionally writes for OffGuardian. The pandemic 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

4 October 2022 | Randall Bock MD is a primary care physician practicing in the Boston Massachusetts area. Early in the pandemic he wrote (invoking Bayes' theorem) on the absurdity of high levels of Covid testing in areas, or at times, where there we're few symptoms. This may still be applicable today (https://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2020/05/is_universal_testing_a_universal_good.html). Dr Bock's Portuguese/Brazilian edition of his book Overturning Zika (bringing to light the highly speculative, highly doubtful underpinnings of that pandemic) is soon to be published for general circulation in Brazil. He has a weekly "coronavirus conversation" videocast at the "viral conversation" page on Facebook, and blogs at randybock.com 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/

“Public Health Professionals do not do public health TO you and FOR you, they do it with you and by you.” Sean Kaufman MPH, CPH, is a public health professional specialising in infectious diseases and behavioural science. Working for the CDC and the WHO, Sean has been directly engaged in almost every infectious disease pandemic and epidemic that occurred in the last 25 years. During the Covid-19 pandemic, however, he found himself censored and dismissed, while actors and accountants are allowed to dispense medical advice on the same platform from which he was banned for quoting science. 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/ Interviews and editing by Heike Brunner Keep the conversation open. Support PANDA's work at https://www.pandata.org/donate/

13 September 2022 | Dr Meryl Nass is a board-certified internal medicine physician whose license to practice was suspended in early 2022. Dr Nass has given 6 Congressional testimonies and testified for legislatures in Maine, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire, Alaska, Colorado and New Brunswick, Canada on bioterrorism, Gulf War syndrome and vaccine safety/vaccine mandates. Meryl consulted for the World Bank, the Government Accountability Office, the Cuban Ministry of Health and the US Director of National Intelligence regarding the prevention, investigation and mitigation of chemical and biological warfare and pandemics. Her body of work includes being the first person in the world to investigate an anthrax outbreak and prove it was due to biological warfare during Rhodesia’s civil war, publishing the results in 1992. Dr Nass along with Robert F Kennedy Jr. and the NGO, Childrens' Health Defense, authored a Citizen’s Petition to the FDA regarding the Covid vaccines' authorizations and their single approval, as well as a letter to the FDA and its vaccine advisory committee regarding the many reasons the vaccines are not suitable for children. Meryl is also the author of detailed articles regarding the suppression of hydroxychloroquine and ivermectin as options for treatment of Covid, which have been read by over 50,000 people on her website alone, with coverage of her work by major US newspapers, TV networks, and numerous alternative channels. Follow her on her Substack channel: https://merylnass.substack.com 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/

Discussion arising from Dr Jessica Rose's presentation on fertility. Watch Dr Rose's Open Science Session presentation here: https://bit.ly/3gRjV5h Support our work: https://www.pandata.org/donate

27 September 2022 | Tim Noakes' promotion of the idea that the prevention and reversal of most modern chronic diseases can be achieved by dietary means and not by the prescription of patented pharmaceutical products, might explain why he was targeted for cancellation by both his alma mater, the University of Cape Town, and his profession. Tim 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 essentially 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. This presentation looks at some of his findings. See more about the Noakes Foundation at https://thenoakesfoundation.org/ 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/

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. Nick Hudson is the chairman of PANDA: an organisation formed in April 2020 which performed the only cost-benefit analysis done at the start of South Africa’s first hard lockdown. Nick discusses the direct censorship he is experiencing and shares his thoughts on what it means for society as a whole when a nebulous concept such as the undefined “violating community guidelines” is given as a reason for silencing opinions that run counter to the official narrative. “It’s a notable truism that censorship always targets the true stuff." Watch interviews with more silenced voices at https://www.pandata.org/deafening-silencing/ Interviews and editing by Heike Brunner Keep the conversation open. Support PANDA's work at https://www.pandata.org/donate/

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. Jennifer Smith, PhD is a virologist and immunologist with over 12 years experience in vaccine development and testing. She came out as a whistleblower whilst working for the Hawai’i Department of Health on their Covid-19 Track and Trace efforts and spoke out about the PCR testing problems. Amongst other things, she has been banned from LinkedIn and was fired from her position with the Health Department for speaking out. “....if I am saying these things as an expert, and people are not listening, that tells me that something bigger, something much deeper is happening here...and people should be curious about that...” Watch interviews with more silenced voices at https://www.pandata.org/deafening-silencing/ Interviews and editing by Heike Brunner Keep the conversation open. Support PANDA's work at https://www.pandata.org/donate/

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. C. J. Hopkins is an award-winning American playwright, novelist, and political satirist. His most recent book is a collection of essays called "The Rise of The New Normal Reich" and was banned on Amazon in Austria, Germany and The Netherlands. In this video, C.J. discusses how his satire has become more serious as he has been documenting the global roll-out of a totalitarian ideology, the seemingly unending forms of censorship he has encountered, and the bizarre way in which Twitter appears to be trying to defame him and smear his reputation. Watch interviews with more silenced voices at https://www.pandata.org/deafening-silencing/ Interviews and editing by Heike Brunner Keep the conversation open. Support PANDA's work at https://www.pandata.org/donate/

26 July 2022 | Dr. Jessica Rose has a Bachelor of Science in Applied Mathematics, a Master's in Medicine in Immunology, and a PhD in Computational Biology. She has also undertaken two Post-Doctoral studies in Molecular Biology and Biochemistry. Not long after the completion of her second Post Doc in December 2019, the Covid-19 pandemic was declared. Jessica used this as an opportunity to pursue the task of analysing the VAERS data from the United States. She has published her findings in the journal 'Science, Public Health Policy and the Law' and has two other publications in peer review - both pertaining to VAERS data. One of the manuscripts is a critical appraisal of VAERS pharmacovigilance and the other is a review of myocarditis adverse events. Jessica has also created a website that publishes her data live called ‘I do not consent’ (https://i-do-not-consent.netlify.app). 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/

6 September 2022 | Joel Wallskog is an orthopedic surgeon who has been in private practice since 2002. After obtaining his medical degree, Joel completed a residency in orthopaedic surgery, and also undertook training specialising in joint replacement surgery. Since 2009 Joel has worked at Aurora Healthcare where he has developed a large successful orthopedic practice focusing on joint replacement. He has extensive experience in revision joint replacement and hip resurfacing. For many years, he has been on the clinical faculty for the Medical College of Wisconsin, training fourth- and fifth-year orthopedic surgery residents on improving their surgical skills. Although asymptomatic, Joel tested positive for Covid-19 antibodies in September of 2020. According to CDC recommendations at the time, Joel waited three months after his antibody diagnosis before obtaining his first Covid vaccine, which was administered on December 30th 2020 and was Moderna. Within a short period of time Joel developed numbness, weakness and balance issues, and in the following months, he experienced periods of quite severe lower thoracic back pain. He was subsequently diagnosed with transverse myelitis with a demyelinated lesion at the thoracic nerve between 8th and 9th thoracic vertebrae. In spite of treatment with high dose steroids, intravenous immunoglobulin and physical therapy, Joel’s symptoms are essentially unchanged since his diagnosis in January 2021. Prior to this Joel enjoyed hiking, biking and numerous water-sports, but can now only walk short distances. Joel has also been unable to return to work as an orthopedic surgeon and has been on long term disability. React19 began as a small community of medical professionals and everyday people who experienced adverse reactions from Covid-19 vaccines. It offers financial, physical, and emotional support for those suffering from long-term Covid-19 vaccine adverse events globally. See more at https://react19.org/ 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/

Dr Kevin Bardosh focuses on using social science and community engagement to improve public health delivery and policy. Most of his work, across more than 20 countries, has concentrated on the epidemiology and control of human, animal and vector-borne infectious disease. Watch Dr Bardosh's Open Society Session presentation here: https://rumble.com/v1owazn-dr-kevin-bardosh-why-mandates-passports-and-restrictions-may-cause-more-har.html?mref=umbzp&mc=dprv6 Support our work: https://www.pandata.org/donate

Dr Kevin Bardosh is a medical anthropologist whose work focuses on using social science and community engagement to improve public health delivery and policy. Most of his work, across more than 20 countries, has concentrated on the epidemiology and control of human, animal and vector-borne infectious disease. He is currently an affiliate assistant Professor with the School of Public Health, at the University of Washington; an honorary lecturer at Edinburgh Medical School; and a Research Associate, at the School of Global Urban and Social Studies within the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology. Kevin has authored multiple peer reviewed publications, has edited two books, “one health” and “locating Zika” and is also Associate Editor of the journal Frontiers in Tropical Diseases. Prior to the events of 2020, he worked on emergency response programmes for Zika in Latin America as well as Ebola in West Africa. In 2019, he led the development of a framework to assist global health funders in better integrating social science in epidemic response. Read Dr Bardosh's paper: https://gh.bmj.com/content/7/5/e008684 The pandemic 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

Barbara Widhalm teaches Systems Thinking from the community college to the doctoral level and has developed educational frameworks for teaching “living systems awareness” in a variety of contexts. She regularly presents at conferences of the International Society for the Systems Sciences and has shared her research at the International Transformative Learning Conferences, as well as the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education. Barbara chose not to take the C-19 injection, and as a consequence has had to submit a religious exemption statement, to one of the colleges she teaches at, in order to be able to continue teaching. Barbara wrote a statement based on her sincerely held beliefs in Life and the scientific process. After two appeals, the statement was approved. Originally from Austria, Barbara holds a doctorate in Transformative Learning and Change, and a Masters in Community and Regional Planning. She is also involved in co-creating decentralized networks of mutual support. The pandemic 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

"The conscious and intelligent manipulation of the organized habits and opinions of the masses is an important element in democratic society. Those who manipulate this unseen mechanism of society constitute an invisible government which is the true ruling power of our country." These were the words of Edward Bernays, pioneering marketing psychologist, author of Propaganda, and great uncle to Netflix co-founder and CEO Marc Bernays Randolph. Today his words are truer than ever. We are constantly bombarded with information - and emotion - from all corners. Everywhere we look, there is someone trying to persuade us to buy a product, elect a candidate, or go to war. How, in this environment, can we maintain and strengthen our psychological integrity? How can we 'free our minds' and resist the endless nudges, pokes, and shoves on our psyche? The pandemic 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