Roberto Abraham Scaruffi

Puppet Masters

Payday for US defense contractors - $1.6 billion for a proxy army against Russia Melissa Dykes The Daily Sheeple 2015-10-24 20:22:00 For a $612 billion bill, you're probably thinking "$1.6 billion... is that all?" In the 2016 defense budget, hundreds of millions of dollars — funds that could be spent improvingAmerica for Americans — are openly going to train and arm "rebel" forces in Iraq, Syria and Ukraine in what amounts to little more than a thinly-veiled proxy war with Russia (and a payday for American defense contractors). Via RT: Some $600 million has been earmarked for a program to support the"appropriately vetted" Syrian rebels, fighting against both the government in Damascus and Islamic State (IS, also known as ISIS and ISIL). Section 1225 of the NDAA allocates $531.5 million directly to the Syria Train and Equip program, and directs an additional $25.8 million to the US Army and $42.8 million to the US Air Force, to cover the costs of their participation. "Appropriately vetted?" Vetted by whom? Vetted by John McCain, pictured below with terrorists some of those "appropriately vetted rebels" even he accidentally refers to as ISIS?

Another staffer confirmed dead, death toll rises to 23 from US Kunduz hospital bombing RT 2015-10-24 01:54:00 The international medical charity, Doctors Without Borders, has confirmed the death of another staff member, bringing the total death toll from a US airstrike on a hospital in northern Afghanistan to 23.

Comment: Read more: Switching tactics: U.S. now claims that the Kunduz hospital bombing was due to an 'intelligence systems failure'

Political Ponerology: The long, long ego trip of Stephen Harper Crawford Kilian The Tyee 2015-10-21 00:00:00 With Justin Trudeau as our new prime minister, most Canadians are looking forward, projecting their hopes and fears on a future very different from the past. But let's take a minute to look at the past and consider how to prevent it happening again. Like roughly 70 per cent of Canadians, I spent the last decade trying to figure out a man named Stephen Harper. (The other 30 per cent just liked him enough to vote for him.) The Tyee alone has mentioned him in well over 500 articles, seeking to understand the man's motives, politics, actions, and methods.

Why the Benghazi hearings will never reveal the truth: The U.S. was arming terrorists Larry Hancock WhoWhatWhy 2015-10-23 16:40:00 The underlying story of Benghazi is one that cannot and will not be talked about in any open session of Congress. This means that Thursday's hearing featuring former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was nothing but an exercise in futility. It is the story of a covert CIA operation that was operating from a separate facility in the Benghazi compound that was simply known as the "Annex." Some two dozen CIA case officers, analysts, translators and special staff were a part of this operation and its security was provided by CIA Global Response Staff (GRS), who had entered the country under diplomatic cover. The CIA's mission included arms interdiction — attempting to stop the flow of Soviet-era weapons to Central Africa — and very possibly the organization of Libyan arms shipments to vetted insurgent groups on the ground in Syria. There is also evidence that the mission was working in concert with military personnel from the Joint Special Operations Group Trans-Sahara. At the time of the attack, an unarmed American surveillance drone was in flight over the territory east of Benghazi and Trans-Sahara military personnel were stationed in the Libyan capital of Tripoli.

Comment: See also: The truth about Benghazi: Cover for providing weapons to terrorists in Syria

Flashback: The truth about Benghazi: Cover for providing weapons to terrorists in Syria World Net Daily 2014-09-08 15:27:00 The U.S. special mission in Benghazi and the nearby CIA annex were utilized in part to coordinate arms shipments to the jihadist rebels fighting the Syrian regime, with Ambassador Christopher Stevens playing a central role, documents an explosive new book released today. The activities, which included a separate, unprecedented multi-million-dollar weapons collection effort from Libyan militias who did not want to give up their weapons, may have prompted the Sept. 11, 2012, attack, charges the new book. The findings and more are revealed in the new work by radio host and WND reporter Aaron Klein,"The REAL Benghazi Story: What the White House and Hillary Don't Want You to Know." Klein asserts the arms-to-rebels scheme that ran through Benghazi "might amount to the Fast and Furious of the Middle East, the Iran-Contra of the Obama administration." A key issue is that until the end of April 2013, the White House had repeatedly denied it was involved in helping to arm the Syrian rebels.

Comment: James and JoAnne Moriarty were in Libya during the U.S./NATO terror campaign. From what they head from their Libyan contacts, Klein's account sounds very close to the truth. From SOTT.net's interview with the Moriairtys: ... three weeks after the no-fly zone was established, Chris Stevens, who was the gunrunner to the rebels, delivered 20,000 MANPAD and shoulder-mounted, shoulder-to-air rockets to Al-Qaeda and Muslim Brotherhood in Libya. Twenty thousand of them! This is after the no-fly zone had been established. ... Well, some time later that's what bit Chris Stevens and caused them to have him assassinated because the rest of the countries around Libya (Chad, Niger) complained to NATO and said, "Libya's like a sieve and there are weapons coming out of Libya through our country. We can't stop it. Y'all have to do something about it. They're coming out with all kinds of weapons and rockets and everything." ... Chris Stevens was funnelling all the weapons to Syria. He was funnelling mercenaries that were being trained in Libya later too. He was assassinated. ... the proof that we brought forward was, Morsi was the coordinator. It wasAnsar al-Sharia and Muslim Brotherhood ... Six weeks before it ever happened, we were told by the Libyan tribes that one of the generals that was embedded with Muslim Brotherhood and Al-Qaeda, said, "They are planning attacks on US soil in Libya, in Yemen, etc. It's going to happen on 9/11." ... Well, that has to be the embassies. ... incidentally, for the world to know, [Benghazi] was never anything but a CIA safe house. It was never a consulate. It was never an embassy. It was never intended to be that. Never had a US flag. Not one car that was there ever had an ambassador or political plate. They all had Libyan licence plates. Libya only has one authorized US embassy. It's in Tripoli. ... But the night the fighting started, the man that served dinner to Stevens and the representative from Turkey, that "servant", if you would, was one of the spies for the Libyan tribes. And he understands English very well. And the discussion they were having at dinner was Chris Stevens was pleading with this Turkish representative to talk to Erdogan, who is the leader of Turkey, to use his influence to get those 20,000 rockets back. And he said, "We will pay handsomely, whatever it takes to get those back. We've got get 'em back. They're causing us political problems." And the Turkish representative, for all practical purposes, told him to pound sand. They finished dinner. The Turk left that mansion, was put in a fast vehicle, driven to the military airport in Benghazi and flown by military aircraft back to Turkey. When the plane sat down on the ground in Turkey, that's when the three coordinators of the attack on that mansion called in the attack. And we know the names, addresses and phone numbers of those three guys because their families gave them up. They were ashamed of them. ... Q: Well why would the US government want to get rid of Chris Stevens? A: Dead men tell no tales. Those 20,000 rockets were going to come back and bite the US in the ass.

Another one bites the dust: Syrian Army kills Jabhat al-Nusra leader Sputnik 2015-10-24 15:43:00 The Nusra Front terrorist group is an al-Qaeda affiliate operating in Syria fighting against the Syrian government. The Syrian army killed the leader of Jabhat al-Nusra (Nusra Front) terrorist group, Egypt-born Abu Suleiman al-Masri in Aleppo, a source confirmed to Sputnik Saturday. Senior Egyptian Jabhat al-Nusra (AQ) commander Abu Suleiman al-Masri killed in southern #Aleppo, #Syria pic.twitter.com/B6ZEpomyIR— αмυη (@30JuneEG)October 24, 2015

Comment: Russia and the Syrian army are on a roll. Keep it coming!

Erdogan is using the refugee crisis to strong-arm the EU Sputnik 2015-10-24 13:51:00 The uncontrollable refugee influx to the Balkans, politically orchestrated by Turkey, is having extremely negative consequences on regional relations. One year ago, those who spoke of a possible return to Balkan rivalries would have been dismissed as fear mongers, nationalists, or worse, but lo and behold, 2015 has vindicated those individuals and provided irrefutable proof that intra-regional tension is brewing in the Balkans. The overwhelming surge of refugees traversing the region en route to the EU was initiated by Turkey, which made the political decision to release interned Syrian refugees and send them westward. Erdogan's intent was to use the resulting problems they'd create as a form of blackmail in 'negotiating' an accelerated path to EU membership for Turkey, and judging by the latest meeting he held with Merkel, the bloc is cowering in the face of his bullying and seems ready to cave in.

Comment: Also see: Turkey's criminal cabal and their role in the Syrian war Syrian general: Daesh militants fleeing to Turkey after suffering huge losses Turkish whistleblowers corroborate Seymour Hersh story on false flag sarin attack in Syria

Not corrupt, just incompetent: DOJ ends Lois Lerner probe without bringing charges Bradford Richardson The Hill 2015-10-23 13:49:00 The Justice Department is declining to bring charges against Lois Lerner, the former Internal Revenue Service (IRS) official at the center of the Tea Party targeting controversy, bringing an end to a two-year-long investigation. "We found no evidence that any IRS official acted based on political, discriminatory, corrupt, or other inappropriate motives that would support a criminal prosecution," Assistant Attorney General Peter Kadzik said in a letter to Congress on Friday. "Based on the evidence developed in this investigation and the recommendation of experienced career prosecutors and supervising attorneys at the Department, we are closing our investigation and will not seek any criminal charges," he continued. Kadzik said the investigation found "substantial evidence of mismanagement, poor judgment, and institutional inertia, leading to the belief by many tax-exempt applicants that the IRS targeted them based on their political viewpoints" but concluded that "poor management is not a crime."

Comment: It's hard to believe that this investigation would come up short of finding any evidence of wrongdoing, and that the DOJ is able to chock the whole of the allegations up to poor management and judgement. Maybe Lerner knows a little too much to be prosecuted without her spilling the beans on the darker secrets of those in power?

No rest for the wicked: Russian bombers keeping terrorists up at night RT 2015-10-24 12:50:00 Russian warplanes are conducting dozens of sorties in Syria to target terrorist forces in the country. The airstrikes are being conducted day and night, keeping militants under constant pressure.

Comment: The relentless Russian onslaught on the terrorists should help the Syria army regain the country and bring back stability so the people living there can decide on their future.

Russia, Iran to boost cooperation in order to guarantee safety of the Middle East Sputnik 2015-10-24 13:51:00 Russian and Iranian foreign ministers agreed to increase coordination between the two countries in an effort to normalize the situation in Syria. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov reached an agreement with his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif to increase cooperation to ensure safety and stability in the Middle East, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement Saturday, following a phone conversation between the two ministers. "The ministers agreed to further strengthen cooperation between Russia and Iran in the interests of stability and security in the Middle East," the Foreign Ministry said.

Comment: These visits are very loud, and very important, messages sent to Washington: 'The jig is up' - Assad's visit to Moscow sends another serious message to the U.S. Also see: As much as US President Barack Obama tried to dismiss it, the Russian sale of the S-300 missile system to Iran is a monumental game-changer. Even with the added gambit of the Iranian military assuring the made in Iran Bavar 373 may be even more efficient than the S-300. This explains why Jane's Defense Weekly was already saying years ago that Israel could not penetrate Iranian airspace even if it managed to get there. And after the S-300s Iran inevitably will be offered the even more sophisticated S-400s, which are to be delivered to China as well. The unspoken secret behind these game-changing proceedings actually terrifies Washington warmongers; it spells out a further frontline of Eurasian integration, in the form of an evolving Eurasian missile shield deployed against Pentagon/NATO ballistic plans. The Pentagon's 'long war' pits NATO against China, Russia and Iran

Western media said Russian navy had collapsed - Syrian conflict proves them wrong Sputnik 2015-10-24 13:40:00 The Russian Navy has shown its true strength with small, mobile ships capable of launching cruise missiles, engaging in long-term operations and providing air support. The US media was wrong to call Russia's military weak, as the country has been able to conduct an effective operation in Syria, former US Navy commander and Brookings Institution fellow Garrett Campbell wrote. Russia's Navy in particular has been singled out in the US media as being "weak," although it has been substantially modernized and many of its existing vessels are newly-built. Russia's Caspian flotilla, in particular, has been able to exceed US capabilities by stationing cruise missiles on relatively small vessels.

Comment: The West is completely backwards when it comes to just about everything: The Atlantic Council, Western media, and the 'Big Lie' about Putin's Russia Western media's outrageous lies no longer working - except in America

NATO chief admits 'NATO might not be that mighty after all' Sputnik 2015-10-24 13:45:00 NATO may not be that mighty after all, according to US Navy Adm. John Richardson, who urged the alliance to update its naval strategy, at the same time raising alarm over Russia's "growing prowess" and lamenting that it "threatens the ability of the US and its allies to operate in the Black and Baltic Seas." Russia has demonstrated growing prowess with its ships and demonstrated a willingness to use military coercion, The Wall Street Journal quotes US Navy Adm. John Richardson, who recently became Chief of Naval Operations, as saying at a meeting in Venice with the top naval officers of Europe. "Their operational tempo has risen to levels not seen in over a decade," the US Navy Chief said, sounding obviously alarmed. "Their proficiency is increasing."

Comment: After years of unrestrained global aggression NATO is now shaking in their boots. Also see: NATO chiefs 'raise the alarm': Russia is keeping them from bombing the world US media gnashes its teeth over Putin's success as a real world leader Western media's outrageous lies no longer working - except in America

Turkish whistleblowers corroborate Seymour Hersh story on false flag sarin attack in Syria Peter Lee Counterpunch 2015-10-23 12:45:00 This is quite the bombshell delivered by two CHP deputies in the Turkish parliament and reported byToday's Zaman, one of the top dailies in Turkey. It supports Seymour Hersh's reporting that the notorious sarin gas attack at Ghouta was a false flag orchestrated by Turkish intelligence in order to cross President Obama's chemical weapons "red line" and draw the United States into the Syria war to topple Assad. If so, President Obama deserves credit for "holding the line" against the attack despite the grumbling and incitement of the Syria hawks at home and abroad. And it also presents the unsavory picture of an al-Qaeda operatives colluding with ISIL in a war crime that killed 1300 civilians. I find the report credible, taking into full account the fact that the CHP (Erdogan's center-left Kemalist rivals) and Today's Zaman (whose editor-in-chief, Bulent Kenes was recently detained on live TV for insulting Erdogan in a tweet) are on the outs with Erdogan.

Lavrov to Kerry: UN anti-terrorist resolutions must be implemented in Syria Sputnik 2015-10-24 12:39:00 Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov stressed the need to implement UN resolutions on countering terrorists in Syria during talks with US Secretary of State John Kerry on Friday, the Russian Foreign Ministry said on its website Saturday. On Friday, Kerry had a productive meeting with Lavrov, where they discussed the current situation in Syria and scheduled another round of talks for next week, according to White House spokesperson Eric Schultz. "Lavrov especially emphasized the need for consistent implementation of the relevant UN resolutions relating to countering the Islamic State, Jebhat Nusra and other terrorist groups, as well as ... to restoring peace and stability in Syria based on respect for and guarantees of legitimate rights of all ethnic and religious groups in the country," the statement reads.

Comment: Russia keeping it real and requesting all countries to abide by the law. Russia is trying to keep the UN relevant. Is there any chance and enough pressure for the US to change their ways?

Lavrov: Russia will talk to anyone - ready to offer air support to Syrian groups fighting ISIS RT 2015-10-24 12:21:00 Russia says it is ready to provide air support, in the form of airstrikes, to help Syrian opposition forces, like the Free Syrian Army, who are fighting Islamic State, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavorov says. Russia's top diplomat also added that Washington is making a big mistake by refusing to coordinate their anti-terror campaign with Moscow. "We are ready to back the patriotic opposition, including the so-called Free Syrian Army, with our air support. However, Washington is refusing to inform us of the locations of the terrorists and where the opposition is based," Lavrov said in an interview with the Rossiya television channel. "The most important thing for us is to find people who will be true representatives of the armed groups who will confront terrorism among other things," he added.

Comment: Russia's offer is consistent with its overall strategy. Only by having dialogue with one's opponents can any sort of lasting peace be achieved.

Society's Child

Putinmania - 'Hajji Putin' hugely popular in Iraq Jean-Marc Mojon and Raji Nasser Your Middle East 2015-10-08 20:01:00 Russian President Vladimir Putin's bullish entry into the Syrian conflict has worked wonders for his popularity in neighbouring Iraq, where some await "Hajji Putin" like a saviour. Sitting at his easel in his central Baghdad workshop, painter Mohammed Karim Nihaya touches up a portrait of Putin he copied from the Internet. "I have been waiting for Russia to get involved in the fight against Daesh," he says, referring to the Islamic State group that last year declared a "caliphate" straddling Iraq and Syria. "They get results. The United States and its allies on the other hand have been bombing for a year and achieved nothing," the bespectacled artist says. The US-led coalition has had some successes in helping Iraqi forces reconquer territory lost to IS in 2014 but overall the campaign has also suffered setbacks. Russian warplanes began bombing targets in Syria on September 30 and on Wednesday Moscow ramped up its air war, unleashing cruise missiles from the Caspian Sea. Some of them crossed Iraqi airspace and many here, especially among the Shiite majority, would welcome a bit of Russia's firepower on home soil as a much-awaited game-changer. Only a fraction of Russian air strikes in Syria may have been destined for IS but Mohammed, a young jobless man outside the painter's shop, does not let statistics cloud his enthusiasm. "We don't want the international coalition, we want only Russia and we will slaughter a sheep to welcome them," he says. Some Iraqis see Moscow -- which has staunchly backed Damascus and Tehran in recent years -- as a more natural ally than the United States, which occupied the country for eight years. Putin's patented leadership brand of bare-chested antics and cold determination is a also hit in Iraq, where the cult of the strong leader is alive and well 12 years after Saddam Hussein's ouster.

Plane forced to make an emergency landing after drunken passenger strips, demands sex from flight attendant Matt Payton Metro.co.uk 2015-10-23 18:41:00 A pilot was forced to make an emergency landing after a drunk Irishman reportedly took off his clothes, swung his penis around and even demanded sex with a flight attendant. The Sun Express flight from Dublin to Turkey was forced to land in Belgrade, Serbia due to altercations between the man and flight staff. Fellow passengers reported that the man's friends cheered him throughout the incident. A Serbian Interior Ministry spokesman said the 'Irish citizen... was visibly intoxicated, aggressive and very rude.

Another tragedy: Multiple injuries at Oklahoma State University parade as car rams into crowd RT 2015-10-24 17:25:00 At least two people are reported to have been killed and several more injured after a vehicle crashed into a crowd during the homecoming parade at Oklahoma State University in the city of Stillwater. The incident took place on Saturday morning, leaving many people injured, Oklahoma Highway Patrol Lieutenant John Vincent, told AP, without revealing further details. The Stillwater News Press puts the death toll at two people adding that more than a dozen more have been injured.

Cellphone video captures explosion at radiological storage building in Nevada Nikki Bowers Las Vegas Now 2015-10-22 19:55:00 Cellphone video recorded the day an explosion rocked a small community in Nye County was released Thursday. The explosion happened near Beatty, Nev. at a site once run by US Ecology. In the 40-second cellphone video released by the Nevada Department of Public Safety, you can see the explosion in the shooting from the ground causing massive plumes of smoke.The explosion caused the facility to go up in flames. State officials said the fire started in one of 22 covered trenches used to store low-level radioactive material like gloves or lab equipment. This caused the closure of U.S. 95 in both directions Sunday and Monday. The fire eventually burned itself out. Government officials surveyed the area with a helicopter Monday, but the results came back negative for gamma radiation.Ground crews said they also didn't find any radioactive waste around the fire. The all clear was given, and the area was reopened Monday at 5:30 p.m. Government officials are still looking into what caused the explosion at the radiological storage facility.

France: Group protests against 'weapons of the police', police use tear gas to disperse them Source 2015-10-24 16:59:00 Dozens of protesters have clashed with officers in western France during a demonstration against police brutality and in memory of Remi Fraisse, a young environmental activist killed by police grenade a year ago. The major protest against 'weapons of the police' was staged in the town of Pont de Buis, north-western France, in front of a local factory. The factory is producing tear gas and rubber bullets, which are used by police to disperse violent demonstrators. According to an AFP count, at least 250 people attended the rally, with the local media estimating the crowd at 300-400 people. "Police mutilate, police kill.""Gunpowder is not ammunition, but death and mutilation," chanted the protesters in front of security forces. Many of the participants were wearing masks.

Returning home: Syrian refugees praise Russian airstrikes Sputnik 2015-10-24 15:57:00 Syrian refugees have welcomed Russian airstrikes, and some may even be returning from abroad as the Syrian army advances alongside the Russian air operation. Syria's Grand Mufti Ahmad Badreddin Hassoun previously said that over 800,000 refugees have returned since Russian airstrikes against terrorist targets in Syria began on September 30th. The operation has also given refugees from the conflict hope that peace would return, according to interviews AP conducted around the Aleppo province, a hub for refugees leaving Syria. "I hope that with Russian pilots' help, our military will advance and defeat terrorists so that we could return to our homes," one refugee told AP.

Comment: This is exactly the intended outcome Russia was counting on. Europe should be thankful to Putin.

Promoting pathology: Navy set to promote admiral investigated for whistle-blower retaliation Sputnik 2015-10-24 01:23:00 The US Navy is set to promote the admiral who illegally retaliated against staff members who he mistakenly suspected were whistleblowers. Subordinates complained that Rear Admiral Brian L. Losey had wrongly fired, demoted or punished them while he searched for the person who had anonymously reported him for a minor travel-policy infraction. Losey never identified the whistleblower. But as a result of the complaints, he was investigated five times by the Defense Department's inspector general, according to documents obtained by the Washington Post. In three of the five cases, the inspector general recommended that the Navy take action against Losey for violating whistleblower-protection laws.

Comment: This is unsurprising - after a sham investigation, it's business as usual: The history of the U.S. government's attacks, intimidation, and murder of whistleblowers

Sick society: 15-year-old boy arrested in connection with family run prostitution ring Lindsay Nadrich krem.com 2015-10-24 15:21:00 A 15-year-old who allegedly got a lesson in the family business from his teenage brother faced a Spokane judge Thursday. Prosecutors charged Dionte Hunter for promoting prostitution of minors, promoting commercial sex abuse of a minor, possessing sexually explicit photos of minors and 1st degree robbery. It will be up to the judge to decide if Hunter is tried as an adult because of the seriousness of the crimes. Authorities arrested Hunter's 17-year-old brother, Thaishaun, in January for a drive-by shooting. Yet, court documents said phone calls Thaishaun Hunter made from the juvenile detention center helped detectives uncover a prostitution ring he ran with his brother, girlfriend and mother. Detectives listened to several phone calls Thaishaun made from juvenile detention. They said he explained to his younger 15-year-old brother how to run the prostitution business while he was locked up.

UK: Man wearing only a Spiderman mask busted for flashing teen girls in park Ross McCarthy Birmingham Mail 2015-10-23 15:03:00 A former university student wearing only a Spiderman mask confronted two teenage girls in aSolihull park, a court heard. Vincent Lam was later caught, fully clothed, but with the mask sticking out of a pocket, Birmingham Magistrates were told. Lam, 27, of Sandhill Road, Solihull, admitted a charge of exposure. He was fined £100, put on the sex offender register and ordered to pay £100 costs and a £180 criminal court surcharge. District Judge Robert Zara told him: "There is no evidence to suggest you actively pursued these young girls and equally there is no suggestion that this was part of a pattern of behaviour. "It appears to have been an isolated incident."

Radioactive black market: Contaminated items are stolen from Los Alamos lab on a regular basis Sputnik 2015-10-24 01:23:00 Items with high levels of radiation are being stolen from the top-secret Los Alamos National Laboratory on a regular basis, a new federal court filing says, some of it 500 times above the allowable limit of contamination. In one of the nearly 76 thefts committed by LANL personnel, a radioactive bandsaw was taken. That registered 100,000 disintegrations per minute (DPM) - well above the allowable limit of 20 DPM. Thankfully, the bandsaw was found and brought back to the laboratory, alongside a garden hose, gloves, a screwdriver set, and conduit, all of which emitted high levels of radiation.

Bureau of Land Management knowingly sold over a thousand wild horses to rancher who sent them to slaughter Kellan Howell The Washington Times 2015-10-24 14:19:00 The Bureau of Land Management, the agency tasked with protecting wild horses and cattle and their grazing lands, sold 1,794 federally-protected wild horses to a Colorado rancher who sent them to slaughter, a new report confirmed. Between 2009 and 2012, rancher Tom Davis purchased the horses through the agency's Wild Horse and Burro Program (WH&B) and wrongfully sent them to slaughter, according to the report from the Interior Department's Office of Inspector General. According to the allegations and news reports, Mr. Davis also had farming and trucking connections with former Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar. "We determined that BLM did not follow current law while managing WH&B. BLM also failed to follow its own policy of limiting horse sales and ensuring that the horses sold went to good homes and were not slaughtered," investigators wrote in the report.

Naive Western celebrities reject cultural boycott of Israel RT 2015-10-23 14:36:00 British cultural figures and political heavyweights including writers JK Rowling and Hilary Mantel and Conservative MP Eric Pickles are leading the charge against an arts boycott of Israel over its treatment of Palestinians. The bestselling authors and fellow opponents of the embargo, including actress Zoe Wanamaker and historian Simon Schama, have signed an open letter published in the Guardian newspaper calling for dialogue to resolve the conflict and rejecting the need for a boycott of cultural institutions. Launching what the signatories called 'Culture for Coexistence', described as a network for dialogue, they opposed an earlier letter published in February calling for a cultural embargo.

Comment: When one faction invades the land of another, slaughters tens of thousands and commits human rights abuses daily, to talk about the importance of peace and dialogue and not being "discriminatory" is nothing but paramoralistic gibberish. Maybe JK Rowling should stick to writing fiction, where this type of magical thinking actually applies.

Disabled man forced to crawl off plane after being left with no wheelchair RT 2015-10-24 04:10:00 Flying back home from an event where he had advocated for accessible transportation, a man with cerebral palsy had to crawl down the aisle to his wheelchair after United Airlines failed to provide him with assistance. "Humiliating" is how D'Arcee Neal described his experience upon landing at Reagan National Airport in Virginia on Tuesday night. He had just been in San Francisco speaking on the very challenge he was about to face: having basic access to transportation despite his disability. "No one should have to do what I did," Neal told NBC Washington. He waited alone on the vacated United Airlines plane for more than 30 minutes, according to WUSA, a CBS affiliate in Washington, DC. Realizing no one was coming and having to use the bathroom, Neal dragged himself halfway down the aisle to where a wheelchair would normally be waiting for him. Except it wasn't there, either.

Comment: Heartless non-empathetic behavior from people who should be masters of customer service and customer care.

Armed, masked Greek men attack refugee boats, leaving stranded people to die at sea - HRW Source 2015-10-23 17:46:00 Armed masked men around the Greek islands have been targeting migrant boats and turning them back, sometimes throwing their engines away, according to a damning HRW report. This follows witness claims of Greek border guards refusing asylum seekers entry. The report bases its findings on nine witness testimonies detailing cases of masked, often armed, assailants intercepting boats off the Aegean Sea coast, which are usually headed from neighboring Turkey carrying refugees from the Syrian war. The most recent case allegedly took place on October 7 and 9, when the attackers allegedly disabled the engines of several boats and even punctured holes in their inflatable hulls. Some of the boats were towed back into Turkish waters. Armed men attack boat carrying this Afghan asylum seeker, threw engine in sea:@hrw report https://t.co/ez9iDFvD9b pic.twitter.com/5LuH7JPdE8— Stephen Northfield (@snorthfield45) October 22, 2015 There is virtually no guarantee any of the people would survive such conditions. This has prompted an outcry from Human Rights Watch, whose Greece specialist, Eva Cosse, says these "criminal actions require an urgent response from the Greek authorities." The allegations follow repeated cases of Greek border guards turning migrants back toward Turkey across the land border at Evros. On October 9, HRW staff saw one inflatable rubber boat drifting in neutral waters for more than an hour. The boat was loaded over capacity and looked set to perish. Thankfully, a group of volunteer Spanish lifeguards came to the rescue in their own boat. Speaking to HRW, a 17-year-old Afghan refugee recounted how the passengers in the boat he was on had felt when they were captured by a boat containing five masked men in balaclavas carrying guns. Their rubber dinghy, filled to the brim with women and children, had set off from the Turkish shore at Assos headed for the Greek island of Lesbos. They were intercepted 30 minutes into their journey. "At first when they approached, we thought they had come to help us," Ali told HRW. "But by the way they acted, we realized they hadn't come to help. They were so aggressive. They didn't come on board our boat, but they took our boat's engine and then sped away." So disturbing: Armed Vigilantes Attacking Refugee Boats off #Greece: @hrwhttps://t.co/4urRDFBTUu via @tightorbit — Melissa Fleming (@melissarfleming)October 22, 2015

Generic pharmaceutical manufacturer offers $1 AIDS drug after competitor's 5000% price hike Sputnik 2015-10-23 23:23:00 Martin Shkreli caused mass outrage last month when he hiked the price on a critical AIDS drug up 5,000%. Now, a rival pharmaceutical company is offering patients a cheaper alternative. Pay $750 for one of Shkreli's pills, or $1 for an Imprimis Pharmaceuticals brand? Founded in 2012, Imprimis Pharmaceuticals is making a name for itself by creating inexpensive versions of generic drugs. Given the exorbitant cost of medication in the United States, it's a business model that seems to be taking off. "We are looking at all of these cases where the sole-source generic companies are jacking the price way up," the company chief executive, Mark Baum, told the Associated Press. "There'll be many more of these" drugs in the future, he adds. Given the company's mission statement, it makes sense for Imprimis to set its sights on Turing Pharmaceuticals. That's the company owned by former hedge fund manager Martin Shkreli. If you recognize that name, it's probably because he made headlines last month after buying the rights to a life-saving drug known as Daraprim, and instantly raising the price from $13.50 per pill to $740 per pill.

Comment: It seems it is possible to be a good corporate citizen.

Secret History

Plague DNA detected in Bronze Age teeth Talal Al-Khatib Discovery News 2015-10-22 23:35:00 Plague is a disease that conjures a mix of horror and revulsion at its mere mention because of the mark it has left on human history. Plague wiped out entire regions, triggered economic and political collapse, and threatened Western civilization on more than one occasion. As much of an impact plague has had over the course of millennia, The bacterium that causes plague infections, Yersinia pestis, has been haunting humans even longer than once thought, report scientists in the journal Cell. In fact, Y. pestis was common as far back as the Bronze Age. For their study, a team of researchers drawn from a network of European academic institutions sequenced the DNA from the teeth of Bronze Age 101 individuals from Europe and Asia. What they found was a common ancestor to Y. pestis dating back 5,783 years.

Comment: See also: New study suggests cometary activity preceded Justinian Plague, wiping out Roman civilization and Western Europe 1,500 years ago Justinian Plague and Black death: Review of evidence for comet impact in 536 AD New Light on the Black Death: The Cosmic Connection It's unlikely that Yersinia pestis caused the Black Death: New Light on the Black Death: The Viral and Cosmic Connection

Science & Technology

An internet of fungi help plants communicate upliftconnect.com 2015-06-19 18:07:00 The biological superhighway linking the plant kingdom Hidden beneath the surface and entangled in the roots of Earth's astonishing and diverse plant life, there exists a biological superhighway linking together the members of the plant kingdom in what researchers call the "wood wide web". This organic network operates much like our internet, allowing plants to communicate, bestow nutrition, or even harm one another. The network is comprised of thin threads of fungus known as mycelium that grow outwards underground up to a few meters from its partnering plant, meaning that all of the plant life within a region is likely tapped into the network and connected to one another. The partnership of the roots of plants and the fungi is known as mycorrhiza and is beneficial for both parties involved; plants provide carbohydrates to the fungi and in exchange, the fungi aids in gathering water and providing nutrients such as phosphorus and nitrogen to its partnering plant.

Comment: Plants 'talk' to plants to help them grow: Secret Life of Plants: Scientists Discover Plants Can Talk

Bees discovered farming fungus to provide food for larvae New Scientist 2015-10-22 00:00:00 Flowers are not enough, it seems. For the first time, bees have been discovered farming fungus to provide extra food for their larvae. Though farming is well known in many social insects, such as ants and termites, bees have always been thought to depend solely on pollen and nectar for sustenance. But for the Brazilian stingless bee, Scaptotrigona depilis, fungus may mean the difference between life and death. What's more, if other bees also depend on fungus for survival, the discovery has serious implications for the use of fungicides in agriculture. Cristiano Menezes of the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation, was studying the bees in the lab and originally mistook the white Monascus fungus growing in their hive for contamination.

Cadaver arm experiment suggests human hands evolved for fighting Charles Q. Choi Live Science 2015-10-22 13:33:00 Just in time for Halloween, gore-resistant scientists are swinging frozen human cadaver arms like battering rams — in the name of science, of course. The researchers say their macabre experiments support the hotly debated idea that human hands evolved not only for manual dexterity, but also for fistfights. However, some scientists vehemently argue that the new research does little to support this notion. David Carrier, a comparative biomechanist at the University of Utah, and his colleagues have controversially suggested that fist fighting might have helped to drive the evolution of not only the human hand, but also the human face and the human propensity to walk upright. Humans possess shorter palms and fingers, as well as longer, stronger and more flexible thumbs, than their ape relatives. Scientists have long thought that these features evolved to help give humansthe manual dexterity to make and use tools.

USGS: NASA wasn't 'clear' about science behind 99.9% earthquake prediction for Los Angeles RT 2015-10-24 04:40:00 When NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory determined a 99.9 percent likelihood for a magnitude 5.0 earthquake or higher within Los Angeles before April 2018, the US Geological Survey stepped in saying NASA wasn't "clear" about the science behind its finding. There will be an earthquake in Los Angeles - that much is certain - although it's impossible to be certain about exactly when, where, and how powerful it will be. However, using methods doubted by some seismologists, scientists at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) seem to be convinced that they have a pretty good idea. On October 7, the peer-reviewed Earth and Space Science journal published the group's shocking findings. JPL based its incredible 99.9 percent figure on previous quakes, including last year's M5.1 earthquake in La Habra, located 21 miles east of Los Angeles; GPS data, and aerial radar. The USGS, using what it considers the true scientific process, swooped in to more or less correct the record with their own figure - an 85 percent likelihood of such an event. "As scientists, we were not putting out an official forecast. We are putting out something in a paper to test," said Andrea Donnellan, a JPL research scientist, to the Los Angeles Times. "If an earthquake happens in three years, we're both right." Others aren't as convinced, however. "As far as I'm concerned, there has never been a successful earthquake prediction and a scientific breakthrough would be required for us to make a scientifically based prediction," Thomas Heaton, an engineering seismology professor and director of the Earthquake Engineering Research Laboratory at Caltech, said in an interview with the San Gabriel Valley Tribune. "While the authors are credible scientists, this paper does not meet my definition of science," said Heaton, who is unaffiliated with either finding, while commenting on the JPL study. Co-author of the JPL study and UC Davis physics and geology professor John Rundle told the LA Times, "once you get to 1,000 magnitude 3 earthquakes, you expect a magnitude 6," referencing what is known as the Gutenberg-Richter relationship. It states that for every 1,000 M3 earthquakes, there are 100 M4's, 10 M5's, and one M6.

Comment: See also: Earthquakes, Gases, and Earthquake Prediction Studies suggest sun triggers massive earthquakes

Study shows comet Lovejoy releases '500 bottles of wine every second' RT 2015-10-24 12:26:00 If life on comets was possible, Lovejoy would be a popular destination - scientists have found it releases alcohol and sugar in crazy amounts. But jokes aside, the finding is important as it backs the idea that comets could have seeded life on Earth. This is the first discovery that has witnessed a comet releasing ethyl alcohol in such amounts - 500 bottles of wine every second. "We found that comet Lovejoy was releasing as much alcohol as in at least 500 bottles of wine every second during its peak activity," the paper's lead author, Nicolas Biver of the Paris Observatory in France, said in a paper published October 23 in Science Advances.

The power of networking: Groups are better than individuals at sniffing out lies Julie Beck The Atlantic 2015-09-14 16:07:00 People are not generally great at detecting deception, but new research shows that discussing with others makes a big difference. The official board game of my house is One Night: Ultimate Werewolf, and whenever we play, the unspoken (or, more often, spoken) assumption is that my roommate Adam is always the werewolf. To be fair, he is often the werewolf. And he has a habit of saying "I'm the werewolf," right at the beginning of the game, essentially short-circuiting everyone's thought processes, because the point of the game is to lie, and to find the liars. Admitting upfront to being a werewolf just does not compute. Unless, of course, he's lying. But what if he isn't? If you've ever played Mafia at camp, this is a similar sort of game. Everyone is assigned a role, and is either on Team Villager or Team Werewolf. There's one quick round of play that leaves no one sure who anyone else is, or even who they themselves are (though the werewolves know who each other are, for cahooting purposes).

Comment: This article highlights the power of networking. In terms of arriving at the truth of things and uncovering lies, the whole is greater than the sum of the parts when there is a group interaction and networking. This power increases if people are on the same page in their views on life and reality, are familiar with each individuals quirks, strengths and shortcomings and willing to explore topics and questions with the ultimate goal of understanding reality and the underlying truths of our existence. Doing so is no small feat, and having eyes and voices you can trust to provide feedback and different perspectives is essential in having the fullest picture possible and ability to successfully navigate this reality, which is steeped in lies on so many levels and increasing in chaos on a daily basis. If you think about and ponder the amount of information there is in just a single day or week of existence on earth, it is obvious just how little information any one person can comprehend by themselves. With a network of people however, it is possible to expand the ability to comprehend this incredible amount of information and thus extend our vision of what is actually taking place. One topic of immense importance in this regard is psychopaths in our midst. The "alien" nature of psychopaths in terms of their underlying drives and lack of conscience can make them very difficult to spot by any one normal individual, especially if individuals lack the very awareness of the existence of psychopaths. A network of people that provides input to 'see the unseen' or uncover the "werewolf" has a greater chance of success due to the power of groups in uncovering lies mentioned in this article. Documentary: Psychopath Spot the psychopath if you can The Psychopath: A New Subspecies of Homo Sapiens

One of quantum theory's oddest predictions verified Sputnik 2015-10-24 03:30:00 Physicists from Cornell University have proved the peculiar quantum theory which states that a system cannot change while you are watching it, according to a study published this month in the journal Physical Review Letters. Researchers suspended ultracold atoms of Rubidium between laser beams inside a vacuum chamber. In that state the atoms arrange in an orderly lattice just as they would in a crystalline solid. But at such low temperatures, the atoms can "tunnel" from place to place in the lattice. The researchers demonstrated that they were able to suppress quantum tunneling merely by observing the atoms - the "Quantum Zeno effect," so named for a Greek philosopher.

Scientists identify building blocks of life on a comet for the first time Phys.org 2015-10-23 22:20:00 Scientists on Friday identified two complex organic molecules, or building blocks of life, on a comet for the first time, shedding new light on the cosmic origins of planets like Earth. Ethyl alcohol and a simple sugar known as glycolaldehyde were detected in Comet Lovejoy,said the study in the journal Science Advances. "These complex organic molecules may be part of the rocky material from which planets are formed," said the study. Other organic molecules have previously been discovered in comets, most recently in comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, on which the European space agency's Philae found several organic molecules—including four never detected before on a comet. Since comets contain some of the oldest and most primitive material in the solar system, scientists regard them as time capsules, offering a peek and how it all started 4.6 billion years ago. But while the latest study does not end the debate over whether falling comets indeed seeded Earth with the components necessary for life, it does add something to our knowledge, said study co-author Dominique Bockelée-Morvan, an astrophysicist at the French National Center for Scientific Research.

Comment: Whether or not comets were responsible for seeding life on our planet, NASA has verified that comets and asteroids are bringing extraterrestrial life forms to earth. Considering the increasing frequency of meteorites being reported, this may have profound implications for life on earth.

Earth Changes

Canary Islands hit by fierce storms, flash floods, landslides and waterspout thelocal.es 2015-10-23 18:27:00 Severe weather warnings have been issued across the Canary Islands this weekend as torrential rain brings chaos and forced the closure of schools. All schools were closed on Friday as storms hit the archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of west Africa. Spain's meteorological agency AEMET put the region on amber alert and warned that the eastern most islands of Fuerteventura and Lanzarote were likely to be the worst hit with rain of up to 30 litres per square meter per hour expected. Those tourists willing to brave the wind and rain and head for the popular resort of Playa del Ingles in Gran Canaria may have spotted an unusual weather phenomenon just off the beach.

Dead birds wash up on beach in Tiny Township, Ontario Brandon Rowe barrie.ctvnews.ca 2015-10-24 17:40:00 An investigation is underway to figure out why a large number of dead birds have washed up on beaches in Tiny Township. It's not uncommon to see ducks wash up on the beaches but on Thursday Tiny Township workers counted 66 dead birds. "We find ourselves back here this year with another large amount of dead water fowl on the beach," says Tiny Township Mayor George Cornell. The last major occurrence of dead birds was in 2011. On Friday workers removed 12 more ducks from the beach.

Massive hurricane Patricia batters Mexico's Pacific coast: Strongest ever recorded in western hemisphere David Alire Garcia Livemint 2015-10-24 10:19:00 There were no reported casualties and officials said the damage might not be as catastrophic as feared  One of the strongest ever hurricanes lashed western Mexico with rain and winds of up to 165 mph (266 km/h), causing chaos in coastal towns and resorts but less damage than feared before weakening on Saturday as it moved inland. Mowing down trees, flooding streets and battering buildings, Hurricane Patricia plowed into Mexico as a Category 5 storm on Friday before grinding inland, where it began to lose power in the mountains that rise up along the Pacific coast. Around 15,000 tourists were hurriedly evacuated from the beach resort of Puerto Vallarta as people scrambled to get away from the advancing hurricane, whose massive swirl over Mexico could be seen clearly from space. "It sparked chaos here, it ruined a lot of things, took down the roof, lots of trees. Things are in a bad state where we work," said Domingo Hernandez, a hotel worker in the resort of Barra de Navidad near to the major port of Manzanillo. Thousands of residents and tourists ended up in improvised shelters but there were no early reports of fatalities and many felt they had escaped lightly.

Hurricane Patricia: Thousands evacuated as 325km/h winds blast Mexico RT 2015-10-23 18:15:00 The strongest hurricane ever recorded in the Western Hemisphere has struck Mexico's Pacific Coast, destroying houses and forcing thousands to evacuate. Heavy flooding and mud-slides are also feared along the hurricane's path. Hurricane Patricia grew at an "incredible rate" on Friday, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said. It became a hurricane overnight, carrying maximum sustained winds of about 200 miles per hour (325 km per hour) as it moved north-northwest at 12 mph (19 kph).

Comment: See also: Hurricane Patricia becomes strongest hurricane ever recorded

Mysterious 'planet' filmed by Florida woman likely a sundog Ben Hooper upi.com 2015-10-23 10:01:00 A Florida woman filming a sunset in Florida had a "freak out" when she spotted a mysterious "planet" -- but the object was likely an illusion known as a sundog. Melissa Huffman posted a video to YouTube showing the large light in the sky near the sun as she was filming from Florida's Sanibel causeway near sunset. Huffman refers to the object as a "very clear planet" -- showing the moon hanging elsewhere in the sky -- and mentions it probably isn't Mercury or Venus. "Somebody tell me what it is, thank you," Huffman says in the video.

Fire in the Sky

Huge fireball sighted over western Finland Yyle 2015-10-24 18:47:00 The Ursa Astronomical Association's online observation system lit up with reports of a large bright object streaking across the sky on Friday evening. The apparent fireball stirred consternation in neighbouring Sweden. Finland's main Astronomical Association, Ursa, says that dozens of people reported spotting a light phenomenon in the western skies just before 8 pm Friday. According to the Swedish newspaperExpressen, the apparent meteor startled some residents in the Stockholm area. Most of the Finnish sightings were from the Turku region, with others ranging from southernmost Hanko to Merikarvia on the Ostrobothnian coast and Mariehamn in the Åland Islands. Those reporting observations said the object was seen in the west-south-west sky, close to the horizon. The streak of light lasted for several seconds, says Jukka-Pekka Teitto, coordinator of Ursa's Artjärvi observation centre in Orimattila. "This object from space has mostly moved across Sweden," he tells Yle.

Comment: There are in fact observations of meteors or fireballs nearly every single day. For more information, see: Celestial Intentions: Comets and the Horns of Moses

Health & Wellness

The vaccine industry & the microbiome Keith Bell Greenmedinfo.com 2015-05-29 19:49:00 It's happening. Instead of fighting with nature, humans are becoming connected with the web of life.  What was once considered sterile has been found teeming with life. This is the microbiome; inner outer space. And we are finally understanding its importance to health of all things. The microbiome is at the base of the pyramid of life. Scientists are acknowledging it with every new paper published. New books and articles are revealing its importance to the public at large. This includes vaccine scientists who acknowledge vaccine response hinges on the microbiome. They know vaccines can't work when confronted with intestines containing an imbalanced microbiome. A stark example is the sanitation-challenged developing world where there are no toilets and people defecate in fields. This open defecation leads to imbalanced flora and a compromised immune system where vaccines fail. Vaccines don't stand a chance of working under such circumstances because microbes dictate our immune response.

Comment: Learn more about the microbiome and the role microbes play in protecting and regulating the human immune system: Are Gut Bacteria In Charge? A gut check for many ailments Gut Bacteria Reflect Dietary Differences Microbes Help Mothers Protect Kids from Allergies The Secret to Brain Health: It All Begins in Your Gut! Bugs In The Gut Trigger Production Of Important Immune Cells Gut Microbes Battle a Common Set of Viruses Shared by Global Populations

Toxic agriculture: Poisoning of soils, human health and the environment Colin Todhunter Global Research 2015-10-23 19:28:00 Our food system is in big trouble. It's in big trouble because the global agritech/agribusiness sector is poisoning it, us and the environment with its pesticides, herbicides, GMOs and various other chemical inputs. The Rockefeller clan exported the petrochemical intensive 'green revolution'around the world with the aim of ripping up indigenous agriculture to cement its hegemony over global agriculture and to help the US create food deficit regions and thus use agriculture as a tool of foreign policy. This was only made possible and continues to be made possible because of lavish funds, slick PR, compliant politicians and scientists and the undermining and capture of regulatory and policy decision-making bodies that supposedly serve the public interest.

Comment: Additional articles about the 'Green Revolution': All That Glitters is Not Gold: Biotechnology Has Failed Us, So Why Promote It Abroad? What lies beneath God move over

More reasons why wheat is toxic Sarah Health Home Economist 2015-10-15 18:33:00 The stories became far too frequent to ignore. Emails from folks with allergic or digestive issues to wheat in the United States experienced no symptoms whatsoever when they tried eating pasta on vacation in Italy. Confused parents wondering why wheat consumption sometimes triggered autoimmune reactions in their children but not at other times. In my own home, I've long pondered why my husband can eat the wheat I prepare at home, but he experiences negative digestive effects eating even a single roll in a restaurant. There is clearly something going on with wheat that is not well known by the general public. It goes far and beyond organic versus nonorganic, gluten or hybridization because even conventional wheat triggers no symptoms for some who eat wheat in other parts of the world.

Comment: Is Glyphosate in wheat radically increasing Celiac Disease?

More than two-thirds of patients on anti-depressants drugs are not even depressed, says study Dr. Susan Berry Breitbart 2015-10-23 14:48:00 A new study shows that more than two-thirds — some 69 percent - of patients using anti-depressants do not actually meet the criteria for depressive disorder. The study, which appears in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, finds that many individuals who are prescribed and take antidepressant medications may not actually have a depressive disorder, and that such drugs are often used by patients who do not meet the diagnostic criteria of depression. According to the research, among the users of antidepressant medications, 69 percent never met the diagnostic criteria for major depressive disorder (MDD), and 38 percent also never met those for obsessive-compulsive disorder, panic disorder, social phobia, or generalized anxiety disorder - for which the antidepressant medications are sometimes prescribed.

Comment: Many symptoms labeled as 'depression' are simply natural and normal responses to situational stressors. Rather than taking a pill, relief is better sought through therapy and disengaging from unhealthy dynamics and living situations. Manufacturing Depression': Are Doctors Overprescribing Antidepressants?

Five natural and easy ways to get rid of heartburn Dr. Jack Wolfson Green Med Info 2015-10-20 13:50:00 Do you suffer from heartburn? If so, you are among the millions of Americans with chest discomfort that occurs after a meal. Contrary to what you may believe from watching television, this is not normal. Common, but not normal. The good news is, there is cause and there is a cure. Poor nutrition is the number one factor when it comes to heartburn. Unfortunately, this starts in childhood and even infancy. We are noticing an ever-increasing number of babies with reflux who are put on pharmaceuticals. The issue in most cases is an infant who doesn't tolerate formula or reacts to contaminants in mom's breast milk. I have seen baby reflux resolve when mom adheres to a strict Paleo diet. It's just common sense. As a cardiologist, I have diagnosed 1000's of patients with heartburn or gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) in medical speak. It is a very common cause of chest pain. If the pain is not cardiac, it is typically GERD or musculoskeletal. Both of those diagnoses are much more prevalent than true cardiac pain. But the good news is, GERD can be easily prevented with good nutrition and natural supplements. More on natural treatments in a little while.

Lung cell research suggests carbon nanotubes are common pollutants Phys.org 2015-10-19 00:06:00 Cars appear to produce carbon nanotubes, and some of the evidence has been found in human lungs. Rice University scientists working with colleagues in France have detected the presence of man-made carbon nanotubes in cells extracted from the airways of Parisian children under routine treatment for asthma. Further investigation found similar nanotubes in samples from the exhaust pipes of Paris vehicles and in dust gathered from various places around the city. The researchers reported in the journal EBioMedicine this month that these samples align with what has been found elsewhere, including Rice's home city of Houston, in spider webs in India and in ice cores. The research in no way ascribes the children's conditions to the nanotubes, said Rice chemist Lon Wilson, a corresponding author of the new paper. But the nanotubes' apparent ubiquity should be the focus of further investigation, he said. "We know that carbon nanoparticles are found in nature," Wilson said, noting that round fullerene molecules like those discovered at Rice are commonly produced by volcanoes, forest fires and other combustion of carbon materials. "All you need is a little catalysis to make carbon nanotubes instead of fullerenes." A car's catalytic converter, which turns toxic carbon monoxide into safer emissions, bears at least a passing resemblance to the Rice-invented high-pressure carbon monoxide, or HiPco, process to make carbon nanotubes, he said. "So it is not a big surprise, when you think about it," Wilson said.

Study shows how physical fitness improves brain activation and mental performance Science Daily 2015-10-23 00:00:00 It is widely recognised that our physical fitness is reflected in our mental fitness, especially as we get older. How does being physically fit affect our aging brains? Neuroimaging studies, in which the activity of different parts of the brain can be visualised, have provided some clues. Until now, however, no study has directly linked brain activation with both mental and physical performance. As reported in the latest volume of the journal NeuroImage, an exciting new study led by Dr Hideaki Soya from the University of Tsukuba in Japan and his colleagues show, for the first time, the direct relationship between brain activity, brain function and physical fitness in a group of older Japanese men. They found that the fitter men performed better mentally than the less fit men, by using parts of their brains in the same way as in their youth. As we age, we use different parts of our brain compared to our younger selves. For example, when young, we mainly use the left side of our prefrontal cortex (PFC) for mental tasks involving short term memory, understanding the meaning of words and the ability to recognize previously encountered events, objects, or people. When older, we tend to use the equivalent parts of our PFC on the right side of the brain for these tasks. The PFC is located in the very front of the brain, just behind the forehead. It has roles in executive function, memory, intelligence, language and vision.

Comment: Research says you can permanently build and strengthen the brain by engaging in mental and physical exercises Research shows you can build a better brain with exercise and environmental enrichment

Tampons, sterile cotton, sanitary pads contaminated with glyphosate - study RT 2015-10-23 20:32:00 The vast majority ‒ 85 percent ‒ of tampons, cotton and sanitary products tested in a new Argentinian study contained glyphosate, the key ingredient in Monsanto's Roundup herbicide, ruled a likely carcinogen by the World Health Organization. Meanwhile, 62 percent of the samples tested positive for AMPA, glyphosate's metabolite, according to the study, which was conducted by researchers at the Socio-Environmental Interaction Space (EMISA) of the University of La Plata in Argentina. All of the raw and sterile cotton gauze analyzed in the study showed evidence of glyphosate, said Dr. Damian Marino, the study's head researcher. "Eighty-five percent of all samples tested positive for glyphosate and 62 percent for AMPA, which is the environmental metabolite, but in the case of cotton and sterile cotton gauze the figure was 100 percent," Marino told Télam news agency. An English translation of the Télam report can be found here. The products tested were acquired at local stores in Argentina. "In terms of concentrations, what we saw is that in raw cotton AMPA dominates (39 parts per billion, or PPB, and 13 PPB of glyphosate), while the gauze is absent of AMPA, but contained glyphosate at 17 PPB." The results of the study were first announced to the public last week at the 3rd National Congress of Doctors for Fumigated Communities in Buenos Aires. "The result of this research is very serious, when you use cotton or gauze to heal wounds or for personal hygiene uses, thinking they are sterilized products, and the results show that they are contaminated with a probably carcinogenic substance," said Dr. Medardo Avila Vazquez, president of the congress. "Most of the cotton production in the country is GM [genetically modified] cotton that is resistant to glyphosate. It is sprayed when the bud is open and the glyphosate is condensed and goes straight into the product," Avila continued.

Comment: Monsanto's poison is everywhere! It is time Monsanto is prosecuted for crimes against humanity and the environment!

The old-fashioned way of making healing herbal tinctures Patricia Bratianu Off The Grid News 2015-10-23 21:02:00 Tinctures are herbal remedies which are made by extracting the healing compounds of herbs with ethanol alcohol, vinegar or glycerin. Alcohol is the most commonly used and generally most effective liquid used in tinctures, which can easily be made at home. There are two primary methods for making tinctures. The simplest way to make tinctures is by using the folk method. However, for maximum potency and accurate dosing, the official method is superior to the folk method.

Comment: With the cold and flu season approaching, learn how to make elderberry tincture with "Wise Woman", Susun Weed:

Do drug trial guinea pigs really know the risks? Cameron Salisbury Green Med Info 2015-10-12 21:04:00 Drug trial volunteers rarely understand that the trial might injure them. Or worse. It might kill them. A side effect of chronic disease is the number of solicitations patients get asking them to participate in efforts, called clinical trials, to validate new drugs for FDA approval. A clinical trial is an experiment on human volunteers to determine the effectiveness of a drug that manufacturers are required to undertake to justify it's retail sale. Participants are given an 'investigational drug' designed to alleviate their disease in some way. Their physical responses to the drug, good or bad, are closely monitored. They sign a consent form guaranteeing that Big Pharma will not be held responsible for any negative effects of the experiment. Should they volunteer? Clinical trials for a drug called Tenovir, designed for use as a preventive for HIV, were halted in Cambodia and other developing countries when unexpectedly sophisticated local activists shut the program down.

Science of the Spirit

Identifying with your future self can help overcome the tendency to procrastinate The Conversation 2015-10-24 00:00:00 "I love deadlines," English author Douglas Adams once wrote. "I love the whooshing noise they make as they go by." We've all had the experience of wanting to get a project done but putting it off for later. Sometimes we wait because we just don't care enough about the project, but other times we care a lot - and still end up doing something else. I, for one, end up cleaning my house when I have a lot of papers to grade, even though I know I need to grade them. So why do we procrastinate? Are we built to operate this way at some times? Or is there something wrong with the way we're approaching work? These questions are central to my research on goal pursuit, which could offer some clues from neuroscience about why we procrastinate - and how to overcome this tendency.

Emotional intelligence: Choosing our responses in unpleasant circumstances Terry L. Ledford, PhD PsychCentral 2015-10-23 22:45:00 We often assume that our emotional responses are dictated by the situation. When we experience an upsetting event, we believe that we have no choice except to react to it. Any other response seems unnatural, or even impossible. But is it? Sometimes we can choose not to get upset by a situation that normally would have upset us. To succeed, we must think through the situation, recognize that we have a choice, consider the consequences of our response, and then be deliberate about our reaction. Several years ago, I had an interesting experience that illustrates the ability to choose. I was flying from Charlotte to Bangkok, Thailand to participate in a counseling clinic for American missionaries serving in China. My flight went from Charlotte to Minneapolis to Tokyo and finally to Bangkok. After a layover in Minneapolis, I boarded a plane for the 13-hour trip to Tokyo. The plane filled with passengers and the attendant closed the cabin door. I got out a book to pass the time. With the plane still at the gate, the pilot came over the intercom, saying, "I'm sorry, ladies and gentlemen, but we have a little problem with the plane. One of the computers isn't working and we have called in technicians, so we should be under way in about 20 minutes." I didn't think this would be a problem because I had a four-hour layover in Tokyo.

Comment: Traits of emotionally intelligent people and the things they don't do

A neuro-scientific examination of the elusive concept of bravery Alexandra Ossola Brain Decoder 2015-10-19 21:24:00 In the book The Red Badge Of Courage, an 18-year-old soldier named Henry Fleming must face his first battle in the Civil War. After months of glorifying and anticipating combat, Fleming finds himself on the front lines of battle, but as soon as the skirmish begins, he finds he is too afraid to fight, so he retreats in cowardice. Fleming is ashamed, morbidly yearning for a wound that would act as a "badge" of his bravery. Though Fleming later engages in battle and proves his courage, he wonders why he fled in the first place. From writers to philosophers to heroes themselves, people for generations have pondered the question: what makes people act bravely? Thanks to recent research into fear regulation in the brain, neuroscientists are starting to answer such questions, revealing how people think about the interplay between individual and societal benefits. Understanding the intricacies of the fear response could someday lead researchers to new treatments for mental illnesses like PTSD, but for now, they have more questions than answers.

High Strangeness

No new articles.

Don't Panic! Lighten Up!

A rant about constant connectivity Alex Balk The Awl 2015-10-22 15:52:00 I don't have a smartphone. I am aware that this puts me in an ever-shrinking demographic (when I got my most recent phone, a model so simple that its most advanced feature is a slide-out keyboard, the person helping me called over two of her co-workers because none of them had seen it before), and there are certainly annoyances I put up with to maintain that status: When I'm heading somewhere unfamiliar I have to plan my journey out in advance. I always need to remind people that if they're going to be late or they need to cancel plans they have to text me because I can't get email. I spend a lot of time standing on line thinking about things instead of calming myself with crushable candy or whatever. (This is perhaps the hardest part of refusing to enter our mobile world; there is almost no one who needs protection from being alone with his thoughts more than I do.) And yet I persist, because I refuse to become a hostage to the web. I refuse to be always available. I refuse to forget that most of life is boredom and discomfort with no easy recourse to distraction.

Comment:

Netanyahu: 'Palestinians killed the dinosaurs' The Daily Currant 2015-10-22 00:17:00 Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed today that Palestinians were responsible for the extinction of the dinosaurs. In an interview with CNN's Anderson Cooper this morning, the hardline conservative leader was asked to defend his recent comments, in which he claimed Palestinians were responsible for the Holocaust. "Well it wouldn't be the first time they tried to drive a group to extinction," Netanyahu told the network. "The Holocaust, the Armenian genocide, Rwanda. Even the end of the Dinosaurs. Whenever a group is threatened with annihilation, you better believe the Palestinians are behind it." A puzzled Anderson Cooper pressed Netanyahu on his most outrageous claim, asking "I doubt Palestinians were involved in any of those things. But do you seriously believe they killed the Dinosaurs? Human beings didn't even exist 65 million years ago. And most scientists believe the Dinosaurs were killed by an asteroid. I mean, how is that even possible?" "Anderson I'm not saying the Palestinians actually hunted down each individual dinosaur to extinction," Netanyahu replied, "Of course that didn't happen. That's ridiculous. That makes no sense at all. "What I am saying is that Palestinian Hamas fighters traveled back in time to 65 million years ago and set off a large series of explosives that knocked the Earth off its orbit and straight into the path of an oncoming asteroid. "This operation was intended to wipe out the Dinosaurs, so that humanity could rise and Islam could take over the planet. Reptiles don't believe in God, Anderson. So if you want to create an Islamic Caliphate you have to get rid of the reptiles. That's just logic 101. "This was no laughing matter. It was a barbaric act that destroyed an entire civilization. Millions of innocent Dinosaur families perished as a result of Hamas's disgusting actions. Women. Children. Even unborn eggs. All were burnt to a crisp when Islamic time travelers rammed Earth into that asteroid. "And that's why keeping nuclear weapons out of the hands of Muslims is so important. They've destroyed life on Earth before, so we know they'll do it again."