Flu jab 'may prevent children developing swine flu immunity'
Tom Moberly, healthcarerepublic.com, 30 October 2009, 00:05am
2 comments
Seasonal flu vaccination may prevent children developing immunity to swine flu, an opinion piece in The Lancet Infectious Diseases has suggested.
Friday, October 30, 2009
Mike Adams, the Health Ranger US government report recommends blocking popular websites during pandemic flu outbreak
US government report recommends blocking popular websites during pandemic flu outbreak Friday, October 30, 2009 by: Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews EditorKey concepts: Internet, Pandemic and TrafficView on NaturalPedia: Internet, Pandemic and Traffic
NaturalNews) The US government has issued a new report that recommends blocking access to popular websites during a pandemic outbreak in order to preserve internet bandwidth for investors, day traders and securities clearing house operations. The concern is that a pandemic would cause too many people to stay at home and download YouTube videos and porn, hogging all the internet bandwidth and blocking throughput for investment activities, thereby causing a stock market meltdown.This isn't an April Fool's joke. It's all based on a public report issued by the Government Accounting Office (GAO), available from their website at http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d108.pdfIn this article, I'm going to explain how a pandemic outbreak could theoretically bring down Wall Street. But to get to that, you'll first need to find out what the GAO said in its curious report (see below). Parts of this article are presented as satire, but the underlying facts quoted here are all true and verifiable (links are provided to all sources).This report in question is entitled, "GAO Report to Congressional Requesters, INFLUENZA PANDEMIC" and includes this subtitle: Key Securities Market Participants Are Making Progress, but Agencies Could Do More to Address Potential Internet Congestion and Encourage Readiness.As the report explains:In a severe pandemic, governments may close schools, shut down public transportation systems, and ban public gatherings such as concerts or sporting events. In such scenarios, many more people than usual may be at home during the day, and Internet use in residential neighborhoods could increase significantly as a result of people seeking news, entertainment, or social contact from home computers. Concerns have been raised that this additional traffic could lead to congestion on the Internet that would significantly affect businesses in local neighborhoods, such as small doctors' offices or business employees attempting to telework by connecting to their employers' enterprise networks.
Can Hulu, Twitter and porn destroy Wall Street?To translate this concern of the GAO, what they're saying is that if too many people stay home and use the internet, Wall Street might not be able to function smoothly. Therefore, in order to protect Wall Street (because as you know, our government does everything possible to bail out Wall Street), the feds might need to shut down some popular websites.But where, exactly, is all the bandwidth usage really coming from? Twitter uses virtually no bandwidth, given that it's a short, text-based messaging service. Text articles also don't use up much bandwidth. In terms of clogging the internet's "series of tubes" (to use a hilarious term coined by a U.S. Senator), the real culprits are videos. While a Twitter text message might be less than 1k in size, a typical video is 350MB, or roughly 350,000 times larger than a Twitter message.So where, exactly, are people getting video downloads? The most popular non-porn video destinations today are MySpaceTV.com, YouTube.com, LiveLeak.com, Yahoo Video and Hulu.com. But as it turns out, even these highly popular websites may not account for most internet traffic.
P2P traffic uses the most bandwidthAccording to this TechRepublic post (http://blogs.techrepublic.com.com/t...), the majority of internet traffic is actually P2P traffic. Anywhere from 49 to 89 percent of all internet traffic reportedly falls into this category. P2P traffic means "peer to peer." It's file-sharing traffic happening between two "peered" computers rather than from one central server to many individual computers. YouTube, for example, is a centralized video site that serves videos directly to millions of computers. The Pirate Bay, on the other hand (www.ThePirateBay.org) is a site that lists links to peer-to-peer sharing files so that individual computer users can share files amongst each other, bypassing centralized websites or file servers.Peer-to-peer traffic carries the latest movies, music albums, television shows, ebooks, podcasts, graphic novels and even... yes... porn. A search on The Pirate Bay today shows downloads for Heroes Season 4 Episode 7 (350MB), the new Bruce Willis movie Surrogates (700MB) and even a bootleg version of the new Windows 7 operating system (3.5GB). These files are obviously not small. When peered computers share these files, it requires a tremendous amount of bandwidth.Porn represents a sizable percentage of all P2P traffic. Although "official" statistics were difficult to find, according to TopTenReviews.com (http://internet-filter-review.topte...), internet pornography revenues in the U.S. were $2.8 billion (2006). There are 4.2 million porn websites on the 'net, and 25% of all search engine requests are porn-related. Importantly, this page claims that 35% of all P2P traffic is porn-related.Where am I going with all this? Well, if you consider that roughly 50% of all internet traffic is P2P, and that roughly one-third of all P2P traffic is porn, then it quickly becomes obvious that if the GAO's pandemic clogging of the internet becomes a reality, porn might bring down Wall Street!What this also means, however, is that cutting off access to specific websites (like YouTube) will likely do very little to free up internet bandwidth. To have any real impact on reducing bandwidth usage, the U.S. government would need to run public service ads begging internet users to stop downloading porn. The problem with that approach is that people who pirate porn are probably not the kind of people who obediently follow the advice of the feds.
Policing the internetWhen it comes to saving Wall Street during a pandemic, the feds will stop at nothing. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) pulls out all the stops to make sure America's legalized financial gambling centers (Wall Street) keep on churning out the scams. This requires protecting the critical infrastructure of Wall Street.As the GAO report explains:"DHS is the lead federal agency for two critical infrastructure sectors... that are important for the Internet. Specifically, the entities within DHS responsible for coordinating national efforts to promote critical infrastructure protection activities for those sectors are the National Cyber Security Division and the Office of the Manager of the National Communications System (NCS), respectively. Although the vast majority of Internet infrastructure is owned and operated by the private sector, federal policy recognizes the need to be prepared for the possibility of debilitating disruptions in cyberspace. ...DHS is the central coordinator for cyberspace security efforts and has responsibility for developing an integrated public-private plan for Internet recovery."The internet will be critical during a pandemic, the report goes on to say, because it will be an important vehicle for the government to distribute messages to the public (such as "Go get your vaccines..." or "Report to the nearest quarantine center"). It will also be important because millions of people might need to continue their work at home rather than showing up at the office and sneezing all over their coworkers."Increased use of the Internet by students, teleworkers, and others during a severe pandemic is expected to create congestion in Internet access networks that serve metropolitan and other residential neighborhoods. For example, localities may choose to close schools and these students, confined at home, will likely look to the Internet for entertainment, including downloading or "streaming" videos, playing online games, and engaging in potential activities that may consume large amounts of network capacity (bandwidth)."The solutions, says the GAO, is to tell companies to send workers home and hope they get something done there: "Furthermore, the government has recommended teleworking as an option for businesses to keep operations running during a pandemic."This part of the GAO report is particularly hilarious because, as every employer knows, when you give employees the ability to work from home, many of them spend the day at home goofing off and downloading porn! It's true: Most internet porn surfing activity occurs during work hours (9 to 5), and all those corporate porn filters that people have at work don't exist on their home computers. By sending employees home, companies will only be adding to the congestion of the internet, creating an even larger problem for Wall Streeters who are trying to extort yet more taxpayer dollars from the federal government to cover their failed investment gambles.Now here's the kicker in all this: "According to a DHS study and Internet providers, this additional pandemic-related traffic is likely to exceed the capacity of Internet providers' network infrastructure in metropolitan residential Internet access networks. ...During a pandemic, congestion is most likely to occur in the traffic to or from the aggregation devices that serve residential neighborhoods, interfering with teleworkers' and others' ability to use the Internet."In other words, all that pandemic porn downloading will bring the internet to its knees. The internet really begins to get jammed up at the "40% absenteeism" level, according to a 2007 DHS study mentioned in this GAO report: "The study's model predicted that at the 40 percent absenteeism level -- the level that health organizations have indicated is likely under a relatively serious pandemic -- the highest point of congestion across the entire Internet infrastructure could occur within residential Internet access networks."Unfortunately for Wall Street, there is no way for anyone to tell the difference between the traffic of a porn downloader vs. the traffic of a Wall Street day trader. On the internet, all packets are (nearly) the same priority. So there's no simple way to prioritize traffic from some users ("important" Wall Street people) over other users. That means "porn packets" can't simply be rejected in favor of "Wall Street packets."
Shutting down websitesEven the GAO concedes that shutting down specific websites is a strategy fraught with problems, including potential lawsuits, technology limitations and the fact that blocking a few websites probably wouldn't result in much of an overall reduction in traffic anyway:"Overall Internet congestion could be reduced if Web sites that accounted for significant amounts of traffic -- such as those with video streaming -- were shut down during a pandemic. According to one recently issued study, the number of adults who watch videos on video-sharing sites has nearly doubled since 2006, far outpacing the growth of many other Internet activities. However, most providers' staff told us that blocking users from accessing such sites, while technically possible, would be very difficult and, in their view, would not address the congestion problem and would require a directive from the government. One provider indicated that such blocking would be difficult because determining which sites should be blocked would be a very subjective process. Additionally, this provider noted that technologically savvy site operators could change their Internet protocol addresses, allowing users to access the site regardless. Another provider told us that some of these large bandwidth sites stream critical news information. Furthermore, some state, local, and federal government offices and agencies, including DHS, currently use or have plans to increase their use of social media Web sites and to use video streaming as a means to communicate with the public. Shutting down such sites without affecting pertinent information would be a challenge for providers and could create more Internet congestion as users would repeatedly try to access these sites. According to one provider, two added complications are the potential liability resulting from lawsuits filed by businesses that lose revenue when their sites are shutdown or restricted and potential claims of anticompetitive practices, denial of free speech, or both. Some providers said that the operators of specific Internet sites could shut down their respective sites with less disruption and more effectively than Internet providers, and suggested that a better course of action would be for the government to work directly with the site operators."A better solution, it seems, would be to just urge people to stop using so much bandwidth. As this GAO report suggests, "...entities in these sectors consider advising employees to limit household use of streaming video or other bandwidth-intensive Internet activities."And that, of course, takes us back to those public service announcements: Please stop downloading porn, you people! You're sucking up all the bandwidth and interfering with the important business of Wall Street ripping off America!This brings me to the bizarre conclusion of this story: If a pandemic actually does result in a 40% absenteeism rate, and companies send people to work from home, and all public sporting events get cancelled, and people are sitting around on their home computers with nothing to do, porn downloads could cause a massive stock market crash by interfering with securities trades.More importantly, such an activity could theoretically be organized and planned as a type of cyber assault on Wall Street. "Porn terrorists" could leap on this pandemic-inspired internet vulnerability to cripple Wall Street by flooding the internet with pornographic digital bits that squeeze out all other traffic, causing financial trades to grind to a halt. And this, in turn, could conceivably wreck the entire U.S. economy because, as we already know, the whole thing is being held together by the most fragile accounting illusions. One big blip in the system, and the whole corrupt, dishonest Wall Street scam comes train-wrecking down.And that, my friends, is the bizarre truth of how pornography combined with a pandemic might bring down Wall Street.Sources for this story include:GAO report:http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d108.pdfReuters:http://www.reuters.com/article/news...
NaturalNews) The US government has issued a new report that recommends blocking access to popular websites during a pandemic outbreak in order to preserve internet bandwidth for investors, day traders and securities clearing house operations. The concern is that a pandemic would cause too many people to stay at home and download YouTube videos and porn, hogging all the internet bandwidth and blocking throughput for investment activities, thereby causing a stock market meltdown.This isn't an April Fool's joke. It's all based on a public report issued by the Government Accounting Office (GAO), available from their website at http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d108.pdfIn this article, I'm going to explain how a pandemic outbreak could theoretically bring down Wall Street. But to get to that, you'll first need to find out what the GAO said in its curious report (see below). Parts of this article are presented as satire, but the underlying facts quoted here are all true and verifiable (links are provided to all sources).This report in question is entitled, "GAO Report to Congressional Requesters, INFLUENZA PANDEMIC" and includes this subtitle: Key Securities Market Participants Are Making Progress, but Agencies Could Do More to Address Potential Internet Congestion and Encourage Readiness.As the report explains:In a severe pandemic, governments may close schools, shut down public transportation systems, and ban public gatherings such as concerts or sporting events. In such scenarios, many more people than usual may be at home during the day, and Internet use in residential neighborhoods could increase significantly as a result of people seeking news, entertainment, or social contact from home computers. Concerns have been raised that this additional traffic could lead to congestion on the Internet that would significantly affect businesses in local neighborhoods, such as small doctors' offices or business employees attempting to telework by connecting to their employers' enterprise networks.
Can Hulu, Twitter and porn destroy Wall Street?To translate this concern of the GAO, what they're saying is that if too many people stay home and use the internet, Wall Street might not be able to function smoothly. Therefore, in order to protect Wall Street (because as you know, our government does everything possible to bail out Wall Street), the feds might need to shut down some popular websites.But where, exactly, is all the bandwidth usage really coming from? Twitter uses virtually no bandwidth, given that it's a short, text-based messaging service. Text articles also don't use up much bandwidth. In terms of clogging the internet's "series of tubes" (to use a hilarious term coined by a U.S. Senator), the real culprits are videos. While a Twitter text message might be less than 1k in size, a typical video is 350MB, or roughly 350,000 times larger than a Twitter message.So where, exactly, are people getting video downloads? The most popular non-porn video destinations today are MySpaceTV.com, YouTube.com, LiveLeak.com, Yahoo Video and Hulu.com. But as it turns out, even these highly popular websites may not account for most internet traffic.
P2P traffic uses the most bandwidthAccording to this TechRepublic post (http://blogs.techrepublic.com.com/t...), the majority of internet traffic is actually P2P traffic. Anywhere from 49 to 89 percent of all internet traffic reportedly falls into this category. P2P traffic means "peer to peer." It's file-sharing traffic happening between two "peered" computers rather than from one central server to many individual computers. YouTube, for example, is a centralized video site that serves videos directly to millions of computers. The Pirate Bay, on the other hand (www.ThePirateBay.org) is a site that lists links to peer-to-peer sharing files so that individual computer users can share files amongst each other, bypassing centralized websites or file servers.Peer-to-peer traffic carries the latest movies, music albums, television shows, ebooks, podcasts, graphic novels and even... yes... porn. A search on The Pirate Bay today shows downloads for Heroes Season 4 Episode 7 (350MB), the new Bruce Willis movie Surrogates (700MB) and even a bootleg version of the new Windows 7 operating system (3.5GB). These files are obviously not small. When peered computers share these files, it requires a tremendous amount of bandwidth.Porn represents a sizable percentage of all P2P traffic. Although "official" statistics were difficult to find, according to TopTenReviews.com (http://internet-filter-review.topte...), internet pornography revenues in the U.S. were $2.8 billion (2006). There are 4.2 million porn websites on the 'net, and 25% of all search engine requests are porn-related. Importantly, this page claims that 35% of all P2P traffic is porn-related.Where am I going with all this? Well, if you consider that roughly 50% of all internet traffic is P2P, and that roughly one-third of all P2P traffic is porn, then it quickly becomes obvious that if the GAO's pandemic clogging of the internet becomes a reality, porn might bring down Wall Street!What this also means, however, is that cutting off access to specific websites (like YouTube) will likely do very little to free up internet bandwidth. To have any real impact on reducing bandwidth usage, the U.S. government would need to run public service ads begging internet users to stop downloading porn. The problem with that approach is that people who pirate porn are probably not the kind of people who obediently follow the advice of the feds.
Policing the internetWhen it comes to saving Wall Street during a pandemic, the feds will stop at nothing. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) pulls out all the stops to make sure America's legalized financial gambling centers (Wall Street) keep on churning out the scams. This requires protecting the critical infrastructure of Wall Street.As the GAO report explains:"DHS is the lead federal agency for two critical infrastructure sectors... that are important for the Internet. Specifically, the entities within DHS responsible for coordinating national efforts to promote critical infrastructure protection activities for those sectors are the National Cyber Security Division and the Office of the Manager of the National Communications System (NCS), respectively. Although the vast majority of Internet infrastructure is owned and operated by the private sector, federal policy recognizes the need to be prepared for the possibility of debilitating disruptions in cyberspace. ...DHS is the central coordinator for cyberspace security efforts and has responsibility for developing an integrated public-private plan for Internet recovery."The internet will be critical during a pandemic, the report goes on to say, because it will be an important vehicle for the government to distribute messages to the public (such as "Go get your vaccines..." or "Report to the nearest quarantine center"). It will also be important because millions of people might need to continue their work at home rather than showing up at the office and sneezing all over their coworkers."Increased use of the Internet by students, teleworkers, and others during a severe pandemic is expected to create congestion in Internet access networks that serve metropolitan and other residential neighborhoods. For example, localities may choose to close schools and these students, confined at home, will likely look to the Internet for entertainment, including downloading or "streaming" videos, playing online games, and engaging in potential activities that may consume large amounts of network capacity (bandwidth)."The solutions, says the GAO, is to tell companies to send workers home and hope they get something done there: "Furthermore, the government has recommended teleworking as an option for businesses to keep operations running during a pandemic."This part of the GAO report is particularly hilarious because, as every employer knows, when you give employees the ability to work from home, many of them spend the day at home goofing off and downloading porn! It's true: Most internet porn surfing activity occurs during work hours (9 to 5), and all those corporate porn filters that people have at work don't exist on their home computers. By sending employees home, companies will only be adding to the congestion of the internet, creating an even larger problem for Wall Streeters who are trying to extort yet more taxpayer dollars from the federal government to cover their failed investment gambles.Now here's the kicker in all this: "According to a DHS study and Internet providers, this additional pandemic-related traffic is likely to exceed the capacity of Internet providers' network infrastructure in metropolitan residential Internet access networks. ...During a pandemic, congestion is most likely to occur in the traffic to or from the aggregation devices that serve residential neighborhoods, interfering with teleworkers' and others' ability to use the Internet."In other words, all that pandemic porn downloading will bring the internet to its knees. The internet really begins to get jammed up at the "40% absenteeism" level, according to a 2007 DHS study mentioned in this GAO report: "The study's model predicted that at the 40 percent absenteeism level -- the level that health organizations have indicated is likely under a relatively serious pandemic -- the highest point of congestion across the entire Internet infrastructure could occur within residential Internet access networks."Unfortunately for Wall Street, there is no way for anyone to tell the difference between the traffic of a porn downloader vs. the traffic of a Wall Street day trader. On the internet, all packets are (nearly) the same priority. So there's no simple way to prioritize traffic from some users ("important" Wall Street people) over other users. That means "porn packets" can't simply be rejected in favor of "Wall Street packets."
Shutting down websitesEven the GAO concedes that shutting down specific websites is a strategy fraught with problems, including potential lawsuits, technology limitations and the fact that blocking a few websites probably wouldn't result in much of an overall reduction in traffic anyway:"Overall Internet congestion could be reduced if Web sites that accounted for significant amounts of traffic -- such as those with video streaming -- were shut down during a pandemic. According to one recently issued study, the number of adults who watch videos on video-sharing sites has nearly doubled since 2006, far outpacing the growth of many other Internet activities. However, most providers' staff told us that blocking users from accessing such sites, while technically possible, would be very difficult and, in their view, would not address the congestion problem and would require a directive from the government. One provider indicated that such blocking would be difficult because determining which sites should be blocked would be a very subjective process. Additionally, this provider noted that technologically savvy site operators could change their Internet protocol addresses, allowing users to access the site regardless. Another provider told us that some of these large bandwidth sites stream critical news information. Furthermore, some state, local, and federal government offices and agencies, including DHS, currently use or have plans to increase their use of social media Web sites and to use video streaming as a means to communicate with the public. Shutting down such sites without affecting pertinent information would be a challenge for providers and could create more Internet congestion as users would repeatedly try to access these sites. According to one provider, two added complications are the potential liability resulting from lawsuits filed by businesses that lose revenue when their sites are shutdown or restricted and potential claims of anticompetitive practices, denial of free speech, or both. Some providers said that the operators of specific Internet sites could shut down their respective sites with less disruption and more effectively than Internet providers, and suggested that a better course of action would be for the government to work directly with the site operators."A better solution, it seems, would be to just urge people to stop using so much bandwidth. As this GAO report suggests, "...entities in these sectors consider advising employees to limit household use of streaming video or other bandwidth-intensive Internet activities."And that, of course, takes us back to those public service announcements: Please stop downloading porn, you people! You're sucking up all the bandwidth and interfering with the important business of Wall Street ripping off America!This brings me to the bizarre conclusion of this story: If a pandemic actually does result in a 40% absenteeism rate, and companies send people to work from home, and all public sporting events get cancelled, and people are sitting around on their home computers with nothing to do, porn downloads could cause a massive stock market crash by interfering with securities trades.More importantly, such an activity could theoretically be organized and planned as a type of cyber assault on Wall Street. "Porn terrorists" could leap on this pandemic-inspired internet vulnerability to cripple Wall Street by flooding the internet with pornographic digital bits that squeeze out all other traffic, causing financial trades to grind to a halt. And this, in turn, could conceivably wreck the entire U.S. economy because, as we already know, the whole thing is being held together by the most fragile accounting illusions. One big blip in the system, and the whole corrupt, dishonest Wall Street scam comes train-wrecking down.And that, my friends, is the bizarre truth of how pornography combined with a pandemic might bring down Wall Street.Sources for this story include:GAO report:http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d108.pdfReuters:http://www.reuters.com/article/news...
The complex relationship between folate/homocysteine metabolism and risk of Down syndrome.
Mutat Res. 2009 Jul-Aug;682(1):54-70. Epub 2009 Jun 11.
The complex relationship between folate/homocysteine metabolism and risk of Down syndrome.
Coppedè F.
Department of Neuroscience, Neurological Clinic, University of Pisa, Via Roma 67, 56126 Pisa, Italy. f.coppede@georg.unipi.it
Folates are essential nutrients that are required for one-carbon biosynthetic and epigenetic processes. A deficiency in cellular folates results in aberrant DNA methylation, point mutations, chromosome breakage, defective chromosome recombination and aneuploidy. In 1999 it was first reported that impairments in folate/homocysteine metabolism, due to genetic polymorphisms of metabolic enzymes, could increase the risk for having an infant with Down syndrome (DS). That paper stimulated considerable investigation into the possible role of folate/homocysteine metabolism in the risk of having a DS child and several studies have been performed so far in different countries to better address this issue. However, despite 10 years of active research, the question is still unsolved. Overall, both in vitro and in vivo studies indicate that an impaired folate/homocysteine metabolism can result in chromosome 21 nondisjunction; however, the birth of a DS child seems to be the result of the interplay of several factors of genetic, epigenetic, environmental, and stochastic origin, making it difficult to discriminate the single contribution of each of them. My opinion is that it is now time for the design of a collaborative study large enough to have the power to separate trisomy 21 into all its component parts and to test for the contribution of folate/homocysteine gene polymorphisms to each of them. This study should be paralleled by in vitro and in vivo studies aimed at clarifying the contribution, if any, of folate/homocysteine metabolism to the methylation pattern of regions involved in recombination and segregation of chromosome 21. Further studies are also required to address the possible contribution of both the paternal diet and the maternal grandmother dietary habits to chromosome 21 nondisjunction events.
PMID: 19524060 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
The complex relationship between folate/homocysteine metabolism and risk of Down syndrome.
Coppedè F.
Department of Neuroscience, Neurological Clinic, University of Pisa, Via Roma 67, 56126 Pisa, Italy. f.coppede@georg.unipi.it
Folates are essential nutrients that are required for one-carbon biosynthetic and epigenetic processes. A deficiency in cellular folates results in aberrant DNA methylation, point mutations, chromosome breakage, defective chromosome recombination and aneuploidy. In 1999 it was first reported that impairments in folate/homocysteine metabolism, due to genetic polymorphisms of metabolic enzymes, could increase the risk for having an infant with Down syndrome (DS). That paper stimulated considerable investigation into the possible role of folate/homocysteine metabolism in the risk of having a DS child and several studies have been performed so far in different countries to better address this issue. However, despite 10 years of active research, the question is still unsolved. Overall, both in vitro and in vivo studies indicate that an impaired folate/homocysteine metabolism can result in chromosome 21 nondisjunction; however, the birth of a DS child seems to be the result of the interplay of several factors of genetic, epigenetic, environmental, and stochastic origin, making it difficult to discriminate the single contribution of each of them. My opinion is that it is now time for the design of a collaborative study large enough to have the power to separate trisomy 21 into all its component parts and to test for the contribution of folate/homocysteine gene polymorphisms to each of them. This study should be paralleled by in vitro and in vivo studies aimed at clarifying the contribution, if any, of folate/homocysteine metabolism to the methylation pattern of regions involved in recombination and segregation of chromosome 21. Further studies are also required to address the possible contribution of both the paternal diet and the maternal grandmother dietary habits to chromosome 21 nondisjunction events.
PMID: 19524060 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
Thursday, October 29, 2009
"If you've been diagnosed 'probable' or 'presumed' 2009 H1N1 or swine flu in recent months, you may be surprised to know this: odds are you didn’t hav
"If you've been diagnosed 'probable' or 'presumed' 2009 H1N1 or swine flu in recent months, you may be surprised to know this: odds are you didn’t have H1N1 flu. That's according to state-by-state test results obtained in a three-month-long CBS News investigation. "
-- CBS News, 10/21/09
Dear friends,
President Obama has declared a national emergency for the swine flu, noting a "rapid increase in illness." A recent CNN article covering this critical topic goes on to quote CDC director Dr. Thomas Frieden, "since the H1N1 flu pandemic began in April, millions of people in the United States have been infected, at least 20,000 have been hospitalized and more than 1,000 have died."
Yet excellent investigative reporting by CBS News shows that the actual number of swine flu cases is being significantly exaggerated. The lead paragraph of this CBS article states, "If you've been diagnosed 'probable' or 'presumed' 2009 H1N1 or swine flu in recent months, you may be surprised to know this: odds are you didn’t have H1N1 flu. In fact, you probably didn’t have the flu at all. That's according to state-by-state test results obtained in a three-month-long CBS News investigation."
The CBS report goes on to point out that the CDC strangely advised states to stop testing and to stop counting the number of swine flu cases last July. The CDC website explains that states are no longer differentiating between the regular flu and the swine flu, reporting instead all influenza and pneumonia-related hospitalizations and deaths in one count.
This alone could lead to a great exaggeration of reported swine flu cases, particularly as the CDC website states that every year in the U.S. on average 5 to 20% of the population gets the seasonal flu. This means between 15 and 60 million people come down with some version of the flu every year. Complications from the seasonal flu are claimed to kill about 36,000 people (100 per day on average), while more than 200,000 are hospitalized annually.
Why on Earth would the CDC decide to stop counting swine flu cases? The CBS website states, "The rationale given for the CDC guidance to forego testing and tracking individual cases was: why waste resources testing for H1N1 flu when the government has already confirmed there's an epidemic?"
The CDC website gives several puzzling reasons, including "there are too many cases of flu to test and confirm." Yet with millions of cases of cancer and heart disease every year, states have never been told to stop testing for these. If the swine flu is as dangerous and deadly as alleged, we would expect more testing and not a halt.
The CBS article further elaborates, "Some public health officials privately disagreed with the decision to stop testing and counting, telling CBS News that continued tracking of this new and possibly changing virus was important because H1N1 has a different epidemiology, affects younger people more than seasonal flu and has been shown to have a higher case fatality rate than other flu virus strains."
CBS reporters asked CDC to provide materials from states on lab-confirmed swine flu cases before the count stopped in July. CDC not only was initially unwilling to provide the information, they obstructed the investigation (watch CBS News clip on this). CBS then submitted a freedom of information request to HHS (Department of Health and Human Services) for this same information, but again received no response for two months. So the intrepid CBS team requested the information directly from all 50 states.
On receiving these statistics, CBS reporters were astounded to find that for cases labeled probable or presumed swine flu, further testing showed that "the vast majority of cases were negative for H1N1 as well as seasonal flu, despite the fact that many states were specifically testing patients deemed to be most likely to have H1N1 flu, based on symptoms and risk factors, such as travel to Mexico."
Many states found that only 1 - 2% of "probable" or "presumed" swine flu cases in fact were swine flu. It may be that because of all the hype and fear being spread by the media and government, people's heightened anxiety and fear of having the dreaded swine flu caused them to go to their doctor for a simple fever, headache, or runny nose, thus leading to a very large number of false assessments.
The numbers of swine flu cases thus appear to have been greatly exaggerated even before July. And as the CDC ordered states to stop counting in July, we have no way to make an accurate count now. Thus the numbers being used by the media and fed to people like President Obama have no reliable value and can be even further inflated, leading to even more fear and false claims of swine flu.
Consider also that with the CDC's claim of 100 deaths per day due to the regular flu, even if the figure of 1,000 deaths in the past six months due to swine flu were true, it is far less than the death toll of even one month of the seasonal flu.
One claim used to promote fear is that the flu season is just starting. The public will be in great danger when the season soon kicks into full gear. Yet the flu season in the southern hemisphere, which has seasons opposite to the north, is now over, and the swine flu did not wreak havoc as predicted.
A September Reuters News article states, "The U.S. government said an analysis of the epidemics in Australia, Argentina, Chile, New Zealand, and Uruguay showed that while H1N1 dominated the flu seasons there, it was only moderately severe. The pandemic did stress healthcare systems, but not for long."
Why would the CDC exaggerate the risk of this disease? According to the CDC website, "The federal government has purchased a total of 250 million doses of 2009 H1N1 vaccine." Remember that the U.S. population is about 300 million. The CDC has spent billions of our tax dollars to purchase these vaccines and obviously wants nearly everyone to get vaccinated. The drug companies have raked in billions of dollars in profits from this vaccine, even if a large portion of the vaccines is never used.
The government has also granted immunity from lawsuits to vaccine producers, so that those injured or killed by the vaccine may have no recourse for settlement. Maybe they learned from their mistakes with the 1976 swine flu scare, in which over 40 million Americans were vaccinated after government and media joined to pump fear out to the nation.
Only one person was confirmed dead from the actual swine flu in 1976, yet hundreds filed death claims and thousands filed claims for paralysis from the swine flu vaccine. The vaccine caused Guillain-Barre Syndrome, an acknowledged risk factor with the current vaccine. Don't miss the powerful CBS 60 Minutes video clip at this link showing blatant corruption and fear mongering in the 1976 swine flu scare.
Numerous top MDs and health professionals have publicly stated that our health care system and even our politicians have been seriously corrupted by the vast wealth of the pharmaceutical industry. The major media, which receives billions of dollars in advertising money from drug companies, has barely reported on this.
Read what Dr. Marcia Angell, former editor-in-chief of the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine, has to say about drug company greed and influence at this link. Here's just one quote from her powerful writing:
"The pharmaceutical industry has moved very far from its original high purpose of discovering and producing useful new drugs. Now primarily a marketing machine to sell drugs of dubious benefit, this industry uses its wealth and power to co-opt every institution that might stand in its way, including the US Congress, the FDA, academic medical centers, and the medical profession itself."
And here's a quote from an article by Dr. George Lundberg, the former editor-in-chief of the highly respected Journal of the American Medical Association:
"Efforts to control American medical costs date from at least 1932. With few exceptions, they have failed. The lure of economic incentives to provide unnecessary or unproven care ... drives many physicians to make the lucrative choice. Hospitals and especially academic medical centers are also motivated to profit from many expensive procedures. Eliminating ... waste could save $750 billion annually with no harm to patient outcomes."
The powerful pharmaceutical lobby has played a key role in causing U.S. health costs to be 50% higher than that of most other developed nations, yet as this MSNBC article states, "The United States is the only developed nation that does not have a comprehensive national health care plan, leaving about 50 million people without health insurance."
Now the drug companies are using their power and influence to get politicians and the media behind the lucrative, yet questionable swine flu vaccine. For lots more reliable information on strange manipulations involving the swine flu vaccine, click here. And see the box below for ideas on what you can do to further educate yourself and spread the word about the swine flu deception.
With best wishes,
Fred Burks for PEERS and the WantToKnow.info Team
Former language interpreter for Presidents Bush and Clinton
-- CBS News, 10/21/09
Dear friends,
President Obama has declared a national emergency for the swine flu, noting a "rapid increase in illness." A recent CNN article covering this critical topic goes on to quote CDC director Dr. Thomas Frieden, "since the H1N1 flu pandemic began in April, millions of people in the United States have been infected, at least 20,000 have been hospitalized and more than 1,000 have died."
Yet excellent investigative reporting by CBS News shows that the actual number of swine flu cases is being significantly exaggerated. The lead paragraph of this CBS article states, "If you've been diagnosed 'probable' or 'presumed' 2009 H1N1 or swine flu in recent months, you may be surprised to know this: odds are you didn’t have H1N1 flu. In fact, you probably didn’t have the flu at all. That's according to state-by-state test results obtained in a three-month-long CBS News investigation."
The CBS report goes on to point out that the CDC strangely advised states to stop testing and to stop counting the number of swine flu cases last July. The CDC website explains that states are no longer differentiating between the regular flu and the swine flu, reporting instead all influenza and pneumonia-related hospitalizations and deaths in one count.
This alone could lead to a great exaggeration of reported swine flu cases, particularly as the CDC website states that every year in the U.S. on average 5 to 20% of the population gets the seasonal flu. This means between 15 and 60 million people come down with some version of the flu every year. Complications from the seasonal flu are claimed to kill about 36,000 people (100 per day on average), while more than 200,000 are hospitalized annually.
Why on Earth would the CDC decide to stop counting swine flu cases? The CBS website states, "The rationale given for the CDC guidance to forego testing and tracking individual cases was: why waste resources testing for H1N1 flu when the government has already confirmed there's an epidemic?"
The CDC website gives several puzzling reasons, including "there are too many cases of flu to test and confirm." Yet with millions of cases of cancer and heart disease every year, states have never been told to stop testing for these. If the swine flu is as dangerous and deadly as alleged, we would expect more testing and not a halt.
The CBS article further elaborates, "Some public health officials privately disagreed with the decision to stop testing and counting, telling CBS News that continued tracking of this new and possibly changing virus was important because H1N1 has a different epidemiology, affects younger people more than seasonal flu and has been shown to have a higher case fatality rate than other flu virus strains."
CBS reporters asked CDC to provide materials from states on lab-confirmed swine flu cases before the count stopped in July. CDC not only was initially unwilling to provide the information, they obstructed the investigation (watch CBS News clip on this). CBS then submitted a freedom of information request to HHS (Department of Health and Human Services) for this same information, but again received no response for two months. So the intrepid CBS team requested the information directly from all 50 states.
On receiving these statistics, CBS reporters were astounded to find that for cases labeled probable or presumed swine flu, further testing showed that "the vast majority of cases were negative for H1N1 as well as seasonal flu, despite the fact that many states were specifically testing patients deemed to be most likely to have H1N1 flu, based on symptoms and risk factors, such as travel to Mexico."
Many states found that only 1 - 2% of "probable" or "presumed" swine flu cases in fact were swine flu. It may be that because of all the hype and fear being spread by the media and government, people's heightened anxiety and fear of having the dreaded swine flu caused them to go to their doctor for a simple fever, headache, or runny nose, thus leading to a very large number of false assessments.
The numbers of swine flu cases thus appear to have been greatly exaggerated even before July. And as the CDC ordered states to stop counting in July, we have no way to make an accurate count now. Thus the numbers being used by the media and fed to people like President Obama have no reliable value and can be even further inflated, leading to even more fear and false claims of swine flu.
Consider also that with the CDC's claim of 100 deaths per day due to the regular flu, even if the figure of 1,000 deaths in the past six months due to swine flu were true, it is far less than the death toll of even one month of the seasonal flu.
One claim used to promote fear is that the flu season is just starting. The public will be in great danger when the season soon kicks into full gear. Yet the flu season in the southern hemisphere, which has seasons opposite to the north, is now over, and the swine flu did not wreak havoc as predicted.
A September Reuters News article states, "The U.S. government said an analysis of the epidemics in Australia, Argentina, Chile, New Zealand, and Uruguay showed that while H1N1 dominated the flu seasons there, it was only moderately severe. The pandemic did stress healthcare systems, but not for long."
Why would the CDC exaggerate the risk of this disease? According to the CDC website, "The federal government has purchased a total of 250 million doses of 2009 H1N1 vaccine." Remember that the U.S. population is about 300 million. The CDC has spent billions of our tax dollars to purchase these vaccines and obviously wants nearly everyone to get vaccinated. The drug companies have raked in billions of dollars in profits from this vaccine, even if a large portion of the vaccines is never used.
The government has also granted immunity from lawsuits to vaccine producers, so that those injured or killed by the vaccine may have no recourse for settlement. Maybe they learned from their mistakes with the 1976 swine flu scare, in which over 40 million Americans were vaccinated after government and media joined to pump fear out to the nation.
Only one person was confirmed dead from the actual swine flu in 1976, yet hundreds filed death claims and thousands filed claims for paralysis from the swine flu vaccine. The vaccine caused Guillain-Barre Syndrome, an acknowledged risk factor with the current vaccine. Don't miss the powerful CBS 60 Minutes video clip at this link showing blatant corruption and fear mongering in the 1976 swine flu scare.
Numerous top MDs and health professionals have publicly stated that our health care system and even our politicians have been seriously corrupted by the vast wealth of the pharmaceutical industry. The major media, which receives billions of dollars in advertising money from drug companies, has barely reported on this.
Read what Dr. Marcia Angell, former editor-in-chief of the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine, has to say about drug company greed and influence at this link. Here's just one quote from her powerful writing:
"The pharmaceutical industry has moved very far from its original high purpose of discovering and producing useful new drugs. Now primarily a marketing machine to sell drugs of dubious benefit, this industry uses its wealth and power to co-opt every institution that might stand in its way, including the US Congress, the FDA, academic medical centers, and the medical profession itself."
And here's a quote from an article by Dr. George Lundberg, the former editor-in-chief of the highly respected Journal of the American Medical Association:
"Efforts to control American medical costs date from at least 1932. With few exceptions, they have failed. The lure of economic incentives to provide unnecessary or unproven care ... drives many physicians to make the lucrative choice. Hospitals and especially academic medical centers are also motivated to profit from many expensive procedures. Eliminating ... waste could save $750 billion annually with no harm to patient outcomes."
The powerful pharmaceutical lobby has played a key role in causing U.S. health costs to be 50% higher than that of most other developed nations, yet as this MSNBC article states, "The United States is the only developed nation that does not have a comprehensive national health care plan, leaving about 50 million people without health insurance."
Now the drug companies are using their power and influence to get politicians and the media behind the lucrative, yet questionable swine flu vaccine. For lots more reliable information on strange manipulations involving the swine flu vaccine, click here. And see the box below for ideas on what you can do to further educate yourself and spread the word about the swine flu deception.
With best wishes,
Fred Burks for PEERS and the WantToKnow.info Team
Former language interpreter for Presidents Bush and Clinton
Government Is Trying to Make Bailouts for the Giant Banks PERMANENT
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Government Is Trying to Make Bailouts for the Giant Banks PERMANENT
On September 25th, I wrote:
Paul Volcker and senior Harvard economist Jeffrey Miron both testified to Congress this week that the government is trying to make bailouts for the giant banks permanent.
Writing Wednesday in The Hill, Congressman Brad Sherman pointed out that :
In my opinion, Geithner’s proposal is “TARP on steroids.” Section 1204 of the proposal [the proposal being the "Resolution Authority for Large, Interconnected Financial Companies Act of 2009"] allows the executive branch to use taxpayer money to make loans to, or invest in, the largest financial institutions to avoid a systemic risk to the economy.
Geithner’s proposal reminds me of the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP), the $700 billion Wall Street bailout adopted last year, but the TARP was limited to two years, and to a maximum of $700 billion. Section 1204 is unlimited in dollar amount and is a permanent grant of power to the executive branch. TARP contained some limits on executive compensation and an array of special oversight authorities. Section 1204 contains absolutely no limits on executive compensation and no special oversight.
When I asked Geithner whether he would accept a $1 trillion limit on the new bailout authority (if the executive branch wanted to spend more, it would have to come back to Congress), he rejected a $1 trillion limit, insisting that the executive branch be able to respond without coming back to Congress.
Both TARP and the Treasury proposal have vague provisions under which taxpayers might possibly recover any money lost through a special tax on the financial services industry. Under the Treasury proposal, only the very largest institutions could benefit from a bailout, but the special tax, if ever collected, would fall chiefly on medium-sized institutions.
Thus, the medium-sized institutions will be at a competitive disadvantage for two reasons. First, the largest institutions will be able to borrow money more cheaply because their creditors will believe that if the institution is unable to pay, the taxpayers will. Second, if there ever is a bailout benefitting a very large financial institution, the tax will be imposed on the medium-sized institutions.
Sherman is a senior member of the House Financial Services Committee and a certified public accountant, so he has a good nose for analyzing proposed financial regulations.
Last week, Sherman made the following comments to the Washington Independent regarding Congress' proposed bill on the too big to fails:
That is a huge gravy train to the top 20 [financial institutions] because it allows them to borrow money at a lower rate. Think of what this does to moral hazard.
I’m not looking for a TARP on steroids with oversight. I’m looking for an end of TARP.
Government Is Trying to Make Bailouts for the Giant Banks PERMANENT
On September 25th, I wrote:
Paul Volcker and senior Harvard economist Jeffrey Miron both testified to Congress this week that the government is trying to make bailouts for the giant banks permanent.
Writing Wednesday in The Hill, Congressman Brad Sherman pointed out that :
In my opinion, Geithner’s proposal is “TARP on steroids.” Section 1204 of the proposal [the proposal being the "Resolution Authority for Large, Interconnected Financial Companies Act of 2009"] allows the executive branch to use taxpayer money to make loans to, or invest in, the largest financial institutions to avoid a systemic risk to the economy.
Geithner’s proposal reminds me of the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP), the $700 billion Wall Street bailout adopted last year, but the TARP was limited to two years, and to a maximum of $700 billion. Section 1204 is unlimited in dollar amount and is a permanent grant of power to the executive branch. TARP contained some limits on executive compensation and an array of special oversight authorities. Section 1204 contains absolutely no limits on executive compensation and no special oversight.
When I asked Geithner whether he would accept a $1 trillion limit on the new bailout authority (if the executive branch wanted to spend more, it would have to come back to Congress), he rejected a $1 trillion limit, insisting that the executive branch be able to respond without coming back to Congress.
Both TARP and the Treasury proposal have vague provisions under which taxpayers might possibly recover any money lost through a special tax on the financial services industry. Under the Treasury proposal, only the very largest institutions could benefit from a bailout, but the special tax, if ever collected, would fall chiefly on medium-sized institutions.
Thus, the medium-sized institutions will be at a competitive disadvantage for two reasons. First, the largest institutions will be able to borrow money more cheaply because their creditors will believe that if the institution is unable to pay, the taxpayers will. Second, if there ever is a bailout benefitting a very large financial institution, the tax will be imposed on the medium-sized institutions.
Sherman is a senior member of the House Financial Services Committee and a certified public accountant, so he has a good nose for analyzing proposed financial regulations.
Last week, Sherman made the following comments to the Washington Independent regarding Congress' proposed bill on the too big to fails:
That is a huge gravy train to the top 20 [financial institutions] because it allows them to borrow money at a lower rate. Think of what this does to moral hazard.
I’m not looking for a TARP on steroids with oversight. I’m looking for an end of TARP.
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Curcumin inhibits cancers of the head and neck
Gardasil Researcher Drops A Bombshell
Gardasil Researcher Drops A Bombshell
Harper: Controversal Drug Will Do Little To Reduce Cervical Cancer Rates
By Susan Brinkmann, For The Bulletin
Published:
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Dr. Diane Harper, lead researcher in the development of two human papilloma virus vaccines, Gardasil and Cervarix, said the controversial drugs will do little to reduce cervical cancer rates and, even though they’re being recommended for girls as young as nine, there have been no efficacy trials in children under the age of 15.Dr. Harper, director of the Gynecologic Cancer Prevention Research Group at the University of Missouri, made these remarks during an address at the 4th International Public Conference on Vaccination which took place in Reston, Virginia on Oct. 2-4. Although her talk was intended to promote the vaccine, participants said they came away convinced the vaccine should not be received.“I came away from the talk with the perception that the risk of adverse side effects is so much greater than the risk of cervical cancer, I couldn’t help but question why we need the vaccine at all,” said Joan Robinson, Assistant Editor at the Population Research Institute.Dr. Harper began her remarks by explaining that 70 percent of all HPV infections resolve themselves without treatment within a year. Within two years, the number climbs to 90 percent. Of the remaining 10 percent of HPV infections, only half will develop into cervical cancer, which leaves little need for the vaccine.She went on to surprise the audience by stating that the incidence of cervical cancer in the U.S. is already so low that “even if we get the vaccine and continue PAP screening, we will not lower the rate of cervical cancer in the US.”There will be no decrease in cervical cancer until at least 70 percent of the population is vaccinated, and even then, the decrease will be minimal.Apparently, conventional treatment and preventative measures are already cutting the cervical cancer rate by four percent a year. At this rate, in 60 years, there will be a 91.4 percent decline just with current treatment. Even if 70 percent of women get the shot and required boosters over the same time period, which is highly unlikely, Harper says Gardasil still could not claim to do as much as traditional care is already doing.Dr. Harper, who also serves as a consultant to the World Health Organization, further undercut the case for mass vaccination by saying that “four out of five women with cervical cancer are in developing countries.”Ms. Robinson said she could not help but wonder, “If this is the case, then why vaccinate at all? But from the murmurs of the doctors in the audience, it was apparent that the same thought was occurring to them.”However, at this point, Dr. Harper dropped an even bigger bombshell on the audience when she announced that, “There have been no efficacy trials in girls under 15 years.”Merck, the manufacturer of Gardasil, studied only a small group of girls under 16 who had been vaccinated, but did not follow them long enough to conclude sufficient presence of effective HPV antibodies.This is not the first time Dr. Harper revealed the fact that Merck never tested Gardasil for safety in young girls. During a 2007 interview with KPC News.com, she said giving the vaccine to girls as young as 11 years-old “is a great big public health experiment.”At the time, which was at the height of Merck’s controversial drive to have the vaccine mandated in schools, Dr. Harper remained steadfastly opposed to the idea and said she had been trying for months to convince major television and print media about her concerns, “but no one will print it.”“It is silly to mandate vaccination of 11 to 12 year old girls,” she said at the time. “There also is not enough evidence gathered on side effects to know that safety is not an issue.”When asked why she was speaking out, she said: “I want to be able to sleep with myself when I go to bed at night.” Since the drug’s introduction in 2006, the public has been learning many of these facts the hard way. To date, 15,037 girls have officially reported adverse side effects from Gardasil to the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS). These adverse reactions include Guilliane Barre, lupus, seizures, paralysis, blood clots, brain inflammation and many others. The CDC acknowledges that there have been 44 reported deaths.Dr. Harper also participated in the research on Glaxo-Smith-Kline’s version of the drug, Cervarix, currently in use in the UK but not yet approved here. Since the government began administering the vaccine to school-aged girls last year, more than 2,000 patients reported some kind of adverse reaction including nausea, dizziness, blurred vision, convulsions, seizures and hyperventilation. Several reported multiple reactions, with 4,602 suspected side-effects recorded in total. The most tragic case involved a 14 year-old girl who dropped dead in the corridor of her school an hour after receiving the vaccination.The outspoken researcher also weighed in last month on a report published in the Journal of the American Medical Association that raised questions about the safety of the vaccine, saying bluntly: "The rate of serious adverse events is greater than the incidence rate of cervical cancer."Ms. Robinson said she respects Dr. Harper’s candor. “I think she’s a scientist, a researcher, and she’s genuine enough a scientist to be open about the risks. I respect that in her.”However, she failed to make the case for Gardasil. “For me, it was hard to resist the conclusion that Gardasil does almost nothing for the health of American women.”
Harper: Controversal Drug Will Do Little To Reduce Cervical Cancer Rates
By Susan Brinkmann, For The Bulletin
Published:
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Dr. Diane Harper, lead researcher in the development of two human papilloma virus vaccines, Gardasil and Cervarix, said the controversial drugs will do little to reduce cervical cancer rates and, even though they’re being recommended for girls as young as nine, there have been no efficacy trials in children under the age of 15.Dr. Harper, director of the Gynecologic Cancer Prevention Research Group at the University of Missouri, made these remarks during an address at the 4th International Public Conference on Vaccination which took place in Reston, Virginia on Oct. 2-4. Although her talk was intended to promote the vaccine, participants said they came away convinced the vaccine should not be received.“I came away from the talk with the perception that the risk of adverse side effects is so much greater than the risk of cervical cancer, I couldn’t help but question why we need the vaccine at all,” said Joan Robinson, Assistant Editor at the Population Research Institute.Dr. Harper began her remarks by explaining that 70 percent of all HPV infections resolve themselves without treatment within a year. Within two years, the number climbs to 90 percent. Of the remaining 10 percent of HPV infections, only half will develop into cervical cancer, which leaves little need for the vaccine.She went on to surprise the audience by stating that the incidence of cervical cancer in the U.S. is already so low that “even if we get the vaccine and continue PAP screening, we will not lower the rate of cervical cancer in the US.”There will be no decrease in cervical cancer until at least 70 percent of the population is vaccinated, and even then, the decrease will be minimal.Apparently, conventional treatment and preventative measures are already cutting the cervical cancer rate by four percent a year. At this rate, in 60 years, there will be a 91.4 percent decline just with current treatment. Even if 70 percent of women get the shot and required boosters over the same time period, which is highly unlikely, Harper says Gardasil still could not claim to do as much as traditional care is already doing.Dr. Harper, who also serves as a consultant to the World Health Organization, further undercut the case for mass vaccination by saying that “four out of five women with cervical cancer are in developing countries.”Ms. Robinson said she could not help but wonder, “If this is the case, then why vaccinate at all? But from the murmurs of the doctors in the audience, it was apparent that the same thought was occurring to them.”However, at this point, Dr. Harper dropped an even bigger bombshell on the audience when she announced that, “There have been no efficacy trials in girls under 15 years.”Merck, the manufacturer of Gardasil, studied only a small group of girls under 16 who had been vaccinated, but did not follow them long enough to conclude sufficient presence of effective HPV antibodies.This is not the first time Dr. Harper revealed the fact that Merck never tested Gardasil for safety in young girls. During a 2007 interview with KPC News.com, she said giving the vaccine to girls as young as 11 years-old “is a great big public health experiment.”At the time, which was at the height of Merck’s controversial drive to have the vaccine mandated in schools, Dr. Harper remained steadfastly opposed to the idea and said she had been trying for months to convince major television and print media about her concerns, “but no one will print it.”“It is silly to mandate vaccination of 11 to 12 year old girls,” she said at the time. “There also is not enough evidence gathered on side effects to know that safety is not an issue.”When asked why she was speaking out, she said: “I want to be able to sleep with myself when I go to bed at night.” Since the drug’s introduction in 2006, the public has been learning many of these facts the hard way. To date, 15,037 girls have officially reported adverse side effects from Gardasil to the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS). These adverse reactions include Guilliane Barre, lupus, seizures, paralysis, blood clots, brain inflammation and many others. The CDC acknowledges that there have been 44 reported deaths.Dr. Harper also participated in the research on Glaxo-Smith-Kline’s version of the drug, Cervarix, currently in use in the UK but not yet approved here. Since the government began administering the vaccine to school-aged girls last year, more than 2,000 patients reported some kind of adverse reaction including nausea, dizziness, blurred vision, convulsions, seizures and hyperventilation. Several reported multiple reactions, with 4,602 suspected side-effects recorded in total. The most tragic case involved a 14 year-old girl who dropped dead in the corridor of her school an hour after receiving the vaccination.The outspoken researcher also weighed in last month on a report published in the Journal of the American Medical Association that raised questions about the safety of the vaccine, saying bluntly: "The rate of serious adverse events is greater than the incidence rate of cervical cancer."Ms. Robinson said she respects Dr. Harper’s candor. “I think she’s a scientist, a researcher, and she’s genuine enough a scientist to be open about the risks. I respect that in her.”However, she failed to make the case for Gardasil. “For me, it was hard to resist the conclusion that Gardasil does almost nothing for the health of American women.”
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
US pays $400 per gallon for gas in Afghanistan
US pays $400 per gallon for gas in Afghanistan
By John ByrneFriday, October 16th, 2009 -- 8:08 am
Correction: An earlier version of this story incorrectly attributed the $400 figure to the Congressional Research Service. The number is from the Pentagon.
Last year, the price of gasoline in the United States topped the $4 per gallon mark.
This year in Afghanistan, the price has topped $400.
By John ByrneFriday, October 16th, 2009 -- 8:08 am
Correction: An earlier version of this story incorrectly attributed the $400 figure to the Congressional Research Service. The number is from the Pentagon.
Last year, the price of gasoline in the United States topped the $4 per gallon mark.
This year in Afghanistan, the price has topped $400.
Three dino types may be just three dino ages
New study suggests three dinos groups are actually one group at different growth stages
By Lisa Grossman
Web edition : Tuesday, October 27th, 2009
.
New study suggests three dinos groups are actually one group at different growth stages
By Lisa Grossman
Web edition : Tuesday, October 27th, 2009
.
Psychiatric meds can bring on rapid weight gain in kids
Drugs that alleviate severe mental disorders can also result in troubling metabolic changes.
By Nathan Seppa
Web edition : Tuesday, October 27th, 2009
Drugs that alleviate severe mental disorders can also result in troubling metabolic changes.
By Nathan Seppa
Web edition : Tuesday, October 27th, 2009
New Mercola Site
Swine flu mercola Spread the word.
83
comments
32,069
views
The New "Twilight Zone" -- Obama Declares Swine Flu Emergency
Published 10-27-2009 8:54 AM
President Barack Obama declared the swine flu outbreak a national emergency on Friday October 23, empowering the health secretary to...
34
comments
46,678
views
What OTC Drug May Have Killed More People in 1918 Flu Pandemic than Flu Itself?
Published 10-24-2009 5:41 PM
Historic evidence points to too much aspirin as a contributor to high death tolls during the 1918-1919 flu pandemic. Most causes of...
117
comments
162,023
views
CBS Reveals that Swine Flu Cases Seriously Overestimated
Published 10-24-2009 8:24 AM
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) states on their main flu Web site http://www.cdc.gov/flu/ that flu activity...
58
comments
47,058
views
New Study Demonstrates Significant Harm From Just ONE Mercury-Containing Vaccine
Published 10-22-2009 4:10 PM
A new study found that primates that received just ONE vaccination containing thimerosal, the mercury-preservative found in many vaccines...
139
comments
320,187
views
ALERT: Special Swine Flu Update
Published 10-21-2009 10:45 PM
Thanks for coming to this page. Unfortunately lots of VERY late breaking updates on this and we are still checking our facts on things...
114
comments
153,683
views
Serious Vaccine Reactions to Now Be Called 'Coincidence'?
Published 10-20-2009 8:57 PM
Every day Americans wake up to news reports that warn us about the dangers of influenza, especially the new H1N1 “swine flu”. But swine...
56
comments
43,502
views
Washington Health Department Suspends Mercury Restrictions for Swine Flu Vaccine
Published 10-17-2009 6:50 AM
In preparation for swine-flu vaccinations next month, the state of Washington's Health Department has temporarily suspended a rule...
59
comments
62,927
views
People Who Get a Seasonal Flu Shot Are Twice as Likely to Catch Swine Flu
Published 10-15-2009 6:49 AM
As-yet-unpublished Canadian data raises concerns about whether it's a good idea to get a seasonal flu shot. A series of studies suggests...
217
comments
236,951
views
The Dr. Oz Bait for Vaccines: Why Did He Do It?
Published 10-13-2009 6:48 AM
Dr. Mehmet Oz, talk show host and Vice-Chair and Professor of Surgery at Columbia University is perhaps the most well-known doctors...
169
comments
472,038
views
Do NOT Let Your Child Get Flu Vaccine -- 9 Reasons Why
Published 10-06-2009 5:00 AM
This year it is more important that you protect your children and loved ones from the flu vaccines than influenza itself. In his article...
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External Swine Flu Websites
National Vaccine Information Center
Medical Voices Vaccine Information Center
WanttoKnow.info
Without Consent - NVIC
Russell Blaylock, MD
OpenUReyes.org
Anthrax Vaccine by Meryl Nass, M.D.
LocalHarvest
Maryland Coalition for Vaccine Choice
MASSLPA.org
Media Resources
BBC News
Bloomberg.com
BusinessWire
GlobalResearch.ca
Guardian.co.uk
NewScientist
Newsvine.com
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Telegraph.co.uk
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top articles
What To Do if You are Forced to Take Swine Flu Shot
"By 1853, Parliament began passing laws to make the untested vaccine compulsory throughout the British Empire. Other countries of Europe followed suit...
Do NOT Let Your Child Get Flu Vaccine -- 9 Reasons Why
This year it is more important that you protect your children and loved ones from the flu vaccines than influenza itself...
Warning: Swine Flu Shot Linked to Killer Nerve Disease
A warning that the swine flu vaccine has been linked to a deadly nerve disease has been sent by the UK Government to senior neurologists in a confidential letter...
Squalene: The Swine Flu Vaccine’s Dirty Little Secret Exposed
According to Kathleen Sebelius, Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, your children should be the first target for mass swine flu vaccinations when school starts this fall...
Another Shocking Warning About Swine Flu Vaccine
The swine flu vaccine has been hit by new cancer fears after a German health expert gave a shocking warning about its safety...
Critical Alert: The Swine Flu Pandemic – Fact or Fiction?
American health officials declared a public health emergency as cases of swine flu were confirmed in the U.S. Health officials across the world fear this could be the leading edge of a global pandemic...
83
comments
32,069
views
The New "Twilight Zone" -- Obama Declares Swine Flu Emergency
Published 10-27-2009 8:54 AM
President Barack Obama declared the swine flu outbreak a national emergency on Friday October 23, empowering the health secretary to...
34
comments
46,678
views
What OTC Drug May Have Killed More People in 1918 Flu Pandemic than Flu Itself?
Published 10-24-2009 5:41 PM
Historic evidence points to too much aspirin as a contributor to high death tolls during the 1918-1919 flu pandemic. Most causes of...
117
comments
162,023
views
CBS Reveals that Swine Flu Cases Seriously Overestimated
Published 10-24-2009 8:24 AM
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) states on their main flu Web site http://www.cdc.gov/flu/ that flu activity...
58
comments
47,058
views
New Study Demonstrates Significant Harm From Just ONE Mercury-Containing Vaccine
Published 10-22-2009 4:10 PM
A new study found that primates that received just ONE vaccination containing thimerosal, the mercury-preservative found in many vaccines...
139
comments
320,187
views
ALERT: Special Swine Flu Update
Published 10-21-2009 10:45 PM
Thanks for coming to this page. Unfortunately lots of VERY late breaking updates on this and we are still checking our facts on things...
114
comments
153,683
views
Serious Vaccine Reactions to Now Be Called 'Coincidence'?
Published 10-20-2009 8:57 PM
Every day Americans wake up to news reports that warn us about the dangers of influenza, especially the new H1N1 “swine flu”. But swine...
56
comments
43,502
views
Washington Health Department Suspends Mercury Restrictions for Swine Flu Vaccine
Published 10-17-2009 6:50 AM
In preparation for swine-flu vaccinations next month, the state of Washington's Health Department has temporarily suspended a rule...
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People Who Get a Seasonal Flu Shot Are Twice as Likely to Catch Swine Flu
Published 10-15-2009 6:49 AM
As-yet-unpublished Canadian data raises concerns about whether it's a good idea to get a seasonal flu shot. A series of studies suggests...
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The Dr. Oz Bait for Vaccines: Why Did He Do It?
Published 10-13-2009 6:48 AM
Dr. Mehmet Oz, talk show host and Vice-Chair and Professor of Surgery at Columbia University is perhaps the most well-known doctors...
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Do NOT Let Your Child Get Flu Vaccine -- 9 Reasons Why
Published 10-06-2009 5:00 AM
This year it is more important that you protect your children and loved ones from the flu vaccines than influenza itself. In his article...
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Resources
External Swine Flu Websites
National Vaccine Information Center
Medical Voices Vaccine Information Center
WanttoKnow.info
Without Consent - NVIC
Russell Blaylock, MD
OpenUReyes.org
Anthrax Vaccine by Meryl Nass, M.D.
LocalHarvest
Maryland Coalition for Vaccine Choice
MASSLPA.org
Media Resources
BBC News
Bloomberg.com
BusinessWire
GlobalResearch.ca
Guardian.co.uk
NewScientist
Newsvine.com
Reuters.com
Telegraph.co.uk
The New England Journal of Medicine
top articles
What To Do if You are Forced to Take Swine Flu Shot
"By 1853, Parliament began passing laws to make the untested vaccine compulsory throughout the British Empire. Other countries of Europe followed suit...
Do NOT Let Your Child Get Flu Vaccine -- 9 Reasons Why
This year it is more important that you protect your children and loved ones from the flu vaccines than influenza itself...
Warning: Swine Flu Shot Linked to Killer Nerve Disease
A warning that the swine flu vaccine has been linked to a deadly nerve disease has been sent by the UK Government to senior neurologists in a confidential letter...
Squalene: The Swine Flu Vaccine’s Dirty Little Secret Exposed
According to Kathleen Sebelius, Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, your children should be the first target for mass swine flu vaccinations when school starts this fall...
Another Shocking Warning About Swine Flu Vaccine
The swine flu vaccine has been hit by new cancer fears after a German health expert gave a shocking warning about its safety...
Critical Alert: The Swine Flu Pandemic – Fact or Fiction?
American health officials declared a public health emergency as cases of swine flu were confirmed in the U.S. Health officials across the world fear this could be the leading edge of a global pandemic...
Codex Alimentarius (CA) Threatens Human Health
By Stephen Lendman (about the author) Page 1 of 5 page(s)
opednews.com Permalink
For OpEdNews: Stephen Lendman - Writer
Codex Alimentarius (CA) Threatens Human Health - by Stephen Lendman
On its web site, CA (Latin for food code) says:
"The Codex Alimentarius Commission was created in 1963 by the FAO (Food and Agricultural Organization of the UN) and WHO (World Health Organization) to develop food standards, guidelines and related texts such as codes of practice under the Joint FAO/WHO Food Standards Programme. The main purposes of this Programme are protecting health of the consumers and ensuring fair trade practices in the food trade, and promoting coordination of all food standards work undertaken by international governmental and non-governmental organizations."
Whatever its founding purpose, CA is much different today because corporate interests control it - global pharmaceutical, food, and banking giants in league with complicit UN and government agencies to promote GMOs over healthy foods, and drugs over natural remedies by restricting or banning vitamin and dietary supplements, except ones they control. Organic food as well by irradiation and hidden synthetic additives or ingredients.
If CA's standards and guidelines are adopted, they'll establish binding global rules, effectively overriding sovereign national laws. GMO foods and drugs will proliferate. Labeling will be banned. Food and drug giants will decide what will and won't be sold. Governments will be prohibited from countermanding them. Everyone's health and well-being will be jeopardized.
Since its 2004 founding, the Natural Solutions Foundation has been involved in "discover(ing), develop(ing), demonstrat(ing) and disseminat(ing) natural solutions to the problems facing us and threatening our health and freedom." Its goal is "to support advanced healthcare and health freedom" globally, not a system promoting corporate interests at the expense of human health and well-being.
It explains that CA has "absolutely nothing to do with consumer protection." It's a corporate-run "Trade Commission" created to control "every aspect of how food and nutritional supplements are produced and sold to the consumer." It's about profits, not human health. It wants to ban natural remedies and promote unsafe drugs. It's "unscientific because it classifies nutrients as toxins and uses 'Risk Assessment' to set ultra low so-called 'safe upper limits' for them." It wants to prohibit everything not explicitly permitted and controlled by them.
Under the 1986 - 1993 GATT Uruguay Round, its 110 member countries agreed to harmonize their domestic laws to conform to international standards. In January 1995, the WTO replaced GATT, and as of July 2008, its membership included 153 nations.
Its Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade was established "to ensure that regulations, standards, testing and certification procedures do not create unnecessary obstacles. It specifically refers to:
-- ...."the important contributions that international standards and conformity assessment systems can make....by improving efficiency of production and facilitating the conduct of international trade....;" and
-- the importance of "develop(ing) such international standards and conformity assessment systems."
It states that "Members are fully responsible under this Agreement for the observance of all provisions of Article 2" - pertaining to the "Preparation, Adoption and Application of Technical Regulations by Central Government Bodies;" under them, "Members shall formulate and implement positive measures and mechanisms in support of the observance of (Article 2's) provisions by other than central government bodies."
This means that WTO members are legally bound under global guidelines, including CA standards if adopted, that override currently in force national laws. Under WTO rules, failure to comply may bring punitive fines or crippling trade sanctions.
At its July 2005 session, the Codex Committee on Nutrition and Foods for Special Dietary Uses (CCNFSDU), drew up guidelines that set restrictive upper dosage limits on popularly used vitamin and mineral supplements and nutrients. They prohibit the sale of all curative, preventative, and therapeutic supplements without a doctor's prescription, most now accessible over-the-counter at health food, other stores, or by mail order.
Twenty-six other committees are tasked with setting global standards for different areas of the global food and drug trade, including:
1 2 3 4 5
Watch and Pass It On
"The New 'Twilight Zone' --Obama Declares Swine Flu Emergency"
The shocking truth about why Obama announced a National Public Health Emergency in the US this weekend.
Dr. Mercola Interviews Barbara Loe Fisher, founder of the National Vaccine Information Center
President Barack Obama declared the swine flu outbreak a national emergency on Friday October 23, empowering the health secretary to suspend federal requirements and speed up treatment.
His declaration authorizes Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius to bypass normal federal regulations so health officials can respond more quickly to the outbreak, which, allegedly, has killed more than 1,000 people in the United States.
"As a nation, we have prepared at all levels of government, and as individuals and communities, taking unprecedented steps to counter the emerging pandemic," Obama wrote in the declaration, which the White House announced Saturday.
He said the pandemic keeps evolving, the rates of illness are rising rapidly in many areas and there's a potential "to overburden health care resources."
Because of vaccine production delays, the government has backed off initial estimates that 120 million doses would be available by mid-October. As of mid-October, only 11 million doses had been shipped to health departments, doctor's offices and other providers, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention officials said.
The government now estimates to have about 50 million doses of swine flu vaccine out by mid-November and 150 million in December.
Dr. Mercola's Comments:
It would appear that President Obama has not been apprised of the real facts of the situation, and has declared the swine flu a national public health emergency. To read the declaration in its entirety, please see this Los Angeles Times article.
The intention of this report is to show you with the government's own statistics that there appears to be MASSIVE amounts of misinformation and outright deception going on that appear to be designed to panic American people into believing that H1N1 influenza is more serious and widespread than it is.
We are the ONLY major news source that is warning the public about the true extent of this misinformation regarding the true nature of H1N1 swine flu in America. Most of the mainstream media is continuing to spread misinformation.I am PLEADING with you to pass this information and our website link to as many people as you know. We simply can't continue to fight the massive media and apparently deceptive government health agencies unless people like you rise up and make your voice known.
Send this link to EVERY person you love or care about. Write them a PERSONAL note that is kind and gentle and ask them to do their homework and seriously evaluate all the evidence before they accept the information being shared by the media, which is potentially being heavily influenced by pharmaceutical interests, as the truth.
Warning!
Once you either listen to the audio or read this article you will most likely be shocked by the extent of how serious this misinformation really is.
So be ready to be surprised.
If a private individual were to spread misinformation like this they would most likely suffer some very serious consequences, perhaps being immediately thrown in prison for conspiracy. But since this is the US government you will not likely see any prosecutions as a result of the distortions we will reveal.
CBS AND THE SWINE FLUJon Rappoport nomorefakenews.com
Get this. The CDC stopped testing people for Swine Flu in JULY. Why? Because CDC assumed there was already an epidemic, and therefore more tests would be waste of time and money.
CBS has been trying to obtain state-by-state numbers for Swine Flu cases compiled, by the CDC, BEFORE the testing was stopped. The CDC has refused to come across with those numbers. It's been stonewalling CBS for the last three months.
Why?
No answer from the CDC. But the truth is obvious. The actual Swine Flu case numbers don't begin to match the ominous pronouncements about Swine Flu from the CDC, and the case numbers certainly don't match the general press hysteria and fear-mongering.
But CBS didn't stop at the stone wall of the CDC.. They went to individual states who continued to test patients for Swine Flu after July, and they obtained some VERY interesting figures.
Brilliant CBS Investigation Gets BURIED by Media
I just published a major swine flu update on Saturday about how CBS News investigative journalists exposed how misleading statistics are being used to panic the public into complying with the huge H1N1 swine flu vaccination program.
Last week, CBS News published the results from a three-month long investigation into the swine flu. One would think this would have received MASSIVE media exposure since their findings are in direct conflict with what the government is publicly stating.
Of major interest, as you can see on the video on the Saturday article, CBS investigative journalists went to the CDC to seek their help in clarifying the situation and answering outstanding questions but CDC officials refused. They would not cooperate and CBS had to do their own investigation.Even worse, after CBS compiled the data, the CDC refused to comment on it.
What's this all about???
It can only make you wonder if the CDC is really interested in authentically serving the public good, or if, perhaps, it has been heavily influenced by outside corporate interests.
This is not good. The only way that we can have an effective response to the reported H1N1 influenza outbreak is if the government is transparent with the data. We have simply not seen ANY evidence that government health agencies are willing to be transparent. In fact, all evidence points to the contrary.
The CBS investigative report included state-by-state test results that revealed some VERY different facts from what the US Centers for Disease Control has been telling the American public. The CBS report found that H1N1 flu cases are NOT AT ALL as prevalent as feared. A CBS article even states:
"If you've been diagnosed "probable" or "presumed" 2009 H1N1 or "swine flu" in recent months, you may be surprised to know this: odds are you didn't have H1N1 flu. In fact, you probably didn't have the flu at all.
The results reveal a pattern that surprised a number of health care professionals we consulted. The vast majority of cases were negative for H1N1 as well as seasonal flu, despite the fact that many states were specifically testing patients deemed to be most likely to have H1N1 flu, based on symptoms and risk factors, such as travel to Mexico."
In most states the percentages ranged from 83 to 98 percent NOT BEING H1N1 or influenza.
As you can see from this CBS News graphic, not only are most cases of suspected flu-like illnesses not H1N1 influenza, they're not influenza at all, but rather some type of cold or upper respiratory infection that looks like influenza but is caused by another type of virus or bacteria!
(Image from CBS News)
Given these facts, there is a HUGE question in my mind as to whether or not the 1,000 deaths attributed to the swine flu were in fact CONFIRMED to be the H1N1 virus.
We Were Winning the Misinformation Battle
If you read the LA Times link in the above reference you will see that their poll showed that 62% of the public were choosing to NOT vaccinate themselves or their family. Other polls showed different numbers but nearly all showed that the MAJORITY of Americans were panicking and accepting the government story.
So President Obama released this "emergency" declaration over the weekend � most likely because he trusted his federal health official advisors � and that declaration has the potential to create massive fear and panic in the population, Because he is the PRESIDENT and people are hearing their PRESIDENT tell them that 1000 Americans have died from swine flu and we are in the middle of a serious public health emergency and many people may be thinking "I probably should play it safe and get the vaccine for myself and my family."
I have had a number of people post on my Facebook Fan Page of this fear and concern and prior to the announcement they were not making these types of comments.
Most mainstream media has chosen to ignore the impact we are making and attempt to label us as clueless "fear mongers." This weekend the Boston Globe REFUSED to acknowledge this site by name in an article they posted Sunday.
"Some of the same government-haters who spread myths about "death panels'' for the elderly are now spouting misinformation about the swine flu vaccine, and they're getting support from holistic-medicine enthusiasts, some autism activists, and talk show host Bill Maher."
So let's CAREFULY examine the facts from President Obama's weekend announcement.
One Thousand Deaths from Swine Flu?!
Oh really?
Well I am from Chicago and I want to see the evidence. If you read Obama's declaration, you will find a complete absence of documentation to support his assertion that 1000 have died from H1N1 in the US. Nada, nothing no links, no references anywhere in the document to back up his assertion.
In fact, if you go to the definitive collector and holder of the US data, you will find that there is NO evidence to back this claim.
The CDC's own web site readily admits that since August 30, 2009 they are no longer testing for H1N1. They don't even recommend it any more. They are substituting a clinical definition for blood testing that will positively confirm that the "suspected" cases of H1N1 influenza are actually H1N1 influenza.
They've even coined what appears to be a whole new term: "ILI," which stands for "influenza-like illness."
The CDC H1N1 flu site reads:
"... tracking of 2009 H1N1 hospitalizations and deaths will not be the same after August 30, 2009.
In an effort to add additional structure to the national 2009 H1N1 reporting, new case definitions for influenza-associated hospitalizations and deaths were implemented on August 30, 2009.
The new definitions allow states to report to CDC hospitalizations and deaths (either confirmed OR probable) resulting from all types of influenza, not just those from 2009 H1N1 flu.
Influenza and pneumonia syndrome hospitalizations and deaths may be an overestimate of actual number of flu-related hospitalizations and deaths, but CDC believes influenza and pneumonia syndromic reports are likely to be a more sensitive measure of flu-associated hospitalizations and deaths than laboratory confirmed reports during this pandemic.However, the syndromic reports of all hospitalizations and deaths recorded as either influenza or pneumonia will mean that the case counts are less specific than before and will include cases that are not related to influenza infection."
Folks, make no mistake about it. Health officials and media WILL trumpet these numbers as being H1N1 "swine flu deaths" even though, as you can CLEARLY read on the CDC's site, they admit that they will now include hospitalizations and deaths that are not even RELATED to the common influenza infection, let alone H1N1.
Well, no wonder the flu appears to be spreading when they are now including mere "symptoms of flu," which the CBS investigation found were NOT EVEN INFLUENZA RELATED in the overwhelming majority of cases!
Public Health Emergency Declaration This Weekend Was Initiated MONTHS Ago
Most have no idea that the declaration announced over the weekend was not legally initiated then. In fact it was initiated months ago. There was no new legal action that occurred over the weekend, only an announcement about a highly questionable and completely unsubstantiated 1000 deaths in the US from H1N1.
The Secretary has actually renewed that declaration twice, once on July 24, 2009, and more recently on October 1, 2009.
National Emergency Declaration is an IRRATIONAL Response
It seems quite obvious that the US government has full intention of administering as many doses of swine flu vaccine as possible this season, despite what the scientific evidence demonstrates. Declaring a national public health emergency because of an influenza virus strain that is milder than the seasonal influenza strains that have been circulating in the past few decades every year is nothing short of bizarre.
One can only wonder the motivation behind this intention.
Could it be that $7 BILLION dollars will be earned by the drug companies for the vaccines? Quite possibly, but even if that were not the case let's look to Warren Buffett, one of the wealthiest individuals in the world and one of the wisest investors the world has ever known.
One of the principles I guide my business by is his investment recommendation of "Opportunity Costs".
Let me explain. Buffett makes it very clear that when you choose to invest in one project by definition you are choosing to not invest in something else that may be far more beneficial to you or your company.
Same principle applies. All these resources are being focused on what appears to be a phony pandemic that does not exist and is no real threat to the public.
What else could we do with $7 billion dollars and all the time, effort and attention that this issue has received? I won't speculate here but you can let me know what you think in the comments section below.
Why Aren't President Obama's Own Children Immunized for Swine Flu?
Despite the urgency and threat of this virus, the President's own daughters have not been rushed to the nearest clinic for a protective swine flu shot. According to a blurb on the Fox News White House blog, President Obama's daughters have not been vaccinated against H1N1. The White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said "the vaccine is not available to them based on their risk."
This seems odd, if you ask me. Surely the First Family would receive any and all protective measures against a deadly epidemic that is spreading like wildfire and claiming the lives of healthy children and young adults?
It also seems odd to declare a national emergency even if there were 1,000 confirmed swine flu deaths. There are so many diseases that claim so many more lives each and every year... The only difference is they don't have a vaccine against them that they can promote that every man, woman, and child should take.
For example, hospital-acquired infections alone kill some 90,000 people annually in the US!
Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), is one specific type of infection that poses a very serious public health risk. MRSA infections are getting progressively worse and actually exact a greater death toll than "modern plagues" like AIDS.
In fact, a 2007 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) found there were close to 100,000 cases of invasive MRSA infections in the United States in 2005 (one of the most recent years for which data is available), which lead to more than 18,600 deaths.
Again, I have to stress the obvious that the response to the swine flu is so outrageously exaggerated it defies all logic.
However, we knew all along it could get to this, and I, along with many others, have warned you about it for months now.
BEWARE: Taking Tylenol with Flu Vaccine May Actually Make You Worse
It feels like we're rushing head-first toward a man-made major public health catastrophe. And unfortunately, recent research shows that common medical practices may aggravate the situation.
According to a two Czechoslovakian studies, published in the journal Lancet on October 17, giving your child an analgesic to prevent fever when getting a vaccine could render them more prone to secondary infections.
Their studies showed that after vaccination, the immune response was lower among babies who were given acetaminophen (such as Tylenol), right after they received the shot.
The vaccines used in the study were for pneumococcal disease, Haemophilus influenza type b (Hib), diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough, hepatitis B, polio and rotavirus.
No flu vaccines were included. However, it's likely the effect would still be the same.
MSN.com quotes infectious disease expert Dr. Marc Siegel as saying that:
"... the conclusion that Tylenol not only suppresses fever, but also decreases immune response is plausible. After all, what is an immune response? It's an inflammatory response."
The researchers also found that although fewer infants developed a fever after getting acetaminophen, they also developed significantly fewer antibodies against the disease they were vaccinated against. They believe the acetaminophen's anti-inflammatory activity might interfere with your body's immune system antibody response, which could explain why the vaccine was rendered less effective.
However, what is not mentioned by either MSN, or foodconsumer.org, which also ran an article on these findings, is that a lowered immune response also means you're more susceptible to develop other infections. And, as we now know, it is secondary infections such as bacterial staph infections that turn out to be deadly -- not the flu virus in and of itself.
The First Reports of H1N1 Vaccine Deaths are Now Here
Many of us knew that this too was more or less inevitable.
Reports have now emerged from Hungarian and Swedish news sources that some people have died shortly after getting vaccinated against the H1N1 virus. The Budapest Times reported the death of a 64-year-old woman who had received the vaccine two days prior to her sudden demise.
The Hungarian H1N1 vaccine is supplied by local vaccine manufacturer Omnivest, whose vaccines are egg grown and adjuvanted with aluminum phosphate.
Meanwhile, the Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet reported that the swine flu vaccine may be "too potent," and that four people with compromised health had died just after receiving the swine flu vaccine. One man suffered a fatal heart attack after his vaccination, and a 65-year-old woman was found dead in her home two days after receiving the H1N1 vaccine.
In addition, the Swedish newspaper Dagens Nyheter reports:
"So far, the authority has received more than 190 reports from both health care and private individuals. By far the most common are pain in the arm. Then mild flu symptoms like fever, muscle pain, stomach pain, headaches, dizziness and fatigue."
The article goes on to state that GlaxoSmithKline is attributing a higher than normal rate of side effects to the adjuvants in the vaccine:
"According to the vaccine manufacturer GlaxoSmithKline, maybe one in ten vaccinated will experience trouble, which is slightly more than the usual seasonal influenza vaccine. This is because a substance in the vaccine triggers immune your immune response."
GlaxoSmithKline's Pandemrix vaccine contains the controversial adjuvant squalene.
Unfortunately, vaccine manufacturers have persuaded countries in Europe and elsewhere to add squalene to seasonal influenza and H1N1 vaccines, whereas squalene still has not been approved by the FDA for use in the US.
In order to legally allow unlicensed squalene adjuvants to be included in licensed H1N1 vaccines, the US government would have had to issue an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA). It is unclear if the EUA President Obama issued on Friday will cover adding novel adjuvants like squalene, or whether a separate EUA has to be issued in order to allow the use of unapproved adjuvants...
But European authorities may have a better clue about its safety than they're willing to admit. A recent article in the English version of the German news source The Local, for example, warns that the German Defense Ministry has ordered a special stock of H1N1 vaccines for their troops that will contain neither mercury nor adjuvants, whereas the general public will be given vaccines containing both.
Vaccinations began throughout Europe a little over a week ago. Sweden was one of the first to begin their program on October 12.
According to the Stockhom-based European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, there have been a total of 230 deaths linked to H1N1 in Europe since April. About half of all cases occurred in the UK.
The question is, are the European CDC's numbers as poor as the US CDC, whose statistics were shown by CBS News to be exaggerated by 80-98 percent?
Unprecedented Media Manipulation is Underway
The US government is sparing no underhanded tactics to indoctrinate the public with the message that vaccination is the way to go if you want to live.
Sid the Science Kid, an animated children's show, is now used to "educate" children about the flu, and going to see the school nurse to get vaccinated.
"Just like Sid, government-wide efforts to prevent flu are all about the science," says the government site Flu.gov. The episode premiered on PBS Kids on Monday, October 26th titled " Getting a Shot: You can do it!"
Continuing Education
Folks, universal flu vaccination should be about the science backing up the safety, effectiveness and necessity of that policy, because if it was, this current travesty would not be taking place.
Please continue to educate yourself, your family and your friends about flu vaccinations and how to prevent the flu.
As always, I urge you to join the National Vaccine Information Center (NVIC). They are our premier watch-dog and vaccine-safety advocates, and the NVIC web site offers invaluable guidance to help keep yourself and your family safe and healthy.
You Can Make a Difference
Most polls show that we ARE making a difference because more people are becoming educated about influenza and flu vaccines, especially H1N1 swine flu. Recent national polls have revealed that 30 to 50% in many communities are not planning to get a swine flu shot. Those who haven't made up their minds yet have lots of questions. So we have created some posters that you can print and post ALL over your community, your local stores, office and schools.
Comment on this article
The shocking truth about why Obama announced a National Public Health Emergency in the US this weekend.
Dr. Mercola Interviews Barbara Loe Fisher, founder of the National Vaccine Information Center
President Barack Obama declared the swine flu outbreak a national emergency on Friday October 23, empowering the health secretary to suspend federal requirements and speed up treatment.
His declaration authorizes Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius to bypass normal federal regulations so health officials can respond more quickly to the outbreak, which, allegedly, has killed more than 1,000 people in the United States.
"As a nation, we have prepared at all levels of government, and as individuals and communities, taking unprecedented steps to counter the emerging pandemic," Obama wrote in the declaration, which the White House announced Saturday.
He said the pandemic keeps evolving, the rates of illness are rising rapidly in many areas and there's a potential "to overburden health care resources."
Because of vaccine production delays, the government has backed off initial estimates that 120 million doses would be available by mid-October. As of mid-October, only 11 million doses had been shipped to health departments, doctor's offices and other providers, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention officials said.
The government now estimates to have about 50 million doses of swine flu vaccine out by mid-November and 150 million in December.
Dr. Mercola's Comments:
It would appear that President Obama has not been apprised of the real facts of the situation, and has declared the swine flu a national public health emergency. To read the declaration in its entirety, please see this Los Angeles Times article.
The intention of this report is to show you with the government's own statistics that there appears to be MASSIVE amounts of misinformation and outright deception going on that appear to be designed to panic American people into believing that H1N1 influenza is more serious and widespread than it is.
We are the ONLY major news source that is warning the public about the true extent of this misinformation regarding the true nature of H1N1 swine flu in America. Most of the mainstream media is continuing to spread misinformation.I am PLEADING with you to pass this information and our website link to as many people as you know. We simply can't continue to fight the massive media and apparently deceptive government health agencies unless people like you rise up and make your voice known.
Send this link to EVERY person you love or care about. Write them a PERSONAL note that is kind and gentle and ask them to do their homework and seriously evaluate all the evidence before they accept the information being shared by the media, which is potentially being heavily influenced by pharmaceutical interests, as the truth.
Warning!
Once you either listen to the audio or read this article you will most likely be shocked by the extent of how serious this misinformation really is.
So be ready to be surprised.
If a private individual were to spread misinformation like this they would most likely suffer some very serious consequences, perhaps being immediately thrown in prison for conspiracy. But since this is the US government you will not likely see any prosecutions as a result of the distortions we will reveal.
CBS AND THE SWINE FLUJon Rappoport nomorefakenews.com
Get this. The CDC stopped testing people for Swine Flu in JULY. Why? Because CDC assumed there was already an epidemic, and therefore more tests would be waste of time and money.
CBS has been trying to obtain state-by-state numbers for Swine Flu cases compiled, by the CDC, BEFORE the testing was stopped. The CDC has refused to come across with those numbers. It's been stonewalling CBS for the last three months.
Why?
No answer from the CDC. But the truth is obvious. The actual Swine Flu case numbers don't begin to match the ominous pronouncements about Swine Flu from the CDC, and the case numbers certainly don't match the general press hysteria and fear-mongering.
But CBS didn't stop at the stone wall of the CDC.. They went to individual states who continued to test patients for Swine Flu after July, and they obtained some VERY interesting figures.
Brilliant CBS Investigation Gets BURIED by Media
I just published a major swine flu update on Saturday about how CBS News investigative journalists exposed how misleading statistics are being used to panic the public into complying with the huge H1N1 swine flu vaccination program.
Last week, CBS News published the results from a three-month long investigation into the swine flu. One would think this would have received MASSIVE media exposure since their findings are in direct conflict with what the government is publicly stating.
Of major interest, as you can see on the video on the Saturday article, CBS investigative journalists went to the CDC to seek their help in clarifying the situation and answering outstanding questions but CDC officials refused. They would not cooperate and CBS had to do their own investigation.Even worse, after CBS compiled the data, the CDC refused to comment on it.
What's this all about???
It can only make you wonder if the CDC is really interested in authentically serving the public good, or if, perhaps, it has been heavily influenced by outside corporate interests.
This is not good. The only way that we can have an effective response to the reported H1N1 influenza outbreak is if the government is transparent with the data. We have simply not seen ANY evidence that government health agencies are willing to be transparent. In fact, all evidence points to the contrary.
The CBS investigative report included state-by-state test results that revealed some VERY different facts from what the US Centers for Disease Control has been telling the American public. The CBS report found that H1N1 flu cases are NOT AT ALL as prevalent as feared. A CBS article even states:
"If you've been diagnosed "probable" or "presumed" 2009 H1N1 or "swine flu" in recent months, you may be surprised to know this: odds are you didn't have H1N1 flu. In fact, you probably didn't have the flu at all.
The results reveal a pattern that surprised a number of health care professionals we consulted. The vast majority of cases were negative for H1N1 as well as seasonal flu, despite the fact that many states were specifically testing patients deemed to be most likely to have H1N1 flu, based on symptoms and risk factors, such as travel to Mexico."
In most states the percentages ranged from 83 to 98 percent NOT BEING H1N1 or influenza.
As you can see from this CBS News graphic, not only are most cases of suspected flu-like illnesses not H1N1 influenza, they're not influenza at all, but rather some type of cold or upper respiratory infection that looks like influenza but is caused by another type of virus or bacteria!
(Image from CBS News)
Given these facts, there is a HUGE question in my mind as to whether or not the 1,000 deaths attributed to the swine flu were in fact CONFIRMED to be the H1N1 virus.
We Were Winning the Misinformation Battle
If you read the LA Times link in the above reference you will see that their poll showed that 62% of the public were choosing to NOT vaccinate themselves or their family. Other polls showed different numbers but nearly all showed that the MAJORITY of Americans were panicking and accepting the government story.
So President Obama released this "emergency" declaration over the weekend � most likely because he trusted his federal health official advisors � and that declaration has the potential to create massive fear and panic in the population, Because he is the PRESIDENT and people are hearing their PRESIDENT tell them that 1000 Americans have died from swine flu and we are in the middle of a serious public health emergency and many people may be thinking "I probably should play it safe and get the vaccine for myself and my family."
I have had a number of people post on my Facebook Fan Page of this fear and concern and prior to the announcement they were not making these types of comments.
Most mainstream media has chosen to ignore the impact we are making and attempt to label us as clueless "fear mongers." This weekend the Boston Globe REFUSED to acknowledge this site by name in an article they posted Sunday.
"Some of the same government-haters who spread myths about "death panels'' for the elderly are now spouting misinformation about the swine flu vaccine, and they're getting support from holistic-medicine enthusiasts, some autism activists, and talk show host Bill Maher."
So let's CAREFULY examine the facts from President Obama's weekend announcement.
One Thousand Deaths from Swine Flu?!
Oh really?
Well I am from Chicago and I want to see the evidence. If you read Obama's declaration, you will find a complete absence of documentation to support his assertion that 1000 have died from H1N1 in the US. Nada, nothing no links, no references anywhere in the document to back up his assertion.
In fact, if you go to the definitive collector and holder of the US data, you will find that there is NO evidence to back this claim.
The CDC's own web site readily admits that since August 30, 2009 they are no longer testing for H1N1. They don't even recommend it any more. They are substituting a clinical definition for blood testing that will positively confirm that the "suspected" cases of H1N1 influenza are actually H1N1 influenza.
They've even coined what appears to be a whole new term: "ILI," which stands for "influenza-like illness."
The CDC H1N1 flu site reads:
"... tracking of 2009 H1N1 hospitalizations and deaths will not be the same after August 30, 2009.
In an effort to add additional structure to the national 2009 H1N1 reporting, new case definitions for influenza-associated hospitalizations and deaths were implemented on August 30, 2009.
The new definitions allow states to report to CDC hospitalizations and deaths (either confirmed OR probable) resulting from all types of influenza, not just those from 2009 H1N1 flu.
Influenza and pneumonia syndrome hospitalizations and deaths may be an overestimate of actual number of flu-related hospitalizations and deaths, but CDC believes influenza and pneumonia syndromic reports are likely to be a more sensitive measure of flu-associated hospitalizations and deaths than laboratory confirmed reports during this pandemic.However, the syndromic reports of all hospitalizations and deaths recorded as either influenza or pneumonia will mean that the case counts are less specific than before and will include cases that are not related to influenza infection."
Folks, make no mistake about it. Health officials and media WILL trumpet these numbers as being H1N1 "swine flu deaths" even though, as you can CLEARLY read on the CDC's site, they admit that they will now include hospitalizations and deaths that are not even RELATED to the common influenza infection, let alone H1N1.
Well, no wonder the flu appears to be spreading when they are now including mere "symptoms of flu," which the CBS investigation found were NOT EVEN INFLUENZA RELATED in the overwhelming majority of cases!
Public Health Emergency Declaration This Weekend Was Initiated MONTHS Ago
Most have no idea that the declaration announced over the weekend was not legally initiated then. In fact it was initiated months ago. There was no new legal action that occurred over the weekend, only an announcement about a highly questionable and completely unsubstantiated 1000 deaths in the US from H1N1.
The Secretary has actually renewed that declaration twice, once on July 24, 2009, and more recently on October 1, 2009.
National Emergency Declaration is an IRRATIONAL Response
It seems quite obvious that the US government has full intention of administering as many doses of swine flu vaccine as possible this season, despite what the scientific evidence demonstrates. Declaring a national public health emergency because of an influenza virus strain that is milder than the seasonal influenza strains that have been circulating in the past few decades every year is nothing short of bizarre.
One can only wonder the motivation behind this intention.
Could it be that $7 BILLION dollars will be earned by the drug companies for the vaccines? Quite possibly, but even if that were not the case let's look to Warren Buffett, one of the wealthiest individuals in the world and one of the wisest investors the world has ever known.
One of the principles I guide my business by is his investment recommendation of "Opportunity Costs".
Let me explain. Buffett makes it very clear that when you choose to invest in one project by definition you are choosing to not invest in something else that may be far more beneficial to you or your company.
Same principle applies. All these resources are being focused on what appears to be a phony pandemic that does not exist and is no real threat to the public.
What else could we do with $7 billion dollars and all the time, effort and attention that this issue has received? I won't speculate here but you can let me know what you think in the comments section below.
Why Aren't President Obama's Own Children Immunized for Swine Flu?
Despite the urgency and threat of this virus, the President's own daughters have not been rushed to the nearest clinic for a protective swine flu shot. According to a blurb on the Fox News White House blog, President Obama's daughters have not been vaccinated against H1N1. The White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said "the vaccine is not available to them based on their risk."
This seems odd, if you ask me. Surely the First Family would receive any and all protective measures against a deadly epidemic that is spreading like wildfire and claiming the lives of healthy children and young adults?
It also seems odd to declare a national emergency even if there were 1,000 confirmed swine flu deaths. There are so many diseases that claim so many more lives each and every year... The only difference is they don't have a vaccine against them that they can promote that every man, woman, and child should take.
For example, hospital-acquired infections alone kill some 90,000 people annually in the US!
Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), is one specific type of infection that poses a very serious public health risk. MRSA infections are getting progressively worse and actually exact a greater death toll than "modern plagues" like AIDS.
In fact, a 2007 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) found there were close to 100,000 cases of invasive MRSA infections in the United States in 2005 (one of the most recent years for which data is available), which lead to more than 18,600 deaths.
Again, I have to stress the obvious that the response to the swine flu is so outrageously exaggerated it defies all logic.
However, we knew all along it could get to this, and I, along with many others, have warned you about it for months now.
BEWARE: Taking Tylenol with Flu Vaccine May Actually Make You Worse
It feels like we're rushing head-first toward a man-made major public health catastrophe. And unfortunately, recent research shows that common medical practices may aggravate the situation.
According to a two Czechoslovakian studies, published in the journal Lancet on October 17, giving your child an analgesic to prevent fever when getting a vaccine could render them more prone to secondary infections.
Their studies showed that after vaccination, the immune response was lower among babies who were given acetaminophen (such as Tylenol), right after they received the shot.
The vaccines used in the study were for pneumococcal disease, Haemophilus influenza type b (Hib), diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough, hepatitis B, polio and rotavirus.
No flu vaccines were included. However, it's likely the effect would still be the same.
MSN.com quotes infectious disease expert Dr. Marc Siegel as saying that:
"... the conclusion that Tylenol not only suppresses fever, but also decreases immune response is plausible. After all, what is an immune response? It's an inflammatory response."
The researchers also found that although fewer infants developed a fever after getting acetaminophen, they also developed significantly fewer antibodies against the disease they were vaccinated against. They believe the acetaminophen's anti-inflammatory activity might interfere with your body's immune system antibody response, which could explain why the vaccine was rendered less effective.
However, what is not mentioned by either MSN, or foodconsumer.org, which also ran an article on these findings, is that a lowered immune response also means you're more susceptible to develop other infections. And, as we now know, it is secondary infections such as bacterial staph infections that turn out to be deadly -- not the flu virus in and of itself.
The First Reports of H1N1 Vaccine Deaths are Now Here
Many of us knew that this too was more or less inevitable.
Reports have now emerged from Hungarian and Swedish news sources that some people have died shortly after getting vaccinated against the H1N1 virus. The Budapest Times reported the death of a 64-year-old woman who had received the vaccine two days prior to her sudden demise.
The Hungarian H1N1 vaccine is supplied by local vaccine manufacturer Omnivest, whose vaccines are egg grown and adjuvanted with aluminum phosphate.
Meanwhile, the Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet reported that the swine flu vaccine may be "too potent," and that four people with compromised health had died just after receiving the swine flu vaccine. One man suffered a fatal heart attack after his vaccination, and a 65-year-old woman was found dead in her home two days after receiving the H1N1 vaccine.
In addition, the Swedish newspaper Dagens Nyheter reports:
"So far, the authority has received more than 190 reports from both health care and private individuals. By far the most common are pain in the arm. Then mild flu symptoms like fever, muscle pain, stomach pain, headaches, dizziness and fatigue."
The article goes on to state that GlaxoSmithKline is attributing a higher than normal rate of side effects to the adjuvants in the vaccine:
"According to the vaccine manufacturer GlaxoSmithKline, maybe one in ten vaccinated will experience trouble, which is slightly more than the usual seasonal influenza vaccine. This is because a substance in the vaccine triggers immune your immune response."
GlaxoSmithKline's Pandemrix vaccine contains the controversial adjuvant squalene.
Unfortunately, vaccine manufacturers have persuaded countries in Europe and elsewhere to add squalene to seasonal influenza and H1N1 vaccines, whereas squalene still has not been approved by the FDA for use in the US.
In order to legally allow unlicensed squalene adjuvants to be included in licensed H1N1 vaccines, the US government would have had to issue an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA). It is unclear if the EUA President Obama issued on Friday will cover adding novel adjuvants like squalene, or whether a separate EUA has to be issued in order to allow the use of unapproved adjuvants...
But European authorities may have a better clue about its safety than they're willing to admit. A recent article in the English version of the German news source The Local, for example, warns that the German Defense Ministry has ordered a special stock of H1N1 vaccines for their troops that will contain neither mercury nor adjuvants, whereas the general public will be given vaccines containing both.
Vaccinations began throughout Europe a little over a week ago. Sweden was one of the first to begin their program on October 12.
According to the Stockhom-based European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, there have been a total of 230 deaths linked to H1N1 in Europe since April. About half of all cases occurred in the UK.
The question is, are the European CDC's numbers as poor as the US CDC, whose statistics were shown by CBS News to be exaggerated by 80-98 percent?
Unprecedented Media Manipulation is Underway
The US government is sparing no underhanded tactics to indoctrinate the public with the message that vaccination is the way to go if you want to live.
Sid the Science Kid, an animated children's show, is now used to "educate" children about the flu, and going to see the school nurse to get vaccinated.
"Just like Sid, government-wide efforts to prevent flu are all about the science," says the government site Flu.gov. The episode premiered on PBS Kids on Monday, October 26th titled " Getting a Shot: You can do it!"
Continuing Education
Folks, universal flu vaccination should be about the science backing up the safety, effectiveness and necessity of that policy, because if it was, this current travesty would not be taking place.
Please continue to educate yourself, your family and your friends about flu vaccinations and how to prevent the flu.
As always, I urge you to join the National Vaccine Information Center (NVIC). They are our premier watch-dog and vaccine-safety advocates, and the NVIC web site offers invaluable guidance to help keep yourself and your family safe and healthy.
You Can Make a Difference
Most polls show that we ARE making a difference because more people are becoming educated about influenza and flu vaccines, especially H1N1 swine flu. Recent national polls have revealed that 30 to 50% in many communities are not planning to get a swine flu shot. Those who haven't made up their minds yet have lots of questions. So we have created some posters that you can print and post ALL over your community, your local stores, office and schools.
Comment on this article
Monday, October 26, 2009
Gene therapy experiment restores sight in a few
Gene therapy experiment restores sight in a few
Sun Oct 25, 2009 4:52am EDT
Sun Oct 25, 2009 4:52am EDT
Health study links mobile phone use to four kinds of cancer
Health study links mobile phone use to four kinds of cancer
By Susie Boniface; Adrian Butler 25/10/2009
10-year research shows higher risk of tumours
By Susie Boniface; Adrian Butler 25/10/2009
10-year research shows higher risk of tumours
1. New Study Links Cell Phones and Brain Tumors
1. New Study Links Cell Phones and Brain Tumors
The bombshell results of a major decade-long study carried out in 13 countries will support longtime speculation that long-term cell phone use increases the risk of developing cancer.
The $30 million report, which is to be released before the end of the year, follows a warning from the International EMF Collaborative that regular cell phone use could increase the risk of brain tumors significantly and that regular use is especially dangerous in children whose brains are still developing.
The cell phone industry assured us for years that cell phones are safe and don’t cause cancer and other problems. Major organizations, including the World Health Organization (WHO) and the National Cancer Institute, also have stated there is no evidence cell phones are dangerous.
But the official line may have to change because the WHO oversaw the new study.
According to the Daily Telegraph in London, the study will show “a significantly increased risk” of some brain tumors “related to use of mobile phones for a period of 10 years or more.”
Cell phone safety has been a concern for some experts ever since the death of Lee Atwater in 1991 from a brain tumor that developed under the exact spot where he held his cell phone. Sen. Ted Kennedy’s diagnosis and death from a malignant brain tumor also spurred safety fears. Kennedy’s brain tumor, called a glioma, was the type some experts have associated with the use of cell phones.
CTIA — the Wireless Association — and the Food and Drug Administration also have stated that cell phones aren’t a health risk.
But other experts point to research that indicates a link between cell phones and three types of tumors:
Glioma
Cancer of a salivary gland near the ear called the parotid
Acoustic neuroma, which is a tumor found near the ear
An Israeli study published two years ago found a 58 percent increase in risk for parotid tumors among people who relied heavily on their cell phones. And a Swedish study found that he risk for glioma and acoustic neuroma doubled after 10 years of heavy use.
Prominent neurosurgeons have stated they do hold cell phones next to their ears.
“I use it on the speaker-phone mode,” said Dr. Vini Khurana, a prominent researcher and an associate professor of neurosurgery at the Australian National University.
Other prominent experts agree. “I do not hold it to my ear,” said Dr. Sanjay Gupta, a practicing neurosurgeon who also is CNN’s chief medical correspondent. Gupta says he uses an earpiece.
Some experts haven’t waited for the WHO or FDA to issue warnings. Last year, Dr. Ronald Heberman, director of the University of Pittsburg Cancer Center, sent a memo to all faculty and staff, warning them of possible danger and advising them to cut cell phone use.
Cell phone use has been linked to other problems, including infertility, insomnia, hearing, and, of course, driving hazards.
Editor's Note:
The bombshell results of a major decade-long study carried out in 13 countries will support longtime speculation that long-term cell phone use increases the risk of developing cancer.
The $30 million report, which is to be released before the end of the year, follows a warning from the International EMF Collaborative that regular cell phone use could increase the risk of brain tumors significantly and that regular use is especially dangerous in children whose brains are still developing.
The cell phone industry assured us for years that cell phones are safe and don’t cause cancer and other problems. Major organizations, including the World Health Organization (WHO) and the National Cancer Institute, also have stated there is no evidence cell phones are dangerous.
But the official line may have to change because the WHO oversaw the new study.
According to the Daily Telegraph in London, the study will show “a significantly increased risk” of some brain tumors “related to use of mobile phones for a period of 10 years or more.”
Cell phone safety has been a concern for some experts ever since the death of Lee Atwater in 1991 from a brain tumor that developed under the exact spot where he held his cell phone. Sen. Ted Kennedy’s diagnosis and death from a malignant brain tumor also spurred safety fears. Kennedy’s brain tumor, called a glioma, was the type some experts have associated with the use of cell phones.
CTIA — the Wireless Association — and the Food and Drug Administration also have stated that cell phones aren’t a health risk.
But other experts point to research that indicates a link between cell phones and three types of tumors:
Glioma
Cancer of a salivary gland near the ear called the parotid
Acoustic neuroma, which is a tumor found near the ear
An Israeli study published two years ago found a 58 percent increase in risk for parotid tumors among people who relied heavily on their cell phones. And a Swedish study found that he risk for glioma and acoustic neuroma doubled after 10 years of heavy use.
Prominent neurosurgeons have stated they do hold cell phones next to their ears.
“I use it on the speaker-phone mode,” said Dr. Vini Khurana, a prominent researcher and an associate professor of neurosurgery at the Australian National University.
Other prominent experts agree. “I do not hold it to my ear,” said Dr. Sanjay Gupta, a practicing neurosurgeon who also is CNN’s chief medical correspondent. Gupta says he uses an earpiece.
Some experts haven’t waited for the WHO or FDA to issue warnings. Last year, Dr. Ronald Heberman, director of the University of Pittsburg Cancer Center, sent a memo to all faculty and staff, warning them of possible danger and advising them to cut cell phone use.
Cell phone use has been linked to other problems, including infertility, insomnia, hearing, and, of course, driving hazards.
Editor's Note:
Scientists discover link between older dads and genetic diseases
From The Times
October 26, 2009
Scientists discover link between older dads and genetic diseases
Mark Henderson
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/science/genetics/article6889878.ece");
Recommend? (4)
Scientists have moved a step closer to understanding why older fathers are more likely to have children with certain genetic diseases.
They have discovered a surprising genetic link between the formation of benign testicular tumours called spermocytic seminomas and several rare growth disorders, which are more common among the children of older fathers.
The abnormal testicular cells that form these rare tumours also produce sperm carrying mutant genes that cause serious inherited diseases, research at the University of Oxford and Copenhagen University Hospital in Denmark has shown.
The findings offer important new insights into the origin of several rare genetic disorders, including a cause of dwarfism called achondroplasia, and also promise to illuminate more common conditions such as autism, schizophrenia and breast cancer.
All three of these are known to be affected by genetics, and to be more prevalent among the children of older fathers, but few of the DNA mutations responsible have yet been identified. Scientists behind the research believe that abnormal testicular cells of the sort that develop into tumours could be partially responsible.
Professor Andrew Wilkie, of the University of Oxford, who led the research, said: “What we have seen so far may just be the tip of a large iceberg of mildly harmful mutations being introduced into our genome. These mutations would be too weak and too rare to be picked up by our current technology, but their sheer number would have a cumulative effect, leading to disease.
“It may be that process we have identified might contribute to part of the excess risk for older fathers to have children with higher risks of, for example, breast cancer, schizophrenia, or autism. We have no direct evidence for this as yet.”
Details of the research are published in the journal Nature Genetics . Professor Wilkie’s team, which is funded by the Wellcome Trust, is now planning further research to investigate whether testicular abnormalities might be linked to conditions such as autism and schizophrenia.
Spermatocytic seminomas are rare tumours of the testes, almost always benign, which affect about one in 100,000 men. They are caused by the accumulation of genetic mutations in testicular cells, which can sometimes then divide to trigger tumours.
“We think most men develop these tiny clumps of mutant cells in their testicles as they age,” Professor Wilkie said. “They are rather like moles in the skin, usually harmless in themselves. But by being located in the testicle, they also make sperm - causing children to be born with a variety of serious conditions.”
The new study, has identified genetic mutations of the sort that cause achondroplasia and other rare inherited conditions in cells from spermatocytic seminomas. It appears that these mutations help the tumour cells to divide, but cause abnormal growth when transmitted to the offspring via sperm. “We call them ‘selfish’ because the mutations benefit the germ cell but are harmful to offspring,” Professor Wilkie said.
As the mutations cause the tumour cells to profilerate in the testes, they also increase the chances that a sperm that fertilises an egg will be abnormal.
The results will help doctors to explain to parents why children have developed these disorders, and to advise them about the risks of having further children. In most cases, these families will not have a high risk of having another affected child, though it will be higher than in the general population.
“The major implication is for older fathers,” Professor Wilkie said. “We already knew that men in their 50s have a risk of having children with various individually rare genetic disorders — achondroplasia is a well known one — about tenfold higher than men in their early 20s.
“Adding all these risks together, the total additional risk is still only a fraction of 1 per cent because each of these disorders is rare.”
October 26, 2009
Scientists discover link between older dads and genetic diseases
Mark Henderson
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/science/genetics/article6889878.ece");
Recommend? (4)
Scientists have moved a step closer to understanding why older fathers are more likely to have children with certain genetic diseases.
They have discovered a surprising genetic link between the formation of benign testicular tumours called spermocytic seminomas and several rare growth disorders, which are more common among the children of older fathers.
The abnormal testicular cells that form these rare tumours also produce sperm carrying mutant genes that cause serious inherited diseases, research at the University of Oxford and Copenhagen University Hospital in Denmark has shown.
The findings offer important new insights into the origin of several rare genetic disorders, including a cause of dwarfism called achondroplasia, and also promise to illuminate more common conditions such as autism, schizophrenia and breast cancer.
All three of these are known to be affected by genetics, and to be more prevalent among the children of older fathers, but few of the DNA mutations responsible have yet been identified. Scientists behind the research believe that abnormal testicular cells of the sort that develop into tumours could be partially responsible.
Professor Andrew Wilkie, of the University of Oxford, who led the research, said: “What we have seen so far may just be the tip of a large iceberg of mildly harmful mutations being introduced into our genome. These mutations would be too weak and too rare to be picked up by our current technology, but their sheer number would have a cumulative effect, leading to disease.
“It may be that process we have identified might contribute to part of the excess risk for older fathers to have children with higher risks of, for example, breast cancer, schizophrenia, or autism. We have no direct evidence for this as yet.”
Details of the research are published in the journal Nature Genetics . Professor Wilkie’s team, which is funded by the Wellcome Trust, is now planning further research to investigate whether testicular abnormalities might be linked to conditions such as autism and schizophrenia.
Spermatocytic seminomas are rare tumours of the testes, almost always benign, which affect about one in 100,000 men. They are caused by the accumulation of genetic mutations in testicular cells, which can sometimes then divide to trigger tumours.
“We think most men develop these tiny clumps of mutant cells in their testicles as they age,” Professor Wilkie said. “They are rather like moles in the skin, usually harmless in themselves. But by being located in the testicle, they also make sperm - causing children to be born with a variety of serious conditions.”
The new study, has identified genetic mutations of the sort that cause achondroplasia and other rare inherited conditions in cells from spermatocytic seminomas. It appears that these mutations help the tumour cells to divide, but cause abnormal growth when transmitted to the offspring via sperm. “We call them ‘selfish’ because the mutations benefit the germ cell but are harmful to offspring,” Professor Wilkie said.
As the mutations cause the tumour cells to profilerate in the testes, they also increase the chances that a sperm that fertilises an egg will be abnormal.
The results will help doctors to explain to parents why children have developed these disorders, and to advise them about the risks of having further children. In most cases, these families will not have a high risk of having another affected child, though it will be higher than in the general population.
“The major implication is for older fathers,” Professor Wilkie said. “We already knew that men in their 50s have a risk of having children with various individually rare genetic disorders — achondroplasia is a well known one — about tenfold higher than men in their early 20s.
“Adding all these risks together, the total additional risk is still only a fraction of 1 per cent because each of these disorders is rare.”
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Saturday, October 24, 2009
What OTC Drug May Have Killed More People in 1918 Flu Pandemic than Flu Itself?
What OTC Drug May Have Killed More People in 1918 Flu Pandemic than Flu Itself?
Posted by: Dr. Mercola
October 24 2009 | 17,605 views
Historic evidence points to too much aspirin as a contributor to high death tolls during the 1918-1919 flu pandemic.
Most causes of death from influenza are actually the result of pneumonia. Deaths from flu in 1918 were attributable to lung complications, potentially caused by taking too much aspirin.
Aspirin was widely recommended during the 1918 flu pandemic, but taking too much leads to aspirin toxicity. The result is hemorrhage and fluid buildup in the lungs that can lead to death from respiratory complications.
Sources:
EmaxHealth October 3, 2009
Time Magazine October 19, 2009
Examiner September 30, 2009
Science News September 30, 2009
Dr. Mercola's Comments:
During the 1918 flu pandemic there were no antibiotics, other than sulfur drugs, no IV fluids and no respirators -- all the doctors of that era could offer was a warm bed and aspirin.
Now it appears that this misguided advice may actually have caused a significant proportion of deaths by way of pulmonary edema, an abnormal build up of fluid in your lungs that can be caused by taking too much aspirin.
There are a couple of lessons to be learned from this new revelation.
One, you must be very wary of taking a medication because there are always risks involved -- even for an over-the-counter drug like aspirin.
Aside from potentially increasing your risk of pancreatic cancer, kidney failure, and cataracts, aspirin carries side effects such as:
Stomach ulcers and bleeding
Hemorrhagic (bleeding) stroke
Allergic reaction
Ringing in the ears and hearing loss
And in cases of chronic overdose, in which normal daily doses build up in your body over time, symptoms such as the following can develop:
Fatigue
Slight fever
Confusion
Collapse
Rapid heart beat
Uncontrollable rapid breathing
The second lesson to be learned from this finding has to do with its implications on modern-day pandemics, including the current H1N1 swine flu debacle.
If Flu Was Not the Real Killer in 1918 …
The recommendations and projections for the swine flu pandemic are flawed, as many projections for a new pandemic have been based on a worst-case 1918 scenario, in which tens of millions of people would die globally.
However, since aspirin overdose may have been a major contributor the death toll would actually be much lower. Recent studies have also indicated that strep infections, rather than the flu virus itself, may have killed most people during the 1918 influenza pandemic, which further adds to the notion that the swine flu is being over-hyped.
Strep is much easier to treat than the flu using modern medicine, so a new pandemic might be much less dire than it was in the early 20th century.
That is, as long as the same mistake is not made twice regarding medications.
What Medication May be Contributing to “Flu” Deaths in 2009?
In 1918, it was aspirin. Today it’s Tamiflu that is being passed out like candy to nearly anyone with flu-like symptoms.
Serious side effects of Tamiflu include convulsions, delirium or delusions, and 14 deaths in children and teens have been reported as a result of neuropsychiatric problems and brain infections. Japan actually banned Tamiflu for children in 2007 because of the steep risks.
It was also around this time that the U.S. FDA began reviewing reports of abnormal behavior and other brain effects in more than 1,800 children who had taken Tamiflu.
The drug is being so widely overused that it has now contaminated rivers downstream of sewage-treatment facilities as a result of people excreting it in their urine!
Researchers are quite concerned that birds exposed to these waterborne residues could develop and spread drug-resistant strains of various types of flu, showing that once again the risks of overdoing any type of drug treatment can be steep.
I have to add here, too, that all these risks come with very limited benefits, as Tamiflu can only reduce the duration of your flu symptoms by 1 to 1.5 days, according to official data!
What Else Can We Learn from 1918?
The treatment being offered in 1918, aspirin, may have ended up killing a significant number of people. Aside from Tamiflu, what “treatment” is being offered for the swine flu pandemic today?
The H1N1 vaccine.
Health officials everywhere are now recommending each man, woman and child get as many as four flu shots this season; two doses for the swine flu, and one or two doses for the seasonal flu, depending on whether you’ve ever had a flu shot before.
Is it really prudent to mass-administer an untested swine flu vaccine along with a seasonal flu vaccine that may increase your chances of contracting the swine flu?
Fortunately, the information train is working and we are getting the word out. Nearly two-thirds of 1,500 parents who responded to a Consumer Reports poll said that they'd either wait or refuse the vaccine for their children.
In certain states, however, that “choice” no longer exists. New York, for instance, has recently mandated that all health-care workers be vaccinated against both seasonal and H1N1 flu this year -- or face possible termination. If you fall into this category, please read What to Do if You are Forced to Take a Swine Flu Shot.
In 1918, whether people died from aspirin overdose, a secondary bacterial infection or some other currently unknown cause, and today during the swine flu “pandemic,” what is required or responsible for the actual infection to take hold is a dysfunctional immune system.
If you are healthy you can have enormous exposure to infectious agents and you simply will NOT get sick. A vaccine is simply not the solution … a healthy immune system is.
So this year if you want to learn from 1918 and avoid the flu without resorting to dangerous drugs and vaccines, please review my previous article Avoid Flu Shots With the One Vitamin that Will Stop Flu in Its Tracks.
This will give you the knowledge you need to boost your immune system and stay healthy this flu season -- and for many flu seasons to come.
**** Facebook Swine Flu Updates ****
Please join my Facebook Fan Page to be the first to receive updates in the future. Just click on the green button in the upper left corner.
Related Links:
Flu Was Not the Real Killer in the 1918 Pandemic
What is the Real Cause of Influenza Epidemics?
Even in 1918 Drugs Made the Flu WORSE
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Find Out More
Posted by: Dr. Mercola
October 24 2009 | 17,605 views
Historic evidence points to too much aspirin as a contributor to high death tolls during the 1918-1919 flu pandemic.
Most causes of death from influenza are actually the result of pneumonia. Deaths from flu in 1918 were attributable to lung complications, potentially caused by taking too much aspirin.
Aspirin was widely recommended during the 1918 flu pandemic, but taking too much leads to aspirin toxicity. The result is hemorrhage and fluid buildup in the lungs that can lead to death from respiratory complications.
Sources:
EmaxHealth October 3, 2009
Time Magazine October 19, 2009
Examiner September 30, 2009
Science News September 30, 2009
Dr. Mercola's Comments:
During the 1918 flu pandemic there were no antibiotics, other than sulfur drugs, no IV fluids and no respirators -- all the doctors of that era could offer was a warm bed and aspirin.
Now it appears that this misguided advice may actually have caused a significant proportion of deaths by way of pulmonary edema, an abnormal build up of fluid in your lungs that can be caused by taking too much aspirin.
There are a couple of lessons to be learned from this new revelation.
One, you must be very wary of taking a medication because there are always risks involved -- even for an over-the-counter drug like aspirin.
Aside from potentially increasing your risk of pancreatic cancer, kidney failure, and cataracts, aspirin carries side effects such as:
Stomach ulcers and bleeding
Hemorrhagic (bleeding) stroke
Allergic reaction
Ringing in the ears and hearing loss
And in cases of chronic overdose, in which normal daily doses build up in your body over time, symptoms such as the following can develop:
Fatigue
Slight fever
Confusion
Collapse
Rapid heart beat
Uncontrollable rapid breathing
The second lesson to be learned from this finding has to do with its implications on modern-day pandemics, including the current H1N1 swine flu debacle.
If Flu Was Not the Real Killer in 1918 …
The recommendations and projections for the swine flu pandemic are flawed, as many projections for a new pandemic have been based on a worst-case 1918 scenario, in which tens of millions of people would die globally.
However, since aspirin overdose may have been a major contributor the death toll would actually be much lower. Recent studies have also indicated that strep infections, rather than the flu virus itself, may have killed most people during the 1918 influenza pandemic, which further adds to the notion that the swine flu is being over-hyped.
Strep is much easier to treat than the flu using modern medicine, so a new pandemic might be much less dire than it was in the early 20th century.
That is, as long as the same mistake is not made twice regarding medications.
What Medication May be Contributing to “Flu” Deaths in 2009?
In 1918, it was aspirin. Today it’s Tamiflu that is being passed out like candy to nearly anyone with flu-like symptoms.
Serious side effects of Tamiflu include convulsions, delirium or delusions, and 14 deaths in children and teens have been reported as a result of neuropsychiatric problems and brain infections. Japan actually banned Tamiflu for children in 2007 because of the steep risks.
It was also around this time that the U.S. FDA began reviewing reports of abnormal behavior and other brain effects in more than 1,800 children who had taken Tamiflu.
The drug is being so widely overused that it has now contaminated rivers downstream of sewage-treatment facilities as a result of people excreting it in their urine!
Researchers are quite concerned that birds exposed to these waterborne residues could develop and spread drug-resistant strains of various types of flu, showing that once again the risks of overdoing any type of drug treatment can be steep.
I have to add here, too, that all these risks come with very limited benefits, as Tamiflu can only reduce the duration of your flu symptoms by 1 to 1.5 days, according to official data!
What Else Can We Learn from 1918?
The treatment being offered in 1918, aspirin, may have ended up killing a significant number of people. Aside from Tamiflu, what “treatment” is being offered for the swine flu pandemic today?
The H1N1 vaccine.
Health officials everywhere are now recommending each man, woman and child get as many as four flu shots this season; two doses for the swine flu, and one or two doses for the seasonal flu, depending on whether you’ve ever had a flu shot before.
Is it really prudent to mass-administer an untested swine flu vaccine along with a seasonal flu vaccine that may increase your chances of contracting the swine flu?
Fortunately, the information train is working and we are getting the word out. Nearly two-thirds of 1,500 parents who responded to a Consumer Reports poll said that they'd either wait or refuse the vaccine for their children.
In certain states, however, that “choice” no longer exists. New York, for instance, has recently mandated that all health-care workers be vaccinated against both seasonal and H1N1 flu this year -- or face possible termination. If you fall into this category, please read What to Do if You are Forced to Take a Swine Flu Shot.
In 1918, whether people died from aspirin overdose, a secondary bacterial infection or some other currently unknown cause, and today during the swine flu “pandemic,” what is required or responsible for the actual infection to take hold is a dysfunctional immune system.
If you are healthy you can have enormous exposure to infectious agents and you simply will NOT get sick. A vaccine is simply not the solution … a healthy immune system is.
So this year if you want to learn from 1918 and avoid the flu without resorting to dangerous drugs and vaccines, please review my previous article Avoid Flu Shots With the One Vitamin that Will Stop Flu in Its Tracks.
This will give you the knowledge you need to boost your immune system and stay healthy this flu season -- and for many flu seasons to come.
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Related Links:
Flu Was Not the Real Killer in the 1918 Pandemic
What is the Real Cause of Influenza Epidemics?
Even in 1918 Drugs Made the Flu WORSE
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CBS Reveals that Swine Flu Cases Seriously Overestimated
CBS Reveals that Swine Flu Cases Seriously Overestimated
Posted by: Dr. Mercola
October 24 2009 | 46,505 views
Dr. Mercola Interviews Barbara Loe Fisher, founder of the National Vaccine Information Center
CBS News Washington Unplugged: H1N1 Cases Exaggerated?
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) states on their main flu Web site http://www.cdc.gov/flu/ that flu activity is increasing in the United States, with most states reporting "widespread influenza activity."
The CDC goes on to say, and I quote:
"So far, most flu is 2009 H1N1 flu (sometimes called "swine flu")."
But wait stop the presses.
A three-month-long investigation by CBS News, released earlier this week that included state-by-state test results, revealed some very different facts. The CBS study found that H1N1 flu cases are NOT as prevalent as feared. A CBS article even states:
"If you've been diagnosed "probable" or "presumed" 2009 H1N1 or "swine flu" in recent months, you may be surprised to know this: odds are you didn't have H1N1 flu. In fact, you probably didn't have flu at all."
Obviously CBS News and the CDC are completely contradicting each other. So who is right?
Well, CBS reports that in late July 2009 the CDC advised states to STOP testing for H1N1 flu, and they also stopped counting individual cases.
Their rationale for this, according to CBS News, was that it was a waste of resources to test for H1N1 flu because it was already confirmed as an epidemic.
So just like that virtually every person who visited their physician with flu-like symptoms since late July was assumed to have H1N1, with no testing necessary because, after all, there's an epidemic.
It's interesting to note that at the same time as the CDC decided the H1N1 epidemic warranted no further testing for cases due to its epidemic status, Finnish health authorities actually downgraded the threat of swine flu.
In late July the health ministry and the National Institute for Health and Welfare (THL) in Finland actually removed swine flu from a list of diseases considered dangerous to the public because the majority of cases recovered without medication or hospital care!
And, as the CDC continues to use fear to motivate and control Americans with their worst-case swine flu scenarios, they say nothing of the experience of those in the southern hemisphere, which just finished their flu season and found it was not as bad as expected.
CBS News Finds H1N1 Tests "Overwhelmingly Negative"
Before beginning their investigation, CBS News asked the CDC for state-by-state test results prior to their halting of testing and tracking. The CDC did not initially respond so CBS went to all 50 states directly, asking for their statistics on state lab-confirmed H1N1 prior to the halt of individual testing and counting in July.
What did they find? CBS reported:
"The results reveal a pattern that surprised a number of health care professionals we consulted. The vast majority of cases were negative for H1N1 as well as seasonal flu, despite the fact that many states were specifically testing patients deemed to be most likely to have H1N1 flu, based on symptoms and risk factors, such as travel to Mexico."
As you can see from this CBS News graphic, not only are most cases of suspected flu-like illnesses not H1N1, they're not even the flu but more likely some type of cold or upper respiratory infection!
(Image from CBS News)
Where is the CDC Getting Their Data?
Given CBS News' findings that most cases of flu-like illnesses are neither H1N1 nor the flu, it begs the question: Why is the CDC reporting that most flu in the United States is in fact H1N1?
Barbara Loe Fisher, founder of the National Vaccine Information Center who I spoke with in the interview above, was a consumer representative on the FDA Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee in 2003, and she asked the head of the influenza branch of the CDC how much of the flu-like illness that occurs in America every year is actually due to the flu.
The answer was about 20 percent, which corresponds more closely with the CBS News data from 2009.
According to the CBS News study, when you come down with chills, fever, cough, runny nose, malaise and all those other "flu-like" symptoms, the illness is likely caused by influenza at most 17 percent of the time and as little as 3 percent! The other 83 to 97 percent of the time it's caused by other viruses or bacteria.
So remember that not every illness that appears to be the flu actually is the flu. In fact, most of the time it's not.
Curiously, the CDC still advises those who were told they had 2009 H1N1 (and therefore should be immune to getting it again) to get vaccinated unless they had lab confirmation.
Is the CDC Purposely Misinforming the Public to Sell More Flu and H1N1 Vaccines?
Conflicts of interest are rampant in the vaccination infrastructure. The same people who are regulating and promoting vaccines are also evaluating vaccine safety.
For instance, Dr. Paul Offit of the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia earned at least $29 million as part of a $182-million sale by the hospital of its worldwide royalty interest in the Merck Rotateq vaccine. He also formerly sat on the CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) to help create the market for rotavirus vaccine
This type of conflict of interest has been going on for some time.
In August 1999, the Committee on Government Reform initiated an investigation into Federal vaccine policy. During the investigation the Committee extensively reviewed financial disclosure forms and related documents and interviewed key officials from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the CDC.
It was revealed that many individuals on two key advisory committees had financial ties to pharmaceutical companies that manufacture vaccines. These individuals were even granted waivers allowing them to fully participate in discussions about vaccine licensing and recommendations for children, despite the fact that federal law states members of advisory committees are required to disclose such ties and recuse themselves from such discussions and decisions.
Further, the investigation revealed that the FDA's and CDC's conflict of interest rules were not strongly enforced while the rules themselves were weak. Specific problems noted by the Committee included:
The CDC routinely granted waivers from conflict of interest rules to many members of its advisory committee.
Those CDC advisory committee members who were not allowed to vote on certain recommendations due to financial conflicts of interest were still allowed to actively participate in committee deliberations and advocate specific positions.
The Chairman of the CDC's advisory committee owned 600 shares of stock in Merck, a pharmaceutical company with an active vaccine division.
Members of the CDC's advisory committee often left key details out of their financial disclosure statements, and were not required to provide the missing information by CDC ethics officials.
And, when the FDA and CDC approved the controversial rotavirus vaccine in 1998 and 1999, the Committee's report said:
3 out of the 5 FDA advisory committee members who voted to approve the rotavirus vaccine in December 1997 had financial ties to the pharmaceutical companies that were developing different versions of the vaccine.
4 out of the 8 CDC advisory committee members who voted to approve guidelines for the rotavirus vaccine in June 1998 had financial ties to pharmaceutical companies that were developing different versions of the vaccine.
The rotavirus vaccine was pulled from the market one year after approval, after it was found to cause severe bowel obstructions.
Given their sordid history, can the CDC really be trusted, even today? Do you think that much has changed in just one decade?
Is the H1N1 Vaccine Really Safe as the CDC Says it Is?
CDC officials are screaming that H1N1 is so different from the seasonal influenza strains that have circulated in the past few decades that a national alarm must be sounded and everyone needs to be so afraid that we all should get vaccinated to prevent a deadly pandemic.
Yet, they say the new H1N1 vaccine is safe based on vaccines for that very same flu strain from which it is so different. They write on their Web site "the 2009 H1N1 influenza vaccines are expected to have similar safety profiles as seasonal flu vaccines ..."
Another contradiction.
While symptoms of H1N1 flu and seasonal flu are virtually identical, the H1N1 vaccine is showing signs of being quite different from the seasonal flu shot.
Although both are produced using antiquated 50-year-old technology that involves injecting the virus into eggs and allowing it to grow, the virus being used to produce the swine flu vaccine has been found to reproduce much more slowly in eggs than the ordinary flu virus.
And according to a separate CBS News report, the U.S. government is now funding newer unprecedented technologies to speed up vaccine production, including one that involves growing the virus inside animal cells and another that involves flu proteins grown inside insect cells.
The risks of these, and the current fast-tracked swine flu vaccine, are truly unknown at this time.
There is NO Incentive for the CDC or Vaccine Manufacturers to Care About Safety
You may think that the CDC and the vaccine manufacturers must be concerned about safety, as if they released a dangerous vaccine and promoted it to the American public, imagine the lawsuits they would face.
This is actually no longer reality as the U.S. government has granted vaccine makers total legal immunity from any lawsuits that result from the new swine flu vaccine.
In fact, drug manufacturers got a major boost in protection and were granted unprecedented powers to experiment on the population with the passing of the 2006 Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act (the PREP Act).
This law allows the DHHS Secretary to invoke almost complete immunity from liability for manufacturers of vaccines and drugs used to combat a declared public health emergency, which the "swine flu pandemic" qualifies as.
The PREP Act removes your right to a trial jury unless you can provide clear evidence of willful misconduct that resulted in death or serious physical injury. But that's not all. First you must apply for and be granted permission to sue by the DHHS Secretary.
The most problematic aspect of the PREP Act is that it removes all financial incentive to make a safe product.
In fact, vaccine makers now have a negative incentive to test it for safety, because if they are aware of problems, then they could potentially be held liable for willful misconduct!
As long as they can prove they "didn't know" of any problem, they will not be liable for damages. Hence it's in their best interest to know as little as possible about the adverse reactions it might cause.
It seems unimaginable, but you and your children are now being enlisted as an unpaid human trial subjects for experimental, fast-tracked vaccines like the swine flu vaccine.
Even if They Were Effective or Safe, Most Vaccines Will Come Too Late
Recent national polls have revealed that 30 percent to 50 percent in many communities are not planning to get a swine flu shot ... but there are many who are still ready to stand in line.
If you have not yet made up your mind and have questions, we have created some fact-filled posters that you can print and post ALL over your community, your local stores, office and schools.
You can also visit the special section of my site that is devoted to giving you all the latest H1N1 Swine Flu Alerts. This is an excellent go-to source to stay updated on all the new swine flu developments.
But I wanted to share one final detail, and that is a new study just released by Purdue University researchers and published in the journal Eurosurveillance.
The researchers found that at this point in time any vaccinations that are given in the United States will likely have little effect on the number of infections. The researchers state:
"The model predicts that there will be a significant wave in autumn, with 63% of the population being infected, and that this wave will peak so early that the planned CDC vaccination campaign will likely not have a large effect on the total number of people ultimately infected by the pandemic H1N1 influenza virus."
In other words, infections are predicted to peak in late October (now) and by the end of the year it's estimated that 63 percent of the U.S. population will have been infected with H1N1 swine flu.
What does this mean? By the end of the year the majority of the U.S. population will have likely acquired natural immunity.
Natural immunity is what you gain when you recover from influenza and natural immunity is what is protecting older Americans, who have recovered from exposure to H1N1 strains of influenza in the past and are therefore less susceptible today.
This new revelation, coupled with CBS News' finding that swine flu cases are already being greatly overestimated ... and the fact that vaccines do not offer long-term immunity anyway ... and the questionable motives behind CDC's massive vaccination campaign ... puts an entirely different slant on the swine flu "epidemic," don't you think?
If you are still concerned about the swine flu, you should know that it is relatively easy to improve your immune response to fight this infection. If 99.9% of the people are not having any serious complications from H1N1, it would seem perfectly rational to believe that minor lifestyle changes could have dramatic effects on fighting this infection, and none of these involve taking potentially dangerous and unproven vaccine interventions.
Simple Measures That Can Help You Fight Illness
Vitamin D has been well documented to increase the production of over 200 anti microbial peptides that fight infection.
Eliminate sugar from your diet as that will impair your immune response
Get plenty of rest
Exercise appropriately
You can also help make a BIG difference in protecting your right to make informed, voluntary vaccination choices by supporting the National Vaccine Information Center.
I have made this non-profit organization -- America's Vaccine Safety Watchdog -- one of my favorite charities and I urge you to become a donor member and help NVIC protect your informed consent rights and your children's health.
**** Facebook Swine Flu Updates ****
Please join my Facebook Fan Page to be the first to receive updates in the future. Just click on the green button in the upper left corner.
Related Links:
Important Swine Flu Alert Oct 2009
Swineflu / H1N1 Homepage
Serious Vaccine Reactions to Now Be Called 'Coincidence'?
Posted by: Dr. Mercola
October 24 2009 | 46,505 views
Dr. Mercola Interviews Barbara Loe Fisher, founder of the National Vaccine Information Center
CBS News Washington Unplugged: H1N1 Cases Exaggerated?
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) states on their main flu Web site http://www.cdc.gov/flu/ that flu activity is increasing in the United States, with most states reporting "widespread influenza activity."
The CDC goes on to say, and I quote:
"So far, most flu is 2009 H1N1 flu (sometimes called "swine flu")."
But wait stop the presses.
A three-month-long investigation by CBS News, released earlier this week that included state-by-state test results, revealed some very different facts. The CBS study found that H1N1 flu cases are NOT as prevalent as feared. A CBS article even states:
"If you've been diagnosed "probable" or "presumed" 2009 H1N1 or "swine flu" in recent months, you may be surprised to know this: odds are you didn't have H1N1 flu. In fact, you probably didn't have flu at all."
Obviously CBS News and the CDC are completely contradicting each other. So who is right?
Well, CBS reports that in late July 2009 the CDC advised states to STOP testing for H1N1 flu, and they also stopped counting individual cases.
Their rationale for this, according to CBS News, was that it was a waste of resources to test for H1N1 flu because it was already confirmed as an epidemic.
So just like that virtually every person who visited their physician with flu-like symptoms since late July was assumed to have H1N1, with no testing necessary because, after all, there's an epidemic.
It's interesting to note that at the same time as the CDC decided the H1N1 epidemic warranted no further testing for cases due to its epidemic status, Finnish health authorities actually downgraded the threat of swine flu.
In late July the health ministry and the National Institute for Health and Welfare (THL) in Finland actually removed swine flu from a list of diseases considered dangerous to the public because the majority of cases recovered without medication or hospital care!
And, as the CDC continues to use fear to motivate and control Americans with their worst-case swine flu scenarios, they say nothing of the experience of those in the southern hemisphere, which just finished their flu season and found it was not as bad as expected.
CBS News Finds H1N1 Tests "Overwhelmingly Negative"
Before beginning their investigation, CBS News asked the CDC for state-by-state test results prior to their halting of testing and tracking. The CDC did not initially respond so CBS went to all 50 states directly, asking for their statistics on state lab-confirmed H1N1 prior to the halt of individual testing and counting in July.
What did they find? CBS reported:
"The results reveal a pattern that surprised a number of health care professionals we consulted. The vast majority of cases were negative for H1N1 as well as seasonal flu, despite the fact that many states were specifically testing patients deemed to be most likely to have H1N1 flu, based on symptoms and risk factors, such as travel to Mexico."
As you can see from this CBS News graphic, not only are most cases of suspected flu-like illnesses not H1N1, they're not even the flu but more likely some type of cold or upper respiratory infection!
(Image from CBS News)
Where is the CDC Getting Their Data?
Given CBS News' findings that most cases of flu-like illnesses are neither H1N1 nor the flu, it begs the question: Why is the CDC reporting that most flu in the United States is in fact H1N1?
Barbara Loe Fisher, founder of the National Vaccine Information Center who I spoke with in the interview above, was a consumer representative on the FDA Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee in 2003, and she asked the head of the influenza branch of the CDC how much of the flu-like illness that occurs in America every year is actually due to the flu.
The answer was about 20 percent, which corresponds more closely with the CBS News data from 2009.
According to the CBS News study, when you come down with chills, fever, cough, runny nose, malaise and all those other "flu-like" symptoms, the illness is likely caused by influenza at most 17 percent of the time and as little as 3 percent! The other 83 to 97 percent of the time it's caused by other viruses or bacteria.
So remember that not every illness that appears to be the flu actually is the flu. In fact, most of the time it's not.
Curiously, the CDC still advises those who were told they had 2009 H1N1 (and therefore should be immune to getting it again) to get vaccinated unless they had lab confirmation.
Is the CDC Purposely Misinforming the Public to Sell More Flu and H1N1 Vaccines?
Conflicts of interest are rampant in the vaccination infrastructure. The same people who are regulating and promoting vaccines are also evaluating vaccine safety.
For instance, Dr. Paul Offit of the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia earned at least $29 million as part of a $182-million sale by the hospital of its worldwide royalty interest in the Merck Rotateq vaccine. He also formerly sat on the CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) to help create the market for rotavirus vaccine
This type of conflict of interest has been going on for some time.
In August 1999, the Committee on Government Reform initiated an investigation into Federal vaccine policy. During the investigation the Committee extensively reviewed financial disclosure forms and related documents and interviewed key officials from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the CDC.
It was revealed that many individuals on two key advisory committees had financial ties to pharmaceutical companies that manufacture vaccines. These individuals were even granted waivers allowing them to fully participate in discussions about vaccine licensing and recommendations for children, despite the fact that federal law states members of advisory committees are required to disclose such ties and recuse themselves from such discussions and decisions.
Further, the investigation revealed that the FDA's and CDC's conflict of interest rules were not strongly enforced while the rules themselves were weak. Specific problems noted by the Committee included:
The CDC routinely granted waivers from conflict of interest rules to many members of its advisory committee.
Those CDC advisory committee members who were not allowed to vote on certain recommendations due to financial conflicts of interest were still allowed to actively participate in committee deliberations and advocate specific positions.
The Chairman of the CDC's advisory committee owned 600 shares of stock in Merck, a pharmaceutical company with an active vaccine division.
Members of the CDC's advisory committee often left key details out of their financial disclosure statements, and were not required to provide the missing information by CDC ethics officials.
And, when the FDA and CDC approved the controversial rotavirus vaccine in 1998 and 1999, the Committee's report said:
3 out of the 5 FDA advisory committee members who voted to approve the rotavirus vaccine in December 1997 had financial ties to the pharmaceutical companies that were developing different versions of the vaccine.
4 out of the 8 CDC advisory committee members who voted to approve guidelines for the rotavirus vaccine in June 1998 had financial ties to pharmaceutical companies that were developing different versions of the vaccine.
The rotavirus vaccine was pulled from the market one year after approval, after it was found to cause severe bowel obstructions.
Given their sordid history, can the CDC really be trusted, even today? Do you think that much has changed in just one decade?
Is the H1N1 Vaccine Really Safe as the CDC Says it Is?
CDC officials are screaming that H1N1 is so different from the seasonal influenza strains that have circulated in the past few decades that a national alarm must be sounded and everyone needs to be so afraid that we all should get vaccinated to prevent a deadly pandemic.
Yet, they say the new H1N1 vaccine is safe based on vaccines for that very same flu strain from which it is so different. They write on their Web site "the 2009 H1N1 influenza vaccines are expected to have similar safety profiles as seasonal flu vaccines ..."
Another contradiction.
While symptoms of H1N1 flu and seasonal flu are virtually identical, the H1N1 vaccine is showing signs of being quite different from the seasonal flu shot.
Although both are produced using antiquated 50-year-old technology that involves injecting the virus into eggs and allowing it to grow, the virus being used to produce the swine flu vaccine has been found to reproduce much more slowly in eggs than the ordinary flu virus.
And according to a separate CBS News report, the U.S. government is now funding newer unprecedented technologies to speed up vaccine production, including one that involves growing the virus inside animal cells and another that involves flu proteins grown inside insect cells.
The risks of these, and the current fast-tracked swine flu vaccine, are truly unknown at this time.
There is NO Incentive for the CDC or Vaccine Manufacturers to Care About Safety
You may think that the CDC and the vaccine manufacturers must be concerned about safety, as if they released a dangerous vaccine and promoted it to the American public, imagine the lawsuits they would face.
This is actually no longer reality as the U.S. government has granted vaccine makers total legal immunity from any lawsuits that result from the new swine flu vaccine.
In fact, drug manufacturers got a major boost in protection and were granted unprecedented powers to experiment on the population with the passing of the 2006 Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act (the PREP Act).
This law allows the DHHS Secretary to invoke almost complete immunity from liability for manufacturers of vaccines and drugs used to combat a declared public health emergency, which the "swine flu pandemic" qualifies as.
The PREP Act removes your right to a trial jury unless you can provide clear evidence of willful misconduct that resulted in death or serious physical injury. But that's not all. First you must apply for and be granted permission to sue by the DHHS Secretary.
The most problematic aspect of the PREP Act is that it removes all financial incentive to make a safe product.
In fact, vaccine makers now have a negative incentive to test it for safety, because if they are aware of problems, then they could potentially be held liable for willful misconduct!
As long as they can prove they "didn't know" of any problem, they will not be liable for damages. Hence it's in their best interest to know as little as possible about the adverse reactions it might cause.
It seems unimaginable, but you and your children are now being enlisted as an unpaid human trial subjects for experimental, fast-tracked vaccines like the swine flu vaccine.
Even if They Were Effective or Safe, Most Vaccines Will Come Too Late
Recent national polls have revealed that 30 percent to 50 percent in many communities are not planning to get a swine flu shot ... but there are many who are still ready to stand in line.
If you have not yet made up your mind and have questions, we have created some fact-filled posters that you can print and post ALL over your community, your local stores, office and schools.
You can also visit the special section of my site that is devoted to giving you all the latest H1N1 Swine Flu Alerts. This is an excellent go-to source to stay updated on all the new swine flu developments.
But I wanted to share one final detail, and that is a new study just released by Purdue University researchers and published in the journal Eurosurveillance.
The researchers found that at this point in time any vaccinations that are given in the United States will likely have little effect on the number of infections. The researchers state:
"The model predicts that there will be a significant wave in autumn, with 63% of the population being infected, and that this wave will peak so early that the planned CDC vaccination campaign will likely not have a large effect on the total number of people ultimately infected by the pandemic H1N1 influenza virus."
In other words, infections are predicted to peak in late October (now) and by the end of the year it's estimated that 63 percent of the U.S. population will have been infected with H1N1 swine flu.
What does this mean? By the end of the year the majority of the U.S. population will have likely acquired natural immunity.
Natural immunity is what you gain when you recover from influenza and natural immunity is what is protecting older Americans, who have recovered from exposure to H1N1 strains of influenza in the past and are therefore less susceptible today.
This new revelation, coupled with CBS News' finding that swine flu cases are already being greatly overestimated ... and the fact that vaccines do not offer long-term immunity anyway ... and the questionable motives behind CDC's massive vaccination campaign ... puts an entirely different slant on the swine flu "epidemic," don't you think?
If you are still concerned about the swine flu, you should know that it is relatively easy to improve your immune response to fight this infection. If 99.9% of the people are not having any serious complications from H1N1, it would seem perfectly rational to believe that minor lifestyle changes could have dramatic effects on fighting this infection, and none of these involve taking potentially dangerous and unproven vaccine interventions.
Simple Measures That Can Help You Fight Illness
Vitamin D has been well documented to increase the production of over 200 anti microbial peptides that fight infection.
Eliminate sugar from your diet as that will impair your immune response
Get plenty of rest
Exercise appropriately
You can also help make a BIG difference in protecting your right to make informed, voluntary vaccination choices by supporting the National Vaccine Information Center.
I have made this non-profit organization -- America's Vaccine Safety Watchdog -- one of my favorite charities and I urge you to become a donor member and help NVIC protect your informed consent rights and your children's health.
**** Facebook Swine Flu Updates ****
Please join my Facebook Fan Page to be the first to receive updates in the future. Just click on the green button in the upper left corner.
Related Links:
Important Swine Flu Alert Oct 2009
Swineflu / H1N1 Homepage
Serious Vaccine Reactions to Now Be Called 'Coincidence'?
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