Tuesday, December 24, 2013
Monday, December 23, 2013
DEFIANCE TO AUTHORITY DEFINED AS A MENTAL DISORDER
DISTURBING. DEFIANT? REMOVE ALL WEAPONS FROM HOME AND SHIP THEM TO AN AMERIGULAG FOR MEDICATING AND OBSERVATION..... NAH, IT WOULD NEVER HAPPEN...... I HAVE SAID FOR YEARS THAT TODAY'S RUSSIA WOULD BE MORE FREE THAN TOMORROW'S AMERIKA. FOLKS, IT IS HERE. WE WILL LARGELY WELCOME THE RUSSIANS AND CHINESE AS LIBERATORS FROM OUR OWN POS IN POWER.....
Friday, 20 December 2013 06:10
theunboundedspirit.comNonconformity and Freethinking Now Considered Mental Illnesses
Written by The Unbound Spirit
Is
nonconformity and freethinking a mental illness? According to the
newest addition of the DSM-IV (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of
Mental Disorders), it certainly is. The manual identifies a new mental
illness called “oppositional defiant disorder” or ODD. Defined as an
“ongoing pattern of disobedient, hostile and defiant behavior,” symptoms
include questioning authority, negativity, defiance, argumentativeness,
and being easily annoyed.
The
DSM-IV is the manual used by psychiatrists to diagnose mental illnesses
and, with each new edition, there are scores of new mental illnesses.
Are we becoming sicker? Is it getting harder to be mentally healthy?
Authors of the DSM-IV say that it’s because they’re better able to
identify these illnesses today. Critics charge that it’s because they
have too much time on their hands.
New
mental illnesses identified by the DSM-IV include arrogance,
narcissism, above-average creativity, cynicism, and antisocial behavior.
In the past, these were called “personality traits,” but now they’re
diseases.
And there are treatments available.
All
of this is a symptom of our over-diagnosing and overmedicating culture.
In the last 50 years, the DSM-IV has gone from 130 to 357 mental
illnesses. A majority of these illnesses afflict children. Although the
manual is an important diagnostic tool for the psychiatric industry, it
has also been responsible for social changes. The rise in ADD, bipolar
disorder, and depression in children has been largely because of the
manual’s identifying certain behaviors as symptoms. A Washington Post
article observed that, if Mozart were born today, he would be diagnosed
with ADD and “medicated into barren normality.”
According
to the DSM-IV, the diagnosis guidelines for identifying oppositional
defiant disorder are for children, but adults can just as easily suffer
from the disease. This should give any freethinking American reason for
worry.
The
Soviet Union used new “mental illnesses” for political repression.
People who didn’t accept the beliefs of the Communist Party developed a
new type of schizophrenia. They suffered from the delusion of believing
communism was wrong. They were isolated, forcefully medicated, and put
through repressive “therapy” to bring them back to sanity.
When
the last edition of the DSM-IV was published, identifying the symptoms
of various mental illnesses in children, there was a jump in the
diagnosis and medication of children. Some states have laws that allow
protective agencies to forcibly medicate, and even make it a punishable
crime to withhold medication. This paints a chilling picture for those
of us who are nonconformists.
Although
the authors of the manual claim no ulterior motives but simply better
diagnostic practices, the labeling of freethinking and nonconformity as
mental illnesses has a lot of potential for abuse. It can easily become a
weapon in the arsenal of a repressive state.
Sunday, December 22, 2013
SOME THOUGHTS ON THE TWO PROPHETS IN THE STREETS
I just had a random thought pop into my head.
The scriptures state that the two prophets will do their work from the middle period of the 7 year span. I have identified that middle point as March 22nd, 2013; the day BHO ascended Temple Mount and desecrated it as one who has been proclaimed a messiah of some sort (devil worshippers, maybe??) but a rainbow boy, nevertheless masquerading as a hetero boy and making life miserable for Christians and Jews everywhere. One who also has been trying to get the US majorly involved in the mess in Syria which will suck Russia and China in - and thus, Armageddon.....
So, if this is the case, we have to have two High Priests (read, Melchizedek Priesthood holders) over there doing their thing and delaying and obstructing the armies of the earth until they finally do break through and kill these two guys. Well, when it finally does happen, all the armies of the earth that are gathered against Jerusalem will drop their guard for three days and party of the final demise of these two guys. They will not be non-descript at that point - but everyone will have to be well-acquainted with them and their role in staying the rains in the heavens, causing general mayhem just as many of the ancients did, including Nephi and others in the Book of Mormon. At some point, they will be identified as being LDS. Instead of investigating the source of their power, and softening their hearts, they will begin to turn their hatred upon our (the LDS) heads and, that along with the stance on marriage and many other things we have held the line on, we will catch some serious hell for, as a people. I always thought that just holding an unpopular stance on traditional marriage was not enough to get the people to chase us from city to city.
HOWEVER, if the people world lose their source of food as the famine intensifies and the breadbasket of the nation dries up and blows away because these two have been chastising the nations using their power over the elements - and we see an up-tick in EQ activity and many other things, that is justification enough to bring the wrath of many down upon us. When the final elements of destruction hit Utah first (upon my house shall it begin) and then the rest of the nation and the earth for wanton disregard for what is good and right, then we will see this (un) civil action against our people. I can see it very clearly now.
One last thing - if they are working and doing their thing, where is the signature that they are operating in the earth? I have not seen any direct effects yet - but I do suppose that this fight which was really ready to boil over in Syria, seemed to simmer back down. Just as I think it must in order for Israel to not be overcome until the end of the assault in under three years from this point. No nation could withstand the assault of every other nation under heaven for 3.5 years running. I think the mess over there got tamped down precisely because those two are at work - behind the scenes at this point. I think there will be a "coming out" moment in the next year or two - and then the intense hatred for the people of God as the world finally has another scapegoat once again, in the LDS people.
Buckle up! It should be a fun ride that should turn the average disinterested person into a total news junkie.....
The scriptures state that the two prophets will do their work from the middle period of the 7 year span. I have identified that middle point as March 22nd, 2013; the day BHO ascended Temple Mount and desecrated it as one who has been proclaimed a messiah of some sort (devil worshippers, maybe??) but a rainbow boy, nevertheless masquerading as a hetero boy and making life miserable for Christians and Jews everywhere. One who also has been trying to get the US majorly involved in the mess in Syria which will suck Russia and China in - and thus, Armageddon.....
So, if this is the case, we have to have two High Priests (read, Melchizedek Priesthood holders) over there doing their thing and delaying and obstructing the armies of the earth until they finally do break through and kill these two guys. Well, when it finally does happen, all the armies of the earth that are gathered against Jerusalem will drop their guard for three days and party of the final demise of these two guys. They will not be non-descript at that point - but everyone will have to be well-acquainted with them and their role in staying the rains in the heavens, causing general mayhem just as many of the ancients did, including Nephi and others in the Book of Mormon. At some point, they will be identified as being LDS. Instead of investigating the source of their power, and softening their hearts, they will begin to turn their hatred upon our (the LDS) heads and, that along with the stance on marriage and many other things we have held the line on, we will catch some serious hell for, as a people. I always thought that just holding an unpopular stance on traditional marriage was not enough to get the people to chase us from city to city.
HOWEVER, if the people world lose their source of food as the famine intensifies and the breadbasket of the nation dries up and blows away because these two have been chastising the nations using their power over the elements - and we see an up-tick in EQ activity and many other things, that is justification enough to bring the wrath of many down upon us. When the final elements of destruction hit Utah first (upon my house shall it begin) and then the rest of the nation and the earth for wanton disregard for what is good and right, then we will see this (un) civil action against our people. I can see it very clearly now.
One last thing - if they are working and doing their thing, where is the signature that they are operating in the earth? I have not seen any direct effects yet - but I do suppose that this fight which was really ready to boil over in Syria, seemed to simmer back down. Just as I think it must in order for Israel to not be overcome until the end of the assault in under three years from this point. No nation could withstand the assault of every other nation under heaven for 3.5 years running. I think the mess over there got tamped down precisely because those two are at work - behind the scenes at this point. I think there will be a "coming out" moment in the next year or two - and then the intense hatred for the people of God as the world finally has another scapegoat once again, in the LDS people.
Buckle up! It should be a fun ride that should turn the average disinterested person into a total news junkie.....
SEXUAL HEALTH AND PROLACTIN
It sounds as if you are lactin prolactin in the body, it is not a good thing. Which reminds me, I still have to give my secret concoction recipe for "men's health"..... If I could be assured that only happily married people frequented this site, I would share a lot more in this arena - but I cannot, so I will not. I always hear men complaining that their wives are not - um - being frequent enough and I always tell them that its their fault and that they need treat their wives properly (like they did when they were courting) and to give them no excuse NOT to go for a rumble in the sheets. There are just a few basic tricks to revving the engine. But, this is the end of the world blog and not a sex advice column, so I return to the normal gloom and doom which is only good for getting everyone in the mood for end of the world whoopee - or for completely throwing cold water on the whole idea......
Here is the article:
In the new study, researchers looked at nearly 3,000 European men ages 40 to 79, and measured their testosterone and prolactin levels, body mass indexes (BMIs), and blood cholesterol and sugar levels. The participants filled out questionnaires about their general health, smoking, alcohol consumption and sexual functioning.
The results showed low prolactin was linked to several signs of poor sexual health, as well psychological health. Men with levels of prolactin that were lower than average, although still within the normal range, were more likely than men with higher levels to say their sexual function was getting worse, particularly their enjoyment of orgasm. They also had more symptoms of depression, the researchers said.
Low prolactin was also associated with higher BMI and blood sugar, lower levels of physical activity, and generally feeling unhealthier, according to the study published Oct. 29 in the Journal of Sexual Medicine.
Prolactin is best known for its importance in enabling women to produce breast milk after delivering a baby. During pregnancy and breast-feeding, prolactin levels are 10 to 20 times higher than at other times.
Men and non-pregnant women also produce prolactin, but it's not clear what the hormone does in these people. Studies have found that high prolactin levels in men are linked to low sexual desire and erectile dysfunction, and men suffering from such conditions are sometimes tested for high prolactin levels.
The new findings, however, are in contrast with the well-accepted idea that high prolactin levels are linked with men's sexual problems, the researchers said. In fact, the results suggest that prolactin might have a more positive, rather than negative, effect in initiating or maintaining male sexual behavior.
Some previous research supports the new finding, the researchers said. Two animal studies have shown that using drugs to increase prolactin levels in rats boosted their sexual behavior. And a brain-imaging study of men who looked at erotic pictures showed that higher levels of prolactin were associated with more activity in brain regions responding to sexual arousal.
However, it's still unclear how prolactin may facilitate men's sexual functioning, and the study doesn't prove a cause-and-effect relationship, the researchers said.
It is possible that low prolactin mirrors a change in the levels of signaling chemicals in the brain that regulate sexual behavior. It is also possible that overall poorer health is the underlying reason for low prolactin and lower sex drive, the researchers said.
Related content from LiveScience
Copyright 2013 LiveScience, a TechMediaNetwork company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Here is the article:
Men's sexual desire linked to prolactin levels
Nov. 20, 2013 at 2:45 PM ET
Sexual problems in men may be linked to low levels of the hormone prolactin,
according to a new study. The finding is perhaps surprising because experts have
traditionally thought prolactin, which stimulates breast development and milk
production in women, impairs men's sexual functioning at high levels.In the new study, researchers looked at nearly 3,000 European men ages 40 to 79, and measured their testosterone and prolactin levels, body mass indexes (BMIs), and blood cholesterol and sugar levels. The participants filled out questionnaires about their general health, smoking, alcohol consumption and sexual functioning.
The results showed low prolactin was linked to several signs of poor sexual health, as well psychological health. Men with levels of prolactin that were lower than average, although still within the normal range, were more likely than men with higher levels to say their sexual function was getting worse, particularly their enjoyment of orgasm. They also had more symptoms of depression, the researchers said.
Low prolactin was also associated with higher BMI and blood sugar, lower levels of physical activity, and generally feeling unhealthier, according to the study published Oct. 29 in the Journal of Sexual Medicine.
Prolactin is best known for its importance in enabling women to produce breast milk after delivering a baby. During pregnancy and breast-feeding, prolactin levels are 10 to 20 times higher than at other times.
Men and non-pregnant women also produce prolactin, but it's not clear what the hormone does in these people. Studies have found that high prolactin levels in men are linked to low sexual desire and erectile dysfunction, and men suffering from such conditions are sometimes tested for high prolactin levels.
The new findings, however, are in contrast with the well-accepted idea that high prolactin levels are linked with men's sexual problems, the researchers said. In fact, the results suggest that prolactin might have a more positive, rather than negative, effect in initiating or maintaining male sexual behavior.
Some previous research supports the new finding, the researchers said. Two animal studies have shown that using drugs to increase prolactin levels in rats boosted their sexual behavior. And a brain-imaging study of men who looked at erotic pictures showed that higher levels of prolactin were associated with more activity in brain regions responding to sexual arousal.
However, it's still unclear how prolactin may facilitate men's sexual functioning, and the study doesn't prove a cause-and-effect relationship, the researchers said.
It is possible that low prolactin mirrors a change in the levels of signaling chemicals in the brain that regulate sexual behavior. It is also possible that overall poorer health is the underlying reason for low prolactin and lower sex drive, the researchers said.
Related content from LiveScience
Copyright 2013 LiveScience, a TechMediaNetwork company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
UNBELIEVABLE NUMBERS
Folks, part of the function of this blog is to document the decline of America.
These numbers are NOT GOOD!
Michael Snyder
Activist Post
During 2013, America continued to steadily march down a self-destructive path toward oblivion. As a society, our debt levels are completely and totally out of control. Our financial system has been transformed into the largest casino on the entire planet and our big banks are behaving even more recklessly than they did just before the last financial crisis. We continue to see thousands of businesses and millions of jobs get shipped out of the United States, and the middle class is being absolutely eviscerated. Due to the lack of decent jobs, poverty is absolutely exploding. Government dependence is at an all-time high and crime is rising. Evidence of social and moral decay is seemingly everywhere, and our government appears to be going insane.
If we are going to have any hope of solving these problems, the American people need to take a long, hard look in the mirror and finally admit how bad things have actually become. If we all just blindly have faith that "everything is going to be okay", the consequences of decades of incredibly foolish decisions are going to absolutely blindside us and we will be absolutely devastated by the great crisis that is rapidly approaching. The United States is in a massive amount of trouble, and it is time that we all started facing the truth. The following are 83 numbers from 2013 that are almost too crazy to believe...
#1 Most people that hear this statistic do not believe that it is actually true, but right now an all-time record 102 million working age Americans do not have a job. That number has risen by about 27 million since the year 2000.
#2 Because of the lack of jobs, poverty is spreading like wildfire in the United States. According to the most recent numbers from the U.S. Census Bureau, an all-time record 49.2 percent of all Americans are receiving benefits from at least one government program each month.
#3 As society breaks down, the government feels a greater need than ever before to watch, monitor and track the population. For example, every single day the NSA intercepts and permanently stores close to 2 billion emails and phone calls in addition to a whole host of other data.
#4 The Bank for International Settlements says that total public and private debt levels around the globe are now 30 percent higher than they were back during the financial crisis of 2008.
#5 According to a recent World Bank report, private domestic debt in China has grown from 9 trillion dollars in 2008 to 23 trillion dollars today.
#6 In 1985, there were more than 18,000 banks in the United States. Today, there are only 6,891 left.
#7 The six largest banks in the United States (JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America, Citigroup, Wells Fargo, Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley) have collectively gotten 37 percent larger over the past five years.
#8 The U.S. banking system has 14.4 trillion dollars in total assets. The six largest banks now account for 67 percent of those assets and all of the other banks account for only 33 percent of those assets.
#9 JPMorgan Chase is roughly the size of the entire British economy.
#10 The five largest banks now account for 42 percent of all loans in the United States.
#11 Right now, four of the "too big to fail" banks each have total exposure to derivatives that is well in excess of 40 trillion dollars.
#12 The total exposure that Goldman Sachs has to derivatives contracts is more than 381 times greater than their total assets.
#13 According to the Bank for International Settlements, the global financial system has a total of 441 trillion dollars worth of exposure to interest rate derivatives.
#14 Through the end of November, approximately 365,000 Americans had signed up for Obamacare but approximately 4 million Americans had already lost their current health insurance policies because of Obamacare.
#15 It is being projected that up to 100 million more Americans could have their health insurance policies canceled by the time Obamacare is fully rolled out.
#16 At this point, 82.4 million Americans live in a home where at least one person is enrolled in the Medicaid program.
#17 It is has been estimated that Obamacare will add 21 million more Americans to the Medicaid rolls.
#18 It is being projected that health insurance premiums for healthy 30-year-old men will rise by an average of 260 percent under Obamacare.
#19 One couple down in Texas received a letter from their health insurance company that informed them that they were being hit with a 539 percent rate increase because of Obamacare.
#20 Back in 1999, 64.1 percent of all Americans were covered by employment-based health insurance. Today, only 54.9 percent of all Americans are covered by employment-based health insurance.
#21 The U.S. government has spent an astounding 3.7 trillion dollars on welfare programs over the past five years.
#22 Incredibly, 74 percent of all the wealth in the United States is owned by the wealthiest 10 percent of all Americans.
#23 According to Consumer Reports, the number of children in the United States taking antipsychotic drugs has nearly tripled over the past 15 years.
#24 The marriage rate in the United States has fallen to an all-time low. Right now it is sitting at a yearly rate of just 6.8 marriages per 1000 people.
#25 According to a shocking new study, the average American that turned 65 this year will receive $327,500 more in federal benefits than they paid in taxes over the course of their lifetimes.
#26 In just one week in December, a combined total of more than 2000 new cold temperature and snowfall records were set in the United States.
#27 According to the U.S. Census Bureau, median household income in the United States has fallen for five years in a row.
#28 The rate of homeownership in the United States has fallen for eight years in a row.
#29 Only 47 percent of all adults in America have a full-time job at this point.
#30 The unemployment rate in the eurozone recently hit a new all-time high of 12.2 percent.
#31 If you assume that the labor force participation rate in the U.S. is at the long-term average, the unemployment rate in the United States would actually be 11.5 percent instead of 7 percent.
#32 In November 2000, 64.3 percent of all working age Americans had a job. When Barack Obama first entered the White House, 60.6 percent of all working age Americans had a job. Today, only 58.6 percent of all working age Americans have a job.
#33 There are 1,148,000 fewer Americans working today than there was in November 2006. Meanwhile, our population has grown by more than 16 million people during that time frame.
#34 Only 19 percent of all Americans believe that the job market is better than it was a year ago.
#35 Just 14 percent of all Americans believe that the stock market will rise next year.
#36 According to CNBC, Pinterest is currently valued at more than 3 billion dollars even though it has never earned a profit.
#37 Twitter is a seven-year-old company that has never made a profit. It actually lost 64.6 million dollars last quarter. But according to the financial markets it is currently worth about 22 billion dollars.
#38 Right now, Facebook is trading at a valuation that is equivalent to approximately 100 years of earnings, and it is currently supposedly worth about 115 billion dollars.
#39 Total consumer credit has risen by a whopping 22 percent over the past three years.
#40 Student loans are up by an astounding 61 percent over the past three years.
#41 At this moment, there are 6 million Americans in the 16 to 24-year-old age group that are neither in school or working.
#42 The "inactivity rate" for men in their prime working years (25 to 54) has just hit a brand new all-time record high.
#43 It is hard to believe, but in America today one out of every ten jobs is now filled by a temp agency.
#44 Middle-wage jobs accounted for 60 percent of the jobs lost during the last recession, but they have accounted for only 22 percent of the jobs created since then.
#45 According to the Social Security Administration, 40 percent of all U.S. workers make less than $20,000 a year.
#46 Approximately one out of every four part-time workers in America is living below the poverty line.
#47 After accounting for inflation, 40 percent of all U.S. workers are making less than what a full-time minimum wage worker made back in 1968.
#48 When Barack Obama took office, the average duration of unemployment in this country was 19.8 weeks. Today, it is 37.2 weeks.
#49 Investors pulled an astounding 72 billion dollars out of bond mutual funds in 2013. It was the worst year for bond funds ever.
#50 Small business is rapidly dying in America. At this point, only about 7 percent of all non-farm workers in the United States are self-employed. That is an all-time record low.
#51 The six heirs of Wal-Mart founder Sam Walton have as much wealth as the bottom one-third of all Americans combined.
#52 Once January 1st hits, it will officially be illegal to manufacture or import traditional incandescent light bulbs in the United States. It is being projected that millions of Americans will attempt to stock up on the old light bulbs before they are totally gone from store shelves.
#53 The Japanese government has estimated that approximately 300 tons of highly radioactive water is being released into the Pacific Ocean from the destroyed Fukushima nuclear facility every single day.
#54 Back in 1967, the U.S. military had more than 31,000 strategic nuclear warheads. That number is already being cut down to 1,550, and now Barack Obama wants to reduce it to only about 1,000.
#55 As you read this, 60 percent of all children in Detroit are living in poverty and there are approximately 78,000 abandoned homes in the city.
#56 Wal-Mart recently opened up two new stores in Washington D.C., and more than 23,000 people applied for just 600 positions. That means that only about 2.6 percent of the applicants were ultimately hired. In comparison, Harvard offers admission to 6.1 percent of their applicants.
#57 At this point, almost half of all public school students in America come from low income homes.
#58 Tragically, there are 1.2 million students that attend public schools in the United States that are homeless. That number has risen by 72 percent since the start of the last recession.
#59 According to a Gallup poll that was recently released, 20.0 percent of all Americans did not have enough money to buy food that they or their families needed at some point over the past year. That is just under the all-time record of 20.4 percent that was set back in November 2008.
#60 The number of Americans on food stamps has grown from 17 million in the year 2000 to more than 47 million today.
#61 Right now, one out of every five households in the United States is on food stamps.
#62 The U.S. economy loses approximately 9,000 jobs for every 1 billion dollars of goods that are imported from overseas.
#63 Back in 1950, more than 80 percent of all men in the United States had jobs. Today, less than 65 percent of all men in the United States have jobs.
#64 According to one survey, approximately 75 percent of all American women do not have any interest in dating unemployed men.
#65 China exports 4 billion pounds of food to the United States every year.
#66 Overall, the United States has run a trade deficit of more than 8 trillion dollars with the rest of the world since 1975.
#67 The number of Americans on Social Security Disability now exceeds the entire population of Greece, and the number of Americans on food stamps now exceeds the entire population of Spain.
#68 It is being projected that the number of Americans on Social Security will rise from 57 million today to more than 100 million in 25 years.
#69 Back in 1970, the total amount of debt in the United States (government debt + business debt + consumer debt, etc.) was less than 2 trillion dollars. Today it is over 56 trillion dollars.
#70 Back on September 30th, 2012 our national debt was sitting at a total of 16.1 trillion dollars. Today, it is up to 17.2 trillion dollars.
#71 The U.S. government "rolled over" more than 7.5 trillion dollars of existing debt in fiscal 2013.
#72 If the U.S. national debt was reduced to a stack of one dollar bills it would circle the earth at the equator 45 times.
#73 When Barack Obama was first elected, the U.S. debt to GDP ratio was under 70 percent. Today, it is up to 101 percent.
#74 The U.S. national debt is on pace to more than double during the eight years of the Obama administration. In other words, under Barack Obama the U.S. government will accumulate more debt than it did under all of the other presidents in U.S. history combined.
#75 The federal government is borrowing (stealing) roughly 100 million dollars from our children and our grandchildren every single hour of every single day.
#76 At this point, the U.S. already has more government debt per capita than Greece, Portugal, Italy, Ireland or Spain.
#77 Japan now has a debt to GDP ratio of more than 211 percent.
#78 As of December 5th, 83 volcanic eruptions had been recorded around the planet so far this year. That is a new all-time record high.
#79 53 percent of all Americans do not have a 3 day supply of nonperishable food and water in their homes.
#80 Violent crime in the United States was up 15 percent last year.
#81 According to a very surprising survey that was recently conducted, 68 percent of all Americans believe that the country is currently on the wrong track.
#82 Back in 1972, 46 percent of all Americans believed that "most people can be trusted". Today, only 32 percent of all Americans believe that "most people can be trusted".
#83 According to a recent Pew Research survey, only 19 percent of all Americans trust the government. Back in 1958, 73 percent of all Americans trusted the government.
So do you have any numbers from 2013 that you would add to this list? If so, please feel free to share them by posting a comment below...
This article first appeared here at the Economic Collapse Blog. Michael Snyder is a writer, speaker and activist who writes and edits his own blogs The American Dream and Economic Collapse Blog. Follow him on Twitter here.
These numbers are NOT GOOD!
Tuesday, December 17, 2013
83 Numbers From 2013 That Are Almost Too Crazy To Believe
Michael SnyderActivist Post
During 2013, America continued to steadily march down a self-destructive path toward oblivion. As a society, our debt levels are completely and totally out of control. Our financial system has been transformed into the largest casino on the entire planet and our big banks are behaving even more recklessly than they did just before the last financial crisis. We continue to see thousands of businesses and millions of jobs get shipped out of the United States, and the middle class is being absolutely eviscerated. Due to the lack of decent jobs, poverty is absolutely exploding. Government dependence is at an all-time high and crime is rising. Evidence of social and moral decay is seemingly everywhere, and our government appears to be going insane.
If we are going to have any hope of solving these problems, the American people need to take a long, hard look in the mirror and finally admit how bad things have actually become. If we all just blindly have faith that "everything is going to be okay", the consequences of decades of incredibly foolish decisions are going to absolutely blindside us and we will be absolutely devastated by the great crisis that is rapidly approaching. The United States is in a massive amount of trouble, and it is time that we all started facing the truth. The following are 83 numbers from 2013 that are almost too crazy to believe...
#1 Most people that hear this statistic do not believe that it is actually true, but right now an all-time record 102 million working age Americans do not have a job. That number has risen by about 27 million since the year 2000.
#2 Because of the lack of jobs, poverty is spreading like wildfire in the United States. According to the most recent numbers from the U.S. Census Bureau, an all-time record 49.2 percent of all Americans are receiving benefits from at least one government program each month.
#3 As society breaks down, the government feels a greater need than ever before to watch, monitor and track the population. For example, every single day the NSA intercepts and permanently stores close to 2 billion emails and phone calls in addition to a whole host of other data.
#4 The Bank for International Settlements says that total public and private debt levels around the globe are now 30 percent higher than they were back during the financial crisis of 2008.
#5 According to a recent World Bank report, private domestic debt in China has grown from 9 trillion dollars in 2008 to 23 trillion dollars today.
#6 In 1985, there were more than 18,000 banks in the United States. Today, there are only 6,891 left.
#7 The six largest banks in the United States (JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America, Citigroup, Wells Fargo, Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley) have collectively gotten 37 percent larger over the past five years.
#8 The U.S. banking system has 14.4 trillion dollars in total assets. The six largest banks now account for 67 percent of those assets and all of the other banks account for only 33 percent of those assets.
#9 JPMorgan Chase is roughly the size of the entire British economy.
#10 The five largest banks now account for 42 percent of all loans in the United States.
#11 Right now, four of the "too big to fail" banks each have total exposure to derivatives that is well in excess of 40 trillion dollars.
#12 The total exposure that Goldman Sachs has to derivatives contracts is more than 381 times greater than their total assets.#13 According to the Bank for International Settlements, the global financial system has a total of 441 trillion dollars worth of exposure to interest rate derivatives.
#14 Through the end of November, approximately 365,000 Americans had signed up for Obamacare but approximately 4 million Americans had already lost their current health insurance policies because of Obamacare.
#15 It is being projected that up to 100 million more Americans could have their health insurance policies canceled by the time Obamacare is fully rolled out.
#16 At this point, 82.4 million Americans live in a home where at least one person is enrolled in the Medicaid program.
#17 It is has been estimated that Obamacare will add 21 million more Americans to the Medicaid rolls.
#18 It is being projected that health insurance premiums for healthy 30-year-old men will rise by an average of 260 percent under Obamacare.
#19 One couple down in Texas received a letter from their health insurance company that informed them that they were being hit with a 539 percent rate increase because of Obamacare.
#20 Back in 1999, 64.1 percent of all Americans were covered by employment-based health insurance. Today, only 54.9 percent of all Americans are covered by employment-based health insurance.
#21 The U.S. government has spent an astounding 3.7 trillion dollars on welfare programs over the past five years.
#22 Incredibly, 74 percent of all the wealth in the United States is owned by the wealthiest 10 percent of all Americans.
#23 According to Consumer Reports, the number of children in the United States taking antipsychotic drugs has nearly tripled over the past 15 years.
#24 The marriage rate in the United States has fallen to an all-time low. Right now it is sitting at a yearly rate of just 6.8 marriages per 1000 people.
#25 According to a shocking new study, the average American that turned 65 this year will receive $327,500 more in federal benefits than they paid in taxes over the course of their lifetimes.
#26 In just one week in December, a combined total of more than 2000 new cold temperature and snowfall records were set in the United States.
#27 According to the U.S. Census Bureau, median household income in the United States has fallen for five years in a row.
#28 The rate of homeownership in the United States has fallen for eight years in a row.
#29 Only 47 percent of all adults in America have a full-time job at this point.
#30 The unemployment rate in the eurozone recently hit a new all-time high of 12.2 percent.
#31 If you assume that the labor force participation rate in the U.S. is at the long-term average, the unemployment rate in the United States would actually be 11.5 percent instead of 7 percent.
#32 In November 2000, 64.3 percent of all working age Americans had a job. When Barack Obama first entered the White House, 60.6 percent of all working age Americans had a job. Today, only 58.6 percent of all working age Americans have a job.#33 There are 1,148,000 fewer Americans working today than there was in November 2006. Meanwhile, our population has grown by more than 16 million people during that time frame.
#34 Only 19 percent of all Americans believe that the job market is better than it was a year ago.
#35 Just 14 percent of all Americans believe that the stock market will rise next year.
#36 According to CNBC, Pinterest is currently valued at more than 3 billion dollars even though it has never earned a profit.
#37 Twitter is a seven-year-old company that has never made a profit. It actually lost 64.6 million dollars last quarter. But according to the financial markets it is currently worth about 22 billion dollars.
#38 Right now, Facebook is trading at a valuation that is equivalent to approximately 100 years of earnings, and it is currently supposedly worth about 115 billion dollars.
#39 Total consumer credit has risen by a whopping 22 percent over the past three years.
#40 Student loans are up by an astounding 61 percent over the past three years.
#41 At this moment, there are 6 million Americans in the 16 to 24-year-old age group that are neither in school or working.
#42 The "inactivity rate" for men in their prime working years (25 to 54) has just hit a brand new all-time record high.
#43 It is hard to believe, but in America today one out of every ten jobs is now filled by a temp agency.
#44 Middle-wage jobs accounted for 60 percent of the jobs lost during the last recession, but they have accounted for only 22 percent of the jobs created since then.
#45 According to the Social Security Administration, 40 percent of all U.S. workers make less than $20,000 a year.
#46 Approximately one out of every four part-time workers in America is living below the poverty line.
#47 After accounting for inflation, 40 percent of all U.S. workers are making less than what a full-time minimum wage worker made back in 1968.
#48 When Barack Obama took office, the average duration of unemployment in this country was 19.8 weeks. Today, it is 37.2 weeks.
#49 Investors pulled an astounding 72 billion dollars out of bond mutual funds in 2013. It was the worst year for bond funds ever.#50 Small business is rapidly dying in America. At this point, only about 7 percent of all non-farm workers in the United States are self-employed. That is an all-time record low.
#51 The six heirs of Wal-Mart founder Sam Walton have as much wealth as the bottom one-third of all Americans combined.
#52 Once January 1st hits, it will officially be illegal to manufacture or import traditional incandescent light bulbs in the United States. It is being projected that millions of Americans will attempt to stock up on the old light bulbs before they are totally gone from store shelves.
#53 The Japanese government has estimated that approximately 300 tons of highly radioactive water is being released into the Pacific Ocean from the destroyed Fukushima nuclear facility every single day.
#54 Back in 1967, the U.S. military had more than 31,000 strategic nuclear warheads. That number is already being cut down to 1,550, and now Barack Obama wants to reduce it to only about 1,000.
#55 As you read this, 60 percent of all children in Detroit are living in poverty and there are approximately 78,000 abandoned homes in the city.
#56 Wal-Mart recently opened up two new stores in Washington D.C., and more than 23,000 people applied for just 600 positions. That means that only about 2.6 percent of the applicants were ultimately hired. In comparison, Harvard offers admission to 6.1 percent of their applicants.
#57 At this point, almost half of all public school students in America come from low income homes.
#58 Tragically, there are 1.2 million students that attend public schools in the United States that are homeless. That number has risen by 72 percent since the start of the last recession.
#59 According to a Gallup poll that was recently released, 20.0 percent of all Americans did not have enough money to buy food that they or their families needed at some point over the past year. That is just under the all-time record of 20.4 percent that was set back in November 2008.
#60 The number of Americans on food stamps has grown from 17 million in the year 2000 to more than 47 million today.
#61 Right now, one out of every five households in the United States is on food stamps.
#62 The U.S. economy loses approximately 9,000 jobs for every 1 billion dollars of goods that are imported from overseas.
#63 Back in 1950, more than 80 percent of all men in the United States had jobs. Today, less than 65 percent of all men in the United States have jobs.
#64 According to one survey, approximately 75 percent of all American women do not have any interest in dating unemployed men.
#65 China exports 4 billion pounds of food to the United States every year.
#66 Overall, the United States has run a trade deficit of more than 8 trillion dollars with the rest of the world since 1975.
#67 The number of Americans on Social Security Disability now exceeds the entire population of Greece, and the number of Americans on food stamps now exceeds the entire population of Spain.
#68 It is being projected that the number of Americans on Social Security will rise from 57 million today to more than 100 million in 25 years.
#69 Back in 1970, the total amount of debt in the United States (government debt + business debt + consumer debt, etc.) was less than 2 trillion dollars. Today it is over 56 trillion dollars.
#70 Back on September 30th, 2012 our national debt was sitting at a total of 16.1 trillion dollars. Today, it is up to 17.2 trillion dollars.
#71 The U.S. government "rolled over" more than 7.5 trillion dollars of existing debt in fiscal 2013.#72 If the U.S. national debt was reduced to a stack of one dollar bills it would circle the earth at the equator 45 times.
#73 When Barack Obama was first elected, the U.S. debt to GDP ratio was under 70 percent. Today, it is up to 101 percent.
#74 The U.S. national debt is on pace to more than double during the eight years of the Obama administration. In other words, under Barack Obama the U.S. government will accumulate more debt than it did under all of the other presidents in U.S. history combined.
#75 The federal government is borrowing (stealing) roughly 100 million dollars from our children and our grandchildren every single hour of every single day.
#76 At this point, the U.S. already has more government debt per capita than Greece, Portugal, Italy, Ireland or Spain.
#77 Japan now has a debt to GDP ratio of more than 211 percent.
#78 As of December 5th, 83 volcanic eruptions had been recorded around the planet so far this year. That is a new all-time record high.
#79 53 percent of all Americans do not have a 3 day supply of nonperishable food and water in their homes.
#80 Violent crime in the United States was up 15 percent last year.
#81 According to a very surprising survey that was recently conducted, 68 percent of all Americans believe that the country is currently on the wrong track.
#82 Back in 1972, 46 percent of all Americans believed that "most people can be trusted". Today, only 32 percent of all Americans believe that "most people can be trusted".
#83 According to a recent Pew Research survey, only 19 percent of all Americans trust the government. Back in 1958, 73 percent of all Americans trusted the government.
So do you have any numbers from 2013 that you would add to this list? If so, please feel free to share them by posting a comment below...
This article first appeared here at the Economic Collapse Blog. Michael Snyder is a writer, speaker and activist who writes and edits his own blogs The American Dream and Economic Collapse Blog. Follow him on Twitter here.
Saturday, December 21, 2013
POWER GRID COLLAPSE MAP
Wow - many great things on the web tonight.
If you live in a population center, it would be well to have a plan for this scenario:
If you live in a population center, it would be well to have a plan for this scenario:
Map: Areas Of Probable Power System Collapse: “130 Million Lacking Power For Several Years”
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In just the last twelve months Congressional members and top
level administrators at the Department of Homeland Security have warned
of threats to the national power grid so serious that should they occur
life in America as we have come to know it would change almost
instantly.
Former DHS head Janet Napolitano, in a letter to her successor, advised that “a massive and serious cyber attack” on the US Homeland is imminent and that a “natural disaster — the likes of which the nation has never seen — is also likely on its way.” This was followed up by a comment from House Homeland Security Committee senior member Yvette Clarke (D-NY) who noted that, “the likelihood of a severe geo-magnetic event capable of crippling our electric grid is 100%.”
Couple those threats with the realistic possibility of a rogue or state-sponsored attack on America by way of a super electro-magnetic pulse weapon, and the odds of a widespread American Blackout increase dramatically.
With our complete dependence on the power grid to maintain the regular flow of commerce, communications, and emergency services, even a short-term grid-down event could lead to serious consequences.
According to a report commissioned by the Department of Homeland Security which cites data from the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, the infrastructure supporting our power grid is so outdated and vulnerable that an attack or natural disaster could lead to an outage scenario of unprecedented scale.
If you live in or around any of these areas you can expect a societal breakdown within 72 hours or less – and with traffic systems inoperable and roadways likely jammed, there’ll likely be no way out.
As noted by The Daily Sheeple:
Based on previous studies, we know that out of those 130 million people east of the Mississippi who would be affected by such an outage, 117 million would be dead within a year.
Unless you have nearly unlimited financial resources, stockpiling supplies for a four to ten year grid down scenario is pretty much out of the question. But you can take the brunt of that first year and beyond if you prepare ahead of time.
Former DHS head Janet Napolitano, in a letter to her successor, advised that “a massive and serious cyber attack” on the US Homeland is imminent and that a “natural disaster — the likes of which the nation has never seen — is also likely on its way.” This was followed up by a comment from House Homeland Security Committee senior member Yvette Clarke (D-NY) who noted that, “the likelihood of a severe geo-magnetic event capable of crippling our electric grid is 100%.”
Couple those threats with the realistic possibility of a rogue or state-sponsored attack on America by way of a super electro-magnetic pulse weapon, and the odds of a widespread American Blackout increase dramatically.
With our complete dependence on the power grid to maintain the regular flow of commerce, communications, and emergency services, even a short-term grid-down event could lead to serious consequences.
According to a report commissioned by the Department of Homeland Security which cites data from the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, the infrastructure supporting our power grid is so outdated and vulnerable that an attack or natural disaster could lead to an outage scenario of unprecedented scale.
If you live in or around any of these areas you can expect a societal breakdown within 72 hours or less – and with traffic systems inoperable and roadways likely jammed, there’ll likely be no way out.
The core of our grid – what makes it tick –
are the transformers that pass power from one node to the next. These
often weigh in the hundreds of tons. Most are no longer produced in the
United States, so any damage would require the importation of parts or
complete units from China. If one or two go down, the outage is
manageable. But a cascading collapse resulting from extreme electrical surges
across our power lines, such as those originating from an EMP attack or
solar flare, could result in scores of transformers being put out of
service simultaneously.
There are roughly 300 of these mega-transformers that make up the
backbone of America’s electrical infrastructure. At current world
production rates it could take anywhere from 12 – 18 months to manufacture and deliver a new unit if it is destroyed.As noted by The Daily Sheeple:
The report has generated great interest in government and the public, largely owing to the projected scenario of catastrophic damage, including:
- More than 300 EHV transformers destroyed
- 130 million people lacking power for several years until damaged high-voltage transformers are replaced
- 1-2 trillion dollars of economic loss.
All things considered, the restoration of power across the United States in such a scenario would be 4 to 10 years.
Chris Carrington of The Daily Sheeple highlights the fall-out and what we can expect if the threat to our power grid is ever realized:
We have become so reliant on electricity in the last 200 years, it’s difficult to imagine life without it. Those who rely on refrigerated medications would be hard hit within hours of the power going off, as would those who rely on regular oxygen cylinder deliveries to their homes.We know it would be mere days before panic, looting and rioting took hold. Law and order would fall apart.
The usual back up power in hospitals is 72 hours. After that life support machines and operating rooms will cease to function.
Pumps at gas stations will no longer dispense fuel affecting everything from the family car to the food supply.
Water treatment and pumping stations will cease to function, again this will affect a wide range of services we take for granted, drinking water, sanitation and even firefighting will be limited or non-existant for millions. Contestation over water in lakes and rivers will be a source of ongoing conflict for years after the event.
Many factories that make parts for transformers will not be able to do so, leaving the United States at the mercy of foreign powers for transformers and parts. (If those countries have not been affected by the event themselves.)
The very fabric of the only society we know will come to a grinding halt within a week of the grid going down.
Based on previous studies, we know that out of those 130 million people east of the Mississippi who would be affected by such an outage, 117 million would be dead within a year.
Unless you have nearly unlimited financial resources, stockpiling supplies for a four to ten year grid down scenario is pretty much out of the question. But you can take the brunt of that first year and beyond if you prepare ahead of time.
WOOHOO! CRUDE OIL FROM ALGAE/BIOMASS IN MINUTES!
I am WAY into alternative fuels. This news is just awesome! It would be awesome to throw the grass clippings into one of these (future) biomass reactors in your garage at the end of the week after mowing the lawn and pump diesel into your fuel tank before you went to work the next morning. I have a vsion......
Genifuel Corp., a biofuels company from Utah, has licensed the technology and is attempting to utilize the process on a larger, industrial scale.
In a press release, PNNL described, "In the PNNL process, a slurry of wet algae is pumped into the front end of a chemical reactor. Once the system is up and running, out comes crude oil in less than an hour, along with water and a byproduct stream of material containing phosphorus that can be recycled to grow more algae."
The press release also noted that "conventional refining" is then capable of taking the man-made crude oil and turning it into usable biofuels. PNNL notes that the man-made crude can be made into "aviation fuel, gasoline, or diesel fuel."
PNNL also feels that its process has eliminated the high cost of other algae-based biofuels processes.
"Cost is the big roadblock for algae-based fuel," said Douglas Elliott, leader of the PNNL research team. "We believe that the process we've created will help make algae biofuels much more economical."
The biggest cost-saving aspect of the new process is that the PNNL team figured out how to use wet algae, whereas most other formulas require the algae to be in a dry form.
"Not having to dry the algae is a big win in this process; that cuts the cost a great deal. Then there are bonuses, like being able to extract usable gas from the water and then recycle the remaining water and nutrients to help grow more algae, which further reduces costs," Elliot said.
Another exciting development in this new process is that the system works continuously. Other attempts created biofuels in single batches, but this new process works more like an assembly line in a continuously moving and producing system.
The new process also dispenses with the use of toxic chemicals and solvents to separate the energy-rich oils from the algae. The process uses high heat and pressure instead.
"It's a bit like using a pressure cooker, only the pressures and temperatures we use are much higher," Elliott said. "In a sense, we are duplicating the process in the Earth that converted algae into oil over the course of millions of years. We're just doing it much, much faster."
Perhaps it won't be long before humanity manufacturing its own oil eliminates the question of whether to drill the earth for it.
Geek Oil: Scientists Manufacture Biofuel from Algae in Minutes
A new scientific discovery that takes algae and turns it into crude oil in minutes rather than millions of years could be the end of constant worries over "peak oil."
Engineers at the Department of Energy's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) announced that they have created a process that takes an enriched stew of algae and turns it into crude oil which, in turn, can be made into a usable bio-fuel. The development was announced in a recent issue of the journal Algal Research.Genifuel Corp., a biofuels company from Utah, has licensed the technology and is attempting to utilize the process on a larger, industrial scale.
In a press release, PNNL described, "In the PNNL process, a slurry of wet algae is pumped into the front end of a chemical reactor. Once the system is up and running, out comes crude oil in less than an hour, along with water and a byproduct stream of material containing phosphorus that can be recycled to grow more algae."
The press release also noted that "conventional refining" is then capable of taking the man-made crude oil and turning it into usable biofuels. PNNL notes that the man-made crude can be made into "aviation fuel, gasoline, or diesel fuel."
PNNL also feels that its process has eliminated the high cost of other algae-based biofuels processes.
"Cost is the big roadblock for algae-based fuel," said Douglas Elliott, leader of the PNNL research team. "We believe that the process we've created will help make algae biofuels much more economical."
The biggest cost-saving aspect of the new process is that the PNNL team figured out how to use wet algae, whereas most other formulas require the algae to be in a dry form.
"Not having to dry the algae is a big win in this process; that cuts the cost a great deal. Then there are bonuses, like being able to extract usable gas from the water and then recycle the remaining water and nutrients to help grow more algae, which further reduces costs," Elliot said.
Another exciting development in this new process is that the system works continuously. Other attempts created biofuels in single batches, but this new process works more like an assembly line in a continuously moving and producing system.
The new process also dispenses with the use of toxic chemicals and solvents to separate the energy-rich oils from the algae. The process uses high heat and pressure instead.
"It's a bit like using a pressure cooker, only the pressures and temperatures we use are much higher," Elliott said. "In a sense, we are duplicating the process in the Earth that converted algae into oil over the course of millions of years. We're just doing it much, much faster."
Perhaps it won't be long before humanity manufacturing its own oil eliminates the question of whether to drill the earth for it.
OUR FLAMER-IN-CHIEF IS AT IT ONCE AGAIN
What a freak! I despise this individual (not going to call him a man....) with every fiber of my being. I know what he is doing. I know what he stands for. I know his past - I know the future he desires for this country. He is the anti-Christ, working to tear down the last true bastion of freedom in the world and, while we may not be able to stop him in his work (though I would love a shot at it....), we must oppose him, or we stain ourselves and identify ourselves as being on his side, which would be implied by our silence. Silence is complicity!
I hate to even give the vile creature any airtime, but people have to know what is going on:
In another idiotic move by the moron who occupies the White
House, Obama will not be attending the opening ceremonies of the Olympic
Games in Russia. Instead, he is sending a LGBT (Lesbian, Gay,
Bi-Sexual, and Transgender) contingent to represent the United States on
opening day. What about the athletes who aren’t homosexual? Once again
our president shows the entire world just where his loyalties lie and
they do not mirror those of the majority of Americans, but a minute
percent of his voter base. LGBT’s are not (as they claim) ten
percent or more of our population, but are instead between one and two
percent. You see, that’s how they do things, they have to lie to enlist
other’s to side with them, because God forbid they tell the truth about
the degeneracy of their lifestyle, it would scare the liberal “useful
idiots” to death! Contrary to what the media is telling you about
homosexuality, it is not “normal and healthy” behavior, it is in fact the exact opposite.
As far as Obama is concerned, supporting homosexuals is another end to justify the means in his crusade to fundamentally transform America. Here is something I want you to read and it concerns the ways about how things have shifted in this nation since his being elected as president. You are about to read a list of 45 goals that found their way down the halls of our great Capitol back in 1963. As you read this, 50 years later, you should be shocked by the events that have played themselves out. The items on this list are a blueprint for the communist overthrow of the United States. After reading the list, see how many things on it that have already come to pass. Some of the items are a bit antiquated since the unification of East and West Germany and the fall of the Soviet Union, but remember, these are communist ideals that still hold true to this very day.
It’s right here in black and white for all to see folks. Can we stop this, or is it too late? Yes, I believe we can, but it will take courage and a maximum effort on your part to do so. It has to begin with the 2014 elections. Those are where we must draw a line in the sand. Those elections are crucial, because if Democrats win and retake the House, all is lost.
Are you getting the picture now?
I hate to even give the vile creature any airtime, but people have to know what is going on:
Obama Sends Openly Homosexual Delegation to Russian Olympic Games – Advances Communist Goal #26
Obama Sends Openly Homosexual Delegation to Russian Olympic Games – Advances Communist Goal #26
As far as Obama is concerned, supporting homosexuals is another end to justify the means in his crusade to fundamentally transform America. Here is something I want you to read and it concerns the ways about how things have shifted in this nation since his being elected as president. You are about to read a list of 45 goals that found their way down the halls of our great Capitol back in 1963. As you read this, 50 years later, you should be shocked by the events that have played themselves out. The items on this list are a blueprint for the communist overthrow of the United States. After reading the list, see how many things on it that have already come to pass. Some of the items are a bit antiquated since the unification of East and West Germany and the fall of the Soviet Union, but remember, these are communist ideals that still hold true to this very day.
- U.S. acceptance of coexistence as the only alternative to atomic war.
- U.S. willingness to capitulate in preference to engaging in atomic war.
- Develop the illusion that total disarmament [by] the United States would be a demonstration of moral strength.
- Permit free trade between all nations regardless of Communist affiliation and regardless of whether or not items could be used for war.
- Extension of long-term loans to Russia and Soviet satellites.
- Provide American aid to all nations regardless of Communist domination.
- Grant recognition of Red China. Admission of Red China to the U.N.
- Set up East and West Germany as separate states in spite of Khrushchev’s promise in 1955 to settle the German question by free elections under supervision of the U.N.
- Prolong the conferences to ban atomic tests because the United States has agreed to suspend tests as long as negotiations are in progress.
- Allow all Soviet satellites individual representation in the U.N.
- Promote the U.N. as the only hope for mankind. If its charter is rewritten, demand that it be set up as a one-world government with its own independent armed forces. (Some Communist leaders believe the world can be taken over as easily by the U.N. as by Moscow. Sometimes these two centers compete with each other as they are now doing in the Congo.)
- Resist any attempt to outlaw the Communist Party.
- Do away with all loyalty oaths.
- Continue giving Russia access to the U.S. Patent Office.
- Capture one or both of the political parties in the United States.
- Use technical decisions of the courts to weaken basic American institutions by claiming their activities violate civil rights.
- Get control of the schools. Use them as transmission belts for socialism and current Communist propaganda. Soften the curriculum. Get control of teachers’ associations. Put the party line in textbooks.
- Gain control of all student newspapers.
- Use student riots to foment public protests against programs or organizations which are under Communist attack.
- Infiltrate the press. Get control of book-review assignments, editorial writing, policy making positions.
- Gain control of key positions in radio, TV, and motion pictures.
- Continue discrediting American culture by degrading all forms of artistic expression. An American Communist cell was told to “eliminate all good sculpture from parks and buildings, substitute shapeless, awkward and meaningless forms.”
- Control art critics and directors of art museums. “Our plan is to promote ugliness, repulsive, meaningless art.”
- Eliminate all laws governing obscenity by calling them “censorship” and a violation of free speech and free press.
- Break down cultural standards of morality by promoting pornography and obscenity in books, magazines, motion pictures, radio, and TV.
- Present homosexuality, degeneracy and promiscuity as “normal, natural, healthy.”
- Infiltrate the churches and replace revealed religion with “social” religion. Discredit the Bible and emphasize the need for intellectual maturity which does not need a “religious crutch.”
- Eliminate prayer or any phase of religious expression in the schools on the ground that it violates the principle of “separation of church and state.”
- Discredit the American Constitution by calling it inadequate, old-fashioned, out of step with modern needs, a hindrance to cooperation between nations on a worldwide basis.
- Discredit the American Founding Fathers. Present them as selfish aristocrats who had no concern for the “common man.”
- Belittle all forms of American culture and discourage the teaching of American history on the ground that it was only a minor part of the “big picture.” Give more emphasis to Russian history since the Communists took over.
- Support any socialist movement to give centralized control over any part of the culture–education, social agencies, welfare programs, mental health clinics, etc.
- Eliminate all laws or procedures which interfere with the operation of the Communist apparatus.
- Eliminate the House Committee on Un-American Activities.
- Discredit and eventually dismantle the FBI.
- Infiltrate and gain control of more unions.
- Infiltrate and gain control of big business.
- Transfer some of the powers of arrest from the police to social agencies. Treat all behavioral problems as psychiatric disorders which no one but psychiatrists can understand [or treat].
- Dominate the psychiatric profession and use mental health laws as a means of gaining coercive control over those who oppose Communist goals.
- Discredit the family as an institution. Encourage promiscuity and easy divorce.
- Emphasize the need to raise children away from the negative influence of parents. Attribute prejudices, mental blocks and retarding of children to suppressive influence of parents.
- Create the impression that violence and insurrection are legitimate aspects of the American tradition; that students and special-interest groups should rise up and use ["]united force["] to solve economic, political or social problems.
- Overthrow all colonial governments before native populations are ready for self-government.
- Internationalize the Panama Canal.
- Repeal the Connally reservation so the United States cannot prevent the World Court from seizing jurisdiction [over domestic problems. Give the World Court jurisdiction] over nations and individuals alike.
- Import anti-white racists from the Third World, via an open-borders policy, then force their integration to divide and conquer white Western civilization in North America.
- Feminize and disarm both the citizenry and military; especially disarm white males.
It’s right here in black and white for all to see folks. Can we stop this, or is it too late? Yes, I believe we can, but it will take courage and a maximum effort on your part to do so. It has to begin with the 2014 elections. Those are where we must draw a line in the sand. Those elections are crucial, because if Democrats win and retake the House, all is lost.
Are you getting the picture now?
VITAMIN D AND AUTISM LINK??
Wow - this is a major worry for parents who are in the child bearing stage. There is a second page for those that are more interested in this topic:
LINK TO THE ORIGINAL ARTICLE
I (John Cannell, MD) recently learned that I have the Broad Autism Phenotype, or what some people call mild autism.
Learning about this was like “coming out of the closet.” It explains so
much of myself to me, especially my tendency to get obsessed with
things. For the last 11 years, I have been obsessed with vitamin D and for the last four years, I have been obsessed with vitamin D and autism.
I first became interested in vitamin D when I learned it is not a vitamin. Instead, it is the only known substrate of a seco-steroid neurohormone that functions, like all steroids, by turning genes “on” and “off”. That means it has as many different mechanisms of action as it does genes it regulates. Moreover, vitamin D regulates hundreds, if not thousands, of the 21,000 identified coding genes of the human genome.1-3
Over the past few years, evidence has been mounting that vitamin D is involved in the autism epidemic.
In 2008, I first published4 and later extended5 epidemiological and animal data connecting vitamin D deficiency with autism. My second article is open access, discusses some of the autism/vitamin D evidence, and can be fully accessed at: www.lef.org/autism.
In 2009, Life Extension® Magazine published a detailed description of the theory.6
In 2009, Emily Deans, MD, wrote an extensive piece in Psychology Today outlining the theory of the connection between autism and vitamin D.7
In 2009, Scientific American asked, “What if vitamin D deficiency is a cause of autism?”8
In 2010, Kinney and colleagues at Harvard endorsed the vitamin D connection to autism.9
In 2012, Kocˇovská and colleagues, with senior author Professor Christopher Gillberg of the Gillberg Neuropsychiatric Institute in Sweden, reviewed the evidence supporting the vitamin D connection to autism and called for “urgent research” into the connection.10
For the last year, I have been helping parents of autistic children correct their child’s vitamin D deficiency. My very preliminary and unscientific impressions are that if the child takes enough vitamin D (as long as they take enough cofactors with the vitamin D), about 25% of the parents report dramatic improvements in their child’s autistic symptoms, about 50% of parents report significant improvements, and 25% of parents report no change.
How could vitamin D help autism, a condition that is highly genetic? Research has demonstrated that vitamin D has multiple mechanisms of action, many of which have been demonstrated to play a role in autism. Let’s take a look at four:
Some believe that autism is a disease of neuro-inflammation.11,12 According to scientific research vitamin D has profound anti-inflammatory actions.13 Experimental
models show both direct and indirect anti-inflammatory effects of
vitamin D involving both arms of the immune system (innate immunity and
adaptive immunity).14,15
Recent research reveals that activated vitamin D exhibits multiple anti-inflammatory effects.16 For example, vitamin D inhibits the synthesis and biological actions of pro-inflammatory prostaglandins, which are elevated in autism.16-18 Vitamin D also exerts anti-inflammatory activity through the inhibition of nuclear factor-kappa B, which is involved in abnormal signaling in autistic brains.19,20
Could vitamin D help autistic children by reducing inflammation?
A recent study found that the level of one anti-neural autoantibody (anti-MAG) was elevated in 70% of patients with autism.26 The study found that higher levels of anti-Mag were associated with significantly lower levels of vitamin D.26 In the same study, low serum levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D were significantly associated with higher scores on an autism diagnostic assessment known as the Childhood Autism Rating Scale, indicating increasing severity of autismsymptoms.26
Could vitamin D help autistic children by reducing the blood levels of autoantibodies in autistic children?
Could vitamin D help autistic children by increasing neurotrophins and thus help a damaged brain develop properly?
Other research teams have reported that recent gene profiling has revealed several more antioxidants whose genes are directly upregulated by vitamin D.34 This includes thioredoxin reductase 1 and superoxide dismutase, both of which function as antioxidants and detoxification agents.
Could vitamin D help autistic children by upregulating numerous antioxidants?
However, such a claim is entirely theoretical. There are no randomized controlled trials, no open label trials, no case series, and not even one published case report of vitamin D helping autism.
Even though there are no studies proving the benefits of vitamin D in autism specifically, the proven safety and benefits of vitamin D, added together with the fact that vitamin D has been shown to have a beneficial effect on many of the mechanisms of action that underlie autism, make vitamin D a smart option for children with autism.
Parents who want to try it should thoroughly understand that no evidence, other than theoretical, exists for such an effect.
For parents who want to proceed on their own, the key to success is
obtaining high physiological 25-hydroxyvitamin D blood levels around 80 ng/mL (the same levels that are obtained by lifeguards in August).
As all studies show that autistic children are low in vitamin D, getting a 25-hydroxyvitamin D blood test to start is usually unnecessary.
The first step is simply to give your child 50 IU of vitamin D3 per pound of body weight per day. Liquid vitamin D is available from several sources.
So a 25-pound child would be started on 1,250 IU each day of D3, a 50-pound child on 2,500 IU each day, etc. This dose will usually result in mid-range physiological 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels (40-60 ng/mL), although some children may obtain higher physiological levels (60-70 ng/mL) on this dose.
The child should also be started on vitamin D’s cofactors, such as vitamin K2 (3 mcg per pound of body weight) and nutrients in a multi-nutrient powder formula. If Life Extension Mix™ powder is used, ½ a scoop for every 25 pounds of body weight can be blended in juice or a smoothie. The roughly 700 IU of vitamin D3 in one scoop of powder will help raise vitamin D levels.
After three months on the initial vitamin D dose, obtain another 25-hydroxyvitamin D blood test. If the 25-hydroxyvitamin D level is by any chance over 80 ng/mL, then the child’s dose is adequate and nothing else needs to be done but to hopefully watch for improvements in core symptoms.
If 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels remain below 80 ng/mL, then a proportional dose increase of 25 IU vitamin D3 per pound of body weight is indicated. For example, a 25-pound child on 1,250 IU a day would increase to 1,875 IU a day, and a 50 pound child on 2,500 IU a day would increase to 3,750 IU a day.
In three more months, obtain another 25-hydroxyvitamin D test and adjust doses accordingly. If 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels exceed 100 ng/mL , simply reduce the dose by 10% for every 10 ng/mL the test is above 100 ng/mL.
Levels above 100 ng/mL do not mean “toxicity” as “toxicity” (asymptomatic hypercalcemia) is rare with 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels below 200 ng/mL, and 200 ng/mL is very difficult to obtain.35 If these high doses make you nervous, have your child’s blood calcium level checked, and you will see your child’s calcium level is not high (over 10.5 mg/dL).
Keep adjusting the dose every three months based on vitamin D levels. It is important that you test for serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D and not 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D. For children who do not tolerate venipuncture, an accurate blood spot test requiring only a finger prick is available at www.vitamindcouncil.org.
For optimal absorption, give your child vitamin D during the meal of the day that contains the most fats. This may produce the optimal 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels suggested at the beginning of this section without having to resort to higher dosing.
As I said above, my very rough estimation is that around 75% of autistic children seem to respond at least somewhat to higher doses of vitamin D after levels are around 80 ng/mL.
LINK TO THE ORIGINAL ARTICLE
Life Extension Magazine
Life Extension Magazine January 2014
Autism and Vitamin D
By John Cannell, MD
I first became interested in vitamin D when I learned it is not a vitamin. Instead, it is the only known substrate of a seco-steroid neurohormone that functions, like all steroids, by turning genes “on” and “off”. That means it has as many different mechanisms of action as it does genes it regulates. Moreover, vitamin D regulates hundreds, if not thousands, of the 21,000 identified coding genes of the human genome.1-3
Over the past few years, evidence has been mounting that vitamin D is involved in the autism epidemic.
In 2008, I first published4 and later extended5 epidemiological and animal data connecting vitamin D deficiency with autism. My second article is open access, discusses some of the autism/vitamin D evidence, and can be fully accessed at: www.lef.org/autism.
In 2009, Life Extension® Magazine published a detailed description of the theory.6
In 2009, Emily Deans, MD, wrote an extensive piece in Psychology Today outlining the theory of the connection between autism and vitamin D.7
In 2009, Scientific American asked, “What if vitamin D deficiency is a cause of autism?”8
In 2010, Kinney and colleagues at Harvard endorsed the vitamin D connection to autism.9
In 2012, Kocˇovská and colleagues, with senior author Professor Christopher Gillberg of the Gillberg Neuropsychiatric Institute in Sweden, reviewed the evidence supporting the vitamin D connection to autism and called for “urgent research” into the connection.10
For the last year, I have been helping parents of autistic children correct their child’s vitamin D deficiency. My very preliminary and unscientific impressions are that if the child takes enough vitamin D (as long as they take enough cofactors with the vitamin D), about 25% of the parents report dramatic improvements in their child’s autistic symptoms, about 50% of parents report significant improvements, and 25% of parents report no change.
How could vitamin D help autism, a condition that is highly genetic? Research has demonstrated that vitamin D has multiple mechanisms of action, many of which have been demonstrated to play a role in autism. Let’s take a look at four:
Anti-Inflammatory Actions
Recent research reveals that activated vitamin D exhibits multiple anti-inflammatory effects.16 For example, vitamin D inhibits the synthesis and biological actions of pro-inflammatory prostaglandins, which are elevated in autism.16-18 Vitamin D also exerts anti-inflammatory activity through the inhibition of nuclear factor-kappa B, which is involved in abnormal signaling in autistic brains.19,20
Could vitamin D help autistic children by reducing inflammation?
Autoimmune Actions
There are at least 80 recognized human autoimmune diseases with new diseases frequently added to the list.21 A number of autoantibodies to the brain have been identified in autistic children, causing some to believe that many cases of autism are autoimmune.22,23 Furthermore, the levels of such antibodies are directly associated with the severity of autism.24,25A recent study found that the level of one anti-neural autoantibody (anti-MAG) was elevated in 70% of patients with autism.26 The study found that higher levels of anti-Mag were associated with significantly lower levels of vitamin D.26 In the same study, low serum levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D were significantly associated with higher scores on an autism diagnostic assessment known as the Childhood Autism Rating Scale, indicating increasing severity of autismsymptoms.26
Could vitamin D help autistic children by reducing the blood levels of autoantibodies in autistic children?
Neurotrophins
Neurotrophins are the family of proteins that induce the development, function, and survival of nerve and brain cells. Vitamin D upregulates neurotrophins, such as NGF (nerve growth factor) and GDNF (glial-derived neurotropic factor), up to fivefold.27-29Could vitamin D help autistic children by increasing neurotrophins and thus help a damaged brain develop properly?
Antioxidants
Several research groups report that vitamin D upregulates the antioxidant glutathione in the brain.30,31 Glutathione is involved in the brain detoxification process because it participates in the scavenging of oxidative byproducts and the chelation (capture and excretion) of heavy metals.31-33 Glutathione protects nerve cells and nerve conduction critical to mental processing, especially from toxins such as mercury.33Other research teams have reported that recent gene profiling has revealed several more antioxidants whose genes are directly upregulated by vitamin D.34 This includes thioredoxin reductase 1 and superoxide dismutase, both of which function as antioxidants and detoxification agents.
Could vitamin D help autistic children by upregulating numerous antioxidants?
Theoretical Only
It’s clear that various reasonable mechanisms exist for how vitamin D could help children with autism. Be it via anti-inflammatory actions, anti-autoimmune activities, upregulation of neurotrophins, or stimulation of antioxidant pathways, adequate doses of vitamin D (enough to obtain natural blood levels of 50-80 ng/mL of 25-hyroxyvitamin D) may be a potential treatment for some cases of autism.However, such a claim is entirely theoretical. There are no randomized controlled trials, no open label trials, no case series, and not even one published case report of vitamin D helping autism.
Even though there are no studies proving the benefits of vitamin D in autism specifically, the proven safety and benefits of vitamin D, added together with the fact that vitamin D has been shown to have a beneficial effect on many of the mechanisms of action that underlie autism, make vitamin D a smart option for children with autism.
Parents who want to try it should thoroughly understand that no evidence, other than theoretical, exists for such an effect.
What You Need to Know
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Role Of Vitamin D In Autism
- Vitamin D inhibits the synthesis and biological actions of pro-inflammatory prostaglandins, which are elevated in autism.
- A number of autoantibodies to the brain have been identified in autistic children, causing some to believe that many cases of autism are autoimmune.
- Research has shown that high levels of certain brain-antibodies are associated with low vitamin D status.
- Vitamin D upregulates neurotrophins, the family of proteins that induce the development, function, and survival of nerve and brain cells, up to 5-fold.
- Vitamin D stimulates production of glutathione and several other antioxidant and detoxification enzymes.
- Even though there are no studies proving the benefits of vitamin D in autism specifically, the proven safety and benefits of vitamin D, added together with the fact that vitamin D has been shown to have a beneficial effect on many of the mechanisms of action that underlie autism, make vitamin D a smart option for children with autism.
How To Start Your Child On Vitamin D
As all studies show that autistic children are low in vitamin D, getting a 25-hydroxyvitamin D blood test to start is usually unnecessary.
The first step is simply to give your child 50 IU of vitamin D3 per pound of body weight per day. Liquid vitamin D is available from several sources.
So a 25-pound child would be started on 1,250 IU each day of D3, a 50-pound child on 2,500 IU each day, etc. This dose will usually result in mid-range physiological 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels (40-60 ng/mL), although some children may obtain higher physiological levels (60-70 ng/mL) on this dose.
The child should also be started on vitamin D’s cofactors, such as vitamin K2 (3 mcg per pound of body weight) and nutrients in a multi-nutrient powder formula. If Life Extension Mix™ powder is used, ½ a scoop for every 25 pounds of body weight can be blended in juice or a smoothie. The roughly 700 IU of vitamin D3 in one scoop of powder will help raise vitamin D levels.
After three months on the initial vitamin D dose, obtain another 25-hydroxyvitamin D blood test. If the 25-hydroxyvitamin D level is by any chance over 80 ng/mL, then the child’s dose is adequate and nothing else needs to be done but to hopefully watch for improvements in core symptoms.
If 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels remain below 80 ng/mL, then a proportional dose increase of 25 IU vitamin D3 per pound of body weight is indicated. For example, a 25-pound child on 1,250 IU a day would increase to 1,875 IU a day, and a 50 pound child on 2,500 IU a day would increase to 3,750 IU a day.
In three more months, obtain another 25-hydroxyvitamin D test and adjust doses accordingly. If 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels exceed 100 ng/mL , simply reduce the dose by 10% for every 10 ng/mL the test is above 100 ng/mL.
Levels above 100 ng/mL do not mean “toxicity” as “toxicity” (asymptomatic hypercalcemia) is rare with 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels below 200 ng/mL, and 200 ng/mL is very difficult to obtain.35 If these high doses make you nervous, have your child’s blood calcium level checked, and you will see your child’s calcium level is not high (over 10.5 mg/dL).
Keep adjusting the dose every three months based on vitamin D levels. It is important that you test for serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D and not 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D. For children who do not tolerate venipuncture, an accurate blood spot test requiring only a finger prick is available at www.vitamindcouncil.org.
For optimal absorption, give your child vitamin D during the meal of the day that contains the most fats. This may produce the optimal 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels suggested at the beginning of this section without having to resort to higher dosing.
As I said above, my very rough estimation is that around 75% of autistic children seem to respond at least somewhat to higher doses of vitamin D after levels are around 80 ng/mL.
NATIONAL OUTBREAK OF H1N1 SWINE FLU
Interesting:
Nationwide H1N1 Swine
Flu Outbreak
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On December 19, 2013, AlertsUSA
issued the following
Flash message to subscriber mobile devices: |
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What You Need To Know
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On
Thursday of this week AlertsUSA subscribers were notified via text messages
to their mobile devices that public health officials were warning of an H1N1
Swine Flu outbreak emerging across the nation. While not yet at a pandemic
level, a majority of
those cases are the same strain of the virus which caused a
global pandemic in 2009. At the moment,
Texas appears to be ground zero though new cases are being
reported across the U.S. and Canada.
It is
expected that case numbers will dramatically increase over the year-end
holidays as families and friends gather. Be careful. While not as deadly as
the the H7N9 bird flu virus, H1N1 is still particularly dangerous.
View Most Recent CDC
Surveillance Data HERE.
(Consolidated national reporting
is delayed at least 1 week.)
View Most Recent Public
Health Canada Surveillance Data HERE.
(Consolidated national reporting
is delayed at least 1 week.)
View Google Flu Trends HERE.
Readers
are reminded that in the 2009-2010 pandemic, the CDC
estimates that 61 million Americans were infected, more than
200,000 were hospitalized and in excess of 12,000 died.
Public
health experts unanimously agree the
number of deaths is likely much higher as many would be
attributed to various complications resulting from the flu, not to mention
the less
than reliable nature of lab testing methods. Some studies have
found that only 10% of patients who have swine flu have positive test results
on the rapid flu test.
It is also important to note that unlike most strains of
influenza, H1N1 does not disproportionately infect adults older than 60
years. In fact, in a typical year, 90% of flu deaths occur in those over age
65. With H1N1, approximately 60-80% of deaths occurred in those under age 65.
Even in
the case of previously very healthy persons, some develop pneumonia or what
is known as "acute
respiratory distress syndrome" or (ARDS). The pneumonia
caused by flu can be either direct viral pneumonia or a secondary bacterial
pneumonia. As such, it is recommended that doctors and clinicians be extra
vigilant for its onset, including in younger, healthy patients. Those whose
chest X-ray indicates pneumonia should be considered for both antivirals and
antibiotics.
In
addition, those with serious H1N1 infections often
suffer kidney damage, including complete renal failure.
As is
well known in medical circles, recent case-control studies show the yearly
trivalent flu vaccine is only about 56% effective in reducing
flu risk, and that number is for people with good health.
Statistically,
that is similar to a coin toss, and a far cry from the panacea of protection
often promoted in the print and broadcast media.
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Risk Mitigation
We remind readers that despite
being informally referred to as "swine flu", the H1N1 virus cannot be
spread by eating pork or pork products, as is the case with other influenza
viruses. Regardless, cook your food thoroughly.
Swine flu is typically
contracted by person to person transmission, including respiratory droplets, so
you would be well served by steering clear of sick individuals over the
holidays, even to the point of politely declining the dozens of obligatory
cheek kisses, even if you have had a flu shot. If you are sick, stay home or
otherwise practice social distancing for the safety of others.
View CDC Flu Prevention
Guidance here.
View Public Health Canada Flu Prevention Guidance here