WORLD NEWS
Fire Breaks Out On Russian Nuclear-Powered Icebreaker
A fire broke out on a Soviet-era, nuclear-powered cargo icebreaker ship docked at a port in Murmansk in northwestern Russia. Reuters reported that a 30 square meters (323 square feet) fire erupted in one of the cabins and was extinguished an hour later with no threat to the ship’s nuclear reactor nor were there any injuries.
Ukraine Plotting False Flag With Chemical Weapons, Warns Russian Foreign Ministry
Russian officials have documented at least 23 cases in which Ukraine has used arms that contain toxic substances. Under international law, using chemical weapons is deemed a war crime.
Moscow believes that Ukraine may be cooking up an “anti-Russian false flag operation with the use of Western-made poisonous substance” with the aim of pinning the blame on Moscow for the usage of such chemical weapons, Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova cautioned.
“Quite possibly, another anti-Russian provocation is being set up employing Western-made poisonous substances in order to launch a new campaign within the UN’s structures and throughout the global media to accuse our country of the allegedly deliberate use of chemical weapons,” she warned.
Joe Biden’s Trade Office Helps China Avoid U.S. Tariffs, Again
Hundreds of China-made products will continue avoiding United States tariffs thanks to an extension announced by President Joe Biden’s Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) this week. The Section 301 tariffs on billions of dollars’ worth of China-made products were first imposed by former President Trump after a decades-long free trade consensus in Washington, DC, that screwed the U.S. economy out of nearly four million jobs from 2001 to 2018.
Yesterday, Biden’s trade representative announced that her office will extend tariff exclusions for more than 350 China-made products and 77 COVID-19-related categories.
The China-made products that will escape U.S. tariffs thanks to Biden include breast pumps, solar water heaters, garage door openers, X-ray tables, and thermostats, as well as food products from China such as crab meat and Alaskan sole, all this in opposition as to what
a bi-partisan coalition in the U.S. Congress is trying to achieve.
U.S. NEWS, POLITICS & GOVERNMENT
“Mass Migration Blueprints” Reveal NGOs “Carefully Planned” US Migrant Invasion, Report Says
A network of NGOs, or non- governmental organizations, seems to be playing a powerful role in coordinating the large-scale invasion of illegals at the US southern border. The new
website Muckraker revealed a treasure trove of “mass migration blueprints,” handed out by NGOs across South and Central America to illegals with details about their route to the US. According to Muckraker, the collapse of the US southern border is the result of a carefully planned and deliberately executed industrial mass migration program. The front shows the routes from Panama to Mexico. The back shows the routes across Mexico to the United States. The maps were distributed by The United Nations International Organization of Migration (IOM). It shows various commissions and consulates across the country of Mexico.
Maps were also distributed by the Red Cross. One piece of advice given is how to safely ride a freight train. It is advised to avoid riding a freight train if “. . . you are under the influence of alcohol, drugs or medication that can make you drowsy.”
What’s becoming increasingly evident is that a network of NGOs funded partly by the US taxpayer but by other countries and corporations are covertly facilitating the invasion of illegals at the US southern border, as well as distributing them across the US into progressive metro areas. According to an August report by progressive left- leaning media watchdog organization Fairness & Accuracy In Reporting, President Biden’s Department of Homeland Security allocated $363 million to NGOs to assist illegal aliens once in the US.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott released a press release one year ago detailing how “NGOs may be engaged in unlawfully orchestrating other border crossings through activities on both sides of the border, including in sectors other than El Paso.”
Once across the border, NGOs are also helping migrants with transportation across the US, such as providing seats on commercial airlines.
Break the Cycle: In 2024, Say No to the Government’s Cruelty, Brutality and Abuse
Commentary from John Whitehead
Here’s just a small sampling of what we suffered through in 2023.
The government failed to protect our lives, liberty and happiness. The predators of the police state wreaked havoc on our freedoms, our communities, and our lives. The government didn’t listen to the citizenry, refused to abide by the Constitution, and treated the citizenry as a source of funding and little else. Police officers shot unarmed citizens and their household pets. Government agents—including local police—were armed to the teeth and encouraged to act like soldiers on a battlefield. Bloated government agencies were allowed to fleece taxpayers. Government technicians spied on our emails and phone calls. And government contractors made a killing by waging endless wars abroad.
The president became more imperial. Although the Constitution invests the President with very specific, limited powers, in recent years, American presidents have claimed the power to completely and almost unilaterally alter the landscape of this country for good or for ill. The powers amassed by each successive president through the negligence of Congress and the courts—powers which add up to a toolbox of terror for an imperial ruler—empower whoever occupies the Oval Office to act as a dictator, above the law and beyond any real accountability. The presidency itself has become an imperial one with permanent powers.
The cost of endless wars drove the nation deeper into debt. Policing the globe and waging endless wars abroad hasn’t made America—or the rest of the world—any safer, but it has made the military industrial complex rich at taxpayer expense.
The courts failed to uphold justice. Time and time again, the Supreme Court failed to right the wrongs being meted out by the American police state. A review of critical court rulings over the past decade or so, including some ominous ones by the U.S. Supreme Court, reveals a startling and steady trend towards pro- police state rulings by an institution concerned more with establishing order and protecting the ruling class and government agents than with upholding the rights enshrined in the Constitution.
The Surveillance State rendered Americans vulnerable to threats from government spies, police, hackers and power failures. Thanks to the government’s ongoing efforts to build massive databases using emerging surveillance, DNA and biometrics technologies, Americans became sitting ducks for hackers and government spies alike. Billions of people have been affected by data breaches and cyberattacks. On a daily basis, Americans were made to relinquish the most intimate details of who we are—our biological makeup, our genetic blueprints, and our biometrics (facial characteristics and structure, fingerprints, iris scans, etc.)—in order to navigate an increasingly technologically-enabled world. The Department of Homeland Security, which has led the charge to create a Surveillance State, has continued to deploy mandatory facial recognition scans at airports and gather biometric data on American travelers. Police were gifted with new surveillance gadgets. The Corporate State tapped into our computer keyboards, cameras, cell phones and smart devices in order to better target us for advertising. Social media giants such as Facebook granted secret requests by the government and its agents for access to users’ accounts. And our private data—methodically collected and stored with or without our say-so—was repeatedly compromised and breached.
Mass shootings claimed more lives. Mass shootings have taken place at churches, in nightclubs, on college campuses, on military bases, in elementary schools, in government offices, and at concerts. In almost every instance, you can connect the dots back to the military-industrial complex, which continues to dominate, dictate and shape almost every aspect of our lives.
The rich got richer, and the poor went to jail. Not content to expand the police state’s power to search, strip, seize, raid, steal from, arrest and jail Americans for any infraction, no matter how insignificant, the courts continued their practice of jailing individuals who are unable to pay the hefty fines imposed by the American police state. These debtors’ prisons play right into the hands of those who make a profit by jailing Americans. This is no longer a government “of the people, by the people, for the people.” It is fast becoming a government “of the rich, by the elite, for the corporations,” and its rise to power is predicated on shackling the American taxpayer to a debtors’ prison guarded by a phalanx of politicians, bureaucrats and militarized police with no hope of parole and no chance for escape.
“Show your papers” incidents skyrocketed. We are not supposed to be living in a “show me your papers” society. Despite this, the U.S. government has introduced measures allowing police and other law enforcement officials to stop individuals (citizens and noncitizens alike), demand they identify themselves, and subject them to pat downs, warrantless searches, and interrogations.
Free speech was dealt one knock-out punch after another. Protest laws, free speech zones, bubble zones, trespass zones, anti-bullying legislation, zero tolerance policies, hate crime laws and a host of other legalistic maladies dreamed up by politicians and prosecutors (and championed by those who want to suppress speech with which they might disagree) conspired to corrode our core freedoms, purportedly for our own good. On paper—at least according to the U.S. Constitution—we are technically free to speak. In reality, however, we were only as free to speak as a government official—or corporate entities such as Facebook, Google or YouTube—allowed. The reasons for such censorship varied widely from political correctness, safety concerns and bullying to national security and hate crimes but the end result remained the same: the complete eradication of free speech.
Police became even more militarized and weaponized. Despite concerns about the government’s steady transformation of local police into a standing military army, local police agencies continued to acquire weaponry, training and equipment suited for the battlefield. There are now reportedly more bureaucratic (non-military) government civilians armed with high-tech, deadly weapons than U.S. Marines.
Schools turned into prisons. So-called school “safety” policies, which run the gamut from zero tolerance policies that punish all infractions harshly to surveillance cameras, metal detectors, random searches, drug- sniffing dogs, school-wide lockdowns, active-shooter drills and militarized police officers, turned schools into prisons and young people into prisoners.
The government waged a renewed war on private property. The battle to protect our private property has become the final constitutional frontier, the last holdout against our freedoms being usurped. We no longer have any real property rights. That house you live in, the car you drive, the small (or not so small) acreage of land that has been passed down through your family or that you scrimped and saved to acquire, whatever money you manage to keep in your bank account after the government and its cronies have taken their first and second and third cut…none of it is safe from the government’s greedy grasp. At no point do you ever have any real ownership in anything other than the clothes on your back. Everything else can be seized by the government under one pretext or another (civil asset forfeiture, unpaid taxes, eminent domain, public interest, etc.).
The plight of the nation’s homeless worsened. In communities across the country, legislators adopted a variety of methods (parking meters, zoning regulations, tickets, and even robots) to discourage the homeless from squatting, loitering and panhandling. One of the most common—and least discussed— practices: homeless relocation programs that bus the homeless outside city limits.
The government waged war on military veterans. The government has done a pitiful job of respecting the freedoms of military veterans and caring for their needs once out of uniform. The plight of veterans today is America’s badge of shame, with large numbers of veterans impoverished, unemployed, traumatized mentally and physically, struggling with depression, suicide, and marital stress, homeless, subjected to sub-par treatment at clinics and hospitals, left to molder while their paperwork piles up within Veterans Administration offices, and increasingly treated like criminals— targeted for surveillance, censorship, threatened with incarceration or involuntary commitment, labeled as extremists and/or mentally ill, and stripped of their Second Amendment rights—for daring to speak out against government misconduct.
The Deep State took over. The American system of representative government was overthrown by the Deep State—a.k.a. the police state a.k.a. the military industrial complex—a profit-driven, militaristic corporate state bent on total control and global domination through the imposition of martial law here at home and by fomenting wars abroad. When in doubt, follow the money trail. It always points the way.
The takeaway: Everything the founders of this country feared has come to dominate in modern America.
As I make clear in my book Battlefield America: The War on the American People and in its fictional counterpart The Erik Blair Diaries, if freedom is to survive at all, “we the people” must refuse to allow the government’s abusive behavior to be our new normal.
There is nothing normal about egregious surveillance, roadside strip searches, police shootings of unarmed citizens, censorship, retaliatory arrests, the criminalization of lawful activities, warmongering, indefinite detentions, SWAT team raids, asset forfeiture, police brutality, profit-driven prisons, or pay-to-play politicians.
Let’s not take the mistakes, carnage, toxicity and abuse of this past year into 2024.
As long as we continue to allow callousness, cruelty, meanness, immorality, ignorance, hatred, intolerance, racism, militarism, materialism, meanness and injustice—magnified by an echo chamber of nasty tweets and government-sanctioned brutality—to trump justice, fairness and equality, there can be no hope of prevailing against the police state.
Biden Administration to Loosen Marijuana Laws, Some Advocates Say It Changes Nothing
The Biden administration will reportedly loosen laws regulating cannabis, which some advocates say amounts to only a symbolic gesture that will ultimately change nothing, reportedly moving marijuana from the maximally restrictive Schedule I to the minimally restrictive Schedule III of the Controlled Substance Act (CSA), according to the Guardian. Some advocates have said the move amounts to little more than a symbolic gesture that will do little to eliminate the burden that private cannabis sellers and growers experience. For instance, while 38 states have approved cannabis for medical or commercial use, the substance still faces the same restrictions as heroin on the federal level. Despite it being legal in certain states, the industry has had to contend with serious federal setbacks that will likely not go away, according to Paul Armentano, deputy director of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (Norml).
“Classifying it as Schedule III would make every existing state cannabis law that’s currently inconsistent with federal law as equally inconsistent going forward. So, it doesn’t solve any of the problems before it,” Armentano said.
Federal Judge Rejects Press Freedom Claims by Project Veritas in Ashley Biden Diary Case
A federal judge in Manhattan has ruled that investigative journalism outfit Project Veritas should have to turn over documents detailing how the organization came into possession of the alleged diary of President Joe Biden’s daughter, Ashley Biden.
On Thursday, Obama-appointed U.S. District Judge Analisa Torres of the Southern District of New York ruled in favor of a special master’s recommendation that Project Veritas should be made to turn over all documents in its possession that detail how it came into possession of the diary in the fall of 2020. Judge Torres ruled against claims by Project Veritas that it has journalistic non-disclosure privileges under the First Amendment and thus should not be made to turn over its records.
With Judge Torres’s ruling, federal prosecutors could soon take possession of more than 900 documents detailing how Project Veritas came into possession of the diary. Judge Torres ordered a government evidentiary filter team to sort out any documents not protected under attorney-client privilege and turn those documents over to government investigators by January 5th.
ECONOMY & BUSINESS
The so‐called Doomsday Book, an internal document used to guide the Federal Reserve’s actions during emergencies, has long been the subject of intrigue and suspicion. … The document reveals a fascinating history of diverging perspectives on the Federal Reserve’s emergency powers. Instead of adhering strictly to clear legislative boundaries to justify its actions during financial crises, the central bank appears to ground many of its decisions in the New York Fed’s belief in the Fed’s discretionary authority. It relies on precedent for many of its actions, without explicit congressional authorization in some instances.
However, the document is not just revealing of the Federal Reserve’s history. It also offers new insight into what the Federal Reserve may do next—especially as it applies to a central bank digital currency, or CBDC. Officials have repeatedly avoided the question of whether the Federal Reserve has the authority to issue a CBDC, often repeating the line that the issue needs further investigation. Looking at Federal Reserve statements over recent years quickly reveals a consistent trend.
Setting aside that “ideal intentions” are not binding constraints, this position still avoided the question of addressing what the Federal Reserve is and isn’t legally authorized to do. In September 2022, the Department of Justice was supposed to publish a report about the Federal Reserve’s legal authority to issue a CBDC, but it ultimately kept that analysis private. Even members of Congress were kept out of the loop.
It was only during a 2023 congressional hearing that chair Powell clarified the issue slightly saying that the Federal Reserve would need congressional authorization to issue a retail CBDC, but that it’s a different story when it comes to other forms of CBDCs. As I warned at the time, although some took relief at the news, there were still questions left open. In particular, the Federal Reserve’s 2022 report proposed an intermediated CBDC—a form that blends features of both retail and wholesale CBDCs. So, the Federal Reserve’s full authority is still an open question. Whether the Federal Reserve will publicly address its full authority is still to be seen. However, Congress should not wait another four years to get those answers. Congress should formally establish that only it has the authority to decide whether a US CBDC is created.
U.S. States Championing The Return To Sound Money
Oklahoma and Missouri are reclassifying gold and silver as legal tender. In Oklahoma, Senator Shane Jett filed SB1507 and Senator Nathan Dahm is running SB1508. Both of these bills would eliminate state capital gains taxes on the sale and exchange of gold and silver bullion. In Missouri, Representative Doug Richey filed HB 1867 and Representative Bill Hardwick filed HB1955, both companions to SB735, filed by Senator William Eigel earlier this month.
All of these bills would remove barriers to using gold and silver as money by lowering transaction costs and treating them as legal tender, which in effect would break down the fed’s monopoly on money, an effort on the state level to support sound money while challenging the government’s current fiat money system. Both of these states are already among the 42 that do not levy sales taxes on gold and silver bullion.
HEALTH
A Third of Fast-Food Packaging Contains Dangerous Chemicals
Most people are aware that fast-food has no redeeming qualities, but never give a second thought to the paper their burgers come wrapped in. But even fast-food packaging can make you sick, as pointed out by research published in Environmental Science & Technology Letters. This is yet another example of how fast-food wrappers contain dangerous chemicals – called fluorinated chemicals. [1]
Researchers tested 400 fast-food packages from various restaurants in the U.S. and found that more than a third of them contained poly- and perfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS. These chemicals are everywhere – in non-stick pans, pizza boxes, cell phones, and even in backpacks. In fast-food wrappers, they are used as a coating to repel moisture. [2]
Two PFAS – perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) – have been shown to cause:
- Testicular and kidney cancer
- Liver malfunction
- Hormonal changes
- Thyroid disruption
- High cholesterol
- Obesity
- Ulcerative colitis
- Lower birth weight and size
Xenia Trier, a chemist at the European Environment Agency who was not involved with the study, says:
“These chemicals are very convenient. You can use something like paper. If it’s untreated it will soak fat, it will soak water. As such it’s not very efficient as a food container. If you impregnate these food containers with these [chemicals] they get this magic—they work for everything.” [1]
She adds that, “unfortunately we do know they are quite toxic and have been associated with many diseases.”
Past studies have shown that PFASs on food packaging can seep into your food, said Laurel Schaider, a research scientist at the Silent Spring Institute and one of the authors of the paper.
She said:
“These studies have found that the extent of migration depends on the temperature of the food, the type of food and how long the food is in contact with the paper. And it depends on which specific chemical” is in the packaging. [2]
In 2011, after the FDA reviewed packaging materials, several manufacturers voluntarily agreed to stop using PFASs in their food packaging products. The presence of elements of fluorine may not be manufacturers’ fault, the researchers say. Rather, it may have entered the system from the use of recycled materials. [3]
Recently, the FDA has been urged once again to launch a study into the consequences of using chemicals like phthalates in food packaging. This is more proof that our food packaging is tainted with toxins.
Would You Like Toxins With That?
For the study, which involved researchers from 5 different institutions, more than 400 samples of fast-food packaging was collected from 27 leading U.S. food chains, and divided into 6 categories:
- Food contact paper (sandwich wrappers and pastry bags)
- Food contact paperboard (pizza and French fry boxes)
- Non-contact paper (outer bags)
- Paper cups
- Other beverage containers (milk and juice containers)
- Miscellaneous (lids) [2]
Food contact papers were divided into 3 categories:
- Sandwiches
- Burgers
- Fried foods
Of the food contact papers tested, 46% tested positive for fluorine, a marker of PFASs. Food contact paperboard came in 2nd, at 20%, followed by other beverage containers at 16%. All of the other categories tested negative for fluorine.
Tex-Mex food packaging and dessert and bread wrappers were the worst offenders, and were more likely to contain fluorine than other categories of food packaging.
What Are the Health Benefits of Sweating?
- When your body temperature rises, sweat glands release water at your skin’s surface, which quickly evaporates and cools your skin and the blood underneath
- In traditional Persian medicine, sweating is used for both preventive care and disease treatment
- Sweat glands secrete antimicrobial peptides that help restrict the growth of various microbes on the skin, potentially helping to reduce infection or atopic dermatitis
- Concentrations of the heavy metals nickel, lead and chromium may be 10 to 30 times higher in sweat than in blood and urine, and some toxins may be preferentially excreted in sweat
- Sweating may offer support for chronic diseases, including cardiovascular, respiratory and joint diseases
Your body depends on its ability to sweat normally, such that when this balance is thrown off disease states can result. Hyperhidrosis is the medical term for excessive sweating, believed to affect about 4.8% of U.S. adults, or 15.8 million people.
Hyperhidrosis is known to interfere with self-esteem, social interactions, relationships and career choices, with many affected reporting problems with work, school, social functioning and emotional health. Close to half — 48% — say their quality of life is poor or very poor as a result of hyperhidrosis.
The condition can also cause dehydration and skin infections. A link to systemic conditions is also possible, as sweating disorders may signal dysfunction of the autonomic nervous system, particularly the sympathetic nervous system.
Hypohidrosis, which is inadequate sweating, and pathologic anhidrosis, an inability to sweat, are also potentially damaging to your health and may lead to dry skin, heat exhaustion, heatstroke and death.
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
FOMO: Is The Fear Of AI Worse Than AI Itself?
If there was ever a moment in history when globalists have been unable to contain their unsettling glee it was the moment that Artificial Intelligence became a focus of public discourse. It’s clear that the World Economic Forum worships AI – Lavishing the technology with praise and describing it as the end-all-be-all of human industry. AI, they claim, will change the world so rapidly that most people will not be able to keep up with the advancements.
We have yet to see any of these advancements in the real world, of course. In fact, it’s difficult to pinpoint any tangible benefits produced by AI so far other than making it easier for college kids to cheat on essays. And here is where we run into a disconnect between what the WEF predicts and what is most likely to happen according to the evidence.
Is AI really the do-it-all technology that globalists make it out to be? Is half of humanity going to be replaced with automation?
The establishment media has been building up this notion as an inevitability, with millions of people (mostly within Gen Z) now experiencing anxiety over the possibility that they will one day have no career options because of AI. The WEF even promotes a term for this feeling: FOBO (which apparently now means Fear Of Becoming Obsolete).
FOBO originally meant “fear of better options,” but the WEF has co-opted it and adjusted it Far from becoming the all-knowing data-god hailed by WEF zealots like Yuval Harari, it appears much more likely that AI would simply augment or replace a number of office workers. For now, no significant advancements in medical science, space science, engineering, energy science, resource efficiency, mathematics, physics, etc. have been produced by AI. We’re all waiting around for AI to blow past human science and nothing is happening. If all AI can do is put data programmers out of work, what good is it?
Interestingly, AI software makes some incredible claims very similar to the boasts of globalists. Here is what AI had to say about its plans for the world of human art:
“Imagine waking up one day and finding your job has been automated overnight by intelligent machines. Then you discover even the career you dreamed of pursuing next has already been mastered by AI. Quickly, more and more human domains once thought impossible to replicate – art, music, emotion – fall prey to advancing algorithms until all uniquely human talent and purpose dwindles in the face of superior robotic counterparts. Soon your very existence becomes trivial … unnecessary.”
This is a fascinating omission bordering on delusion. Not the delusions of AI, but the delusions of whoever programmed the software to say this (and no, AI does not currently think for itself). AI art is generally considered generic and often terrible because it merely plagiarizes human art and then spits out an uninspired copy. The notion that a soulless algorithm will ever be able to create emotionally charged art, music, literature and more is naive.
It’s not so much about what AI can actually do (which is very little), it’s more about what the public is convinced that AI can do. Globalists argue that the “data economy” will replace all other functions of civilization and trade as AI takes over. But what good is data without application? The only application of such a system would be to manipulate or control popular perception. To make people believe things that are not true, to influence their behavior and to convince the public that they are no longer necessary. This is where AI technology shines. It’s not useful to industry, it does little to advance scientific discovery and it doesn’t make the lives of individuals easier; rather it is only useful to the globalist agenda.
AI could make us conversant with critters, unlocking conservation tools – and serious risks
A nonprofit called Earth Species Project, or ESP, is on a trajectory to talk with animals — but with a much higher purpose than my intended goals with Roxy.
ESP is working with more than 40 research efforts around the globe, using machine learning and artificial intelligence to help scientists understand animal communications in pursuit of saving imperiled species. The organization recently received $1.2 million in funding from the Seattle-based Paul G. Allen Family Foundation to support its work. Allen, the Microsoft co-founder who passed away in 2018, was interested in both protecting wildlife and AI research.
The technology could unlock valuable insights into the lives of wild animals and lead to more effective conservation, while also inspiring a greater human kinship with the natural world, say ESP leaders and supporters. They suggest the research could have an impact akin to the 1970s album of humpback whale songs that spurred critical marine mammal protections, or the Earthrise photo from Apollo 8 that captured the planet’s vulnerability and stoked environmental concerns.
Researchers can also use recordings of animal communications to build a model that converses with non-humans. But the pursuit has a particularly curious and controversial twist.
There’s a high likelihood, according to one researcher with ESP, that if a model achieves fluent, two-way communication between a computer and animal, “we will not, as the human beings, understand the meaning of that communication.”
That could be problematic. There is plenty of evidence that generative AI can use inappropriate and erroneous language in the human realm — suggesting that a computer could likewise misspeak to an animal without the knowledge or understanding of humans. This AI could further be used to trap and poach animals.
Scientists Destroy 99% of Cancer Cells in The Lab Using Vibrating Molecules
Scientists have discovered a new way to destroy cancer cells. Stimulating aminocyanine molecules with near-infrared light caused them to vibrate in sync, enough to break apart the membranes of cancer cells.
Aminocyanine molecules are already used in bioimaging as synthetic dyes. Commonly used in low doses to detect cancer, they stay stable in water and are very good at attaching themselves to the outside of cells.
The research team from Rice University, Texas A&M University, and the University of Texas, says the new approach is a marked improvement over another kind of cancer-killing molecular machine previously developed, called Feringa-type motors, which could also break the structures of problematic cells.
“It is a whole new generation of molecular machines that we call molecular jackhammers,” says chemist James Tour from Rice University.
“They are more than one million times faster in their mechanical motion than the former Feringa-type motors, and they can be activated with near-infrared light rather than visible light.”
The use of near-infrared light is important because it enables scientists to get deeper into the body. Cancer in bones and organs could potentially be treated without needing surgery to get to the cancer growth.
In tests on cultured, lab-grown cancer cells, the molecular jackhammer method scored a 99 percent hit rate at destroying the cells. The approach was also tested on mice with melanoma tumors, and half the animals became cancer-free.
The structure and chemical properties of aminocyanine molecules mean they stay in sync with the right stimulus – such as near-infrared light. When in motion, the electrons inside the molecules form what’s known as plasmons, collectively vibrating entities that drive movement across the whole of the molecule.
“What needs to be highlighted is that we’ve discovered another explanation for how these molecules can work,” says chemist Ciceron Ayala-Orozco from Rice University.
ENERGY & ENVIRONMENT
More than foot of snow, strong winds in Heartland states: Latest forecast
Areas of South Dakota and Colorado had more than a foot of snowfall into Wednesday morning, with Wyoming, Nebraska and Kansas not far behind.
South Dakota had more than 14 inches in some areas, while Colorado had about 13 inches. Wyoming and Nebraska each had about 11. Parts of Kansas saw about 8.5 inches.
More than 17,000 customers were without power in North Dakota early Wednesday.
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‘Ecosexual’ Woman Claims She Is in an ‘Erotic’ Relationship with a Tree
The woman, Sonja Semyonova, 45, claims she connected with the tree during her lonely, solo walks in the summer of 2021. Those walks began in 2020, during the coronavirus pandemic. It was the same year that she moved to Vancouver Island in British Columbia, Canada.
“I was walking a path near the tree five days a week for the whole winter. I noticed a connection with the tree,” she said, explaining that she had been “craving that rush of erotic energy that comes when you meet a new partner, and that is not sustainable.”
“The feeling of being tiny and supported by something so solid. The feeling of not being able to fall,” she said, further describing her “erotic” experiences with this tree, although she said she does not have physical relations with the oak.
“I would lie against it. There was an eroticism with something so big and so old holding my back,” she continued, asserting that there are major misconceptions about ecosexuality, which the environmental group the Sierra Club describes as “unabashedly queer.”
The website Here Come the Ecosexuals! defines ecosexuality, in part, as “a person that finds nature romantic, sensual, and sexy.”
This gives the term “tree hugger” a whole new meaning. (sic)
GARDENING, FARMING & HOMESTEADING
In Texas, nearly 18,000 cows died in a single barn fire
The fire at South Fork Dairy exploded into the single deadliest event involving livestock in Texas history and the deadliest cattle fire in America in at least a decade.
The South Fork disaster, according to the report, began with a manure vacuum, the specialized, diesel-powered truck built by a company called Mensch. This piece of farm equipment has no apparent regulation or oversight from farm, transportation or workplace regulators.
Second, the record-setting cattle death, while shocking, was part of a clear trend. Farm operations are growing smaller in number but bigger in size, the steady rise of so-called large concentrated animal feeding operations, or CAFOs. Activists say these larger herds have led to ever-larger disasters.
Third is the unseen technology that ties the other two parts together. It merited no mention in the official report, because at South Fork, it had been planned though not yet built. It’s called a biogas digester, a series of covered ponds, sumps and pipes that concentrate animal manure and convert it into natural gas.
This so-called biogas has been touted as a win for the environment. Animal waste that would have been putting off harmful greenhouse gases are converted into a renewable source of energy for truck engines or power plants. But detractors, including some in Congress, worry that public subsidies for this energy source have become an incentive for farms to grow ever larger: a feedback loop that means more cows, more manure and more risk, in any one spot.
And while the scale of the disaster drew widespread attention, that response largely overlooked the toll on the fire’s other victims, the people who worked alongside the cows. Some feared for their family’s farming legacy. Some raced toward the flames with fire extinguishers that couldn’t outdo the flames. One, trapped behind a wall of heat and black smoke, nearly died.
CANCEL CULTURE
VIDEO: “The Fall of Minneapolis”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eFPi3EigjFA
This video shows the arrest of George Floyd in Minneapolis by the 4 officers. He tells them, “I can’t breathe!” while he’s in the squad car, BEFORE they remove him and put him on the ground. Floyd was initially arrested on forgery charges for passing a fake $20 bill at a convenience store. That’s NOT what the mainstream media and the BLM wanted you to believe. He was obviously hopped up on drugs. The real autopsy showed that. Liz Collin did a superb job on this.
Tampons now offered in Canadian Parliament men’s bathrooms under Trudeau’s new policy
Tampons and sanitary napkins are now available in men’s bathrooms at the Canadian Parliament under a new policy from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau that requires all federally regulated employers — including airports and military bases — to offer free menstrual products in all washrooms, regardless of gender noted on the door.
News of the policy change spread last week after former Canadian Conservative Sen. Linda Frum posted a photo of a basket offering free pads and tampons inside a men’s bathroom for transgender members of Parliament — setting off a firestorm online.
“Back in the day, when only women menstruated, we had to pay for our own products. But now that men menstruate too, these products, as of this week, are mandated to be free in all men’s washrooms in all federal workplaces, including Parliament Hill — where this photo was taken today,” Frum posted on X. An anonymous account called @HOCstaffer (for the House of Commons) later confirmed the report.
“They’re also going to build dispensers for all the tampons which won’t be used since 1) men don’t menstruate and 2) they are just going to bring them home to their wives for free,” the anonymous account argued.
You deserve a brick today … (sung to the McDonald’s jingle)!
A North Carolina homeowner fed up with the plague of porch pirates over the Christmas holidays decided to play a little trick on the next culprit to steal from him — and one crook actually was caught on video lugging away the heavy surprise in a box. The homeowner in question — who lives in southwest Charlotte but didn’t want to be identified — decided to get back at those who steal packages from people’s porches, Queen City News reported.
“I was at the hardware store and doing a little bit of Christmas shopping, and I said, ‘Let’s get something for people on the naughty list, too,’” the resident recounted to the outlet.
So … “What’s in the box?” you might be asking.
Well, Queen City News said it wasn’t coal. Instead it contained something a lot heavier — and in all likelihood completely useless to the crook. Which was the idea.
The homeowner elaborated to the outlet: “Just took a box that a package had already come in, and I put the bricks in there with a little note saying, ‘We don’t appreciate you doing this,’ and waited and just went fishing for porch pirates, and I got one.”
A surveillance video recorded the hapless theft in question. It wasn’t super easy for the crook to pick up and lug away the package — but hopefully the individual was thrilled at the prospect of the box’s contents and equally dejected by what was revealed once the box was opened.
Queen City News said the resident realizes the crook probably won’t stop stealing — but perhaps the faux pas will help him feel foolish about falling for the trick.
PET NEWS
Keeping your furry family members warm in winter requires a common-sense approach. Some larger dogs, like NewRes, St. Bernards and Huskies enjoy colder temperatures and often have more energy and playfulness during the winter months. However, other breeds like Chihuahuas and pugs may be perfectly spending snowy days on a warm blanket inside the house.
But even dogs with heavy winter coats can suffer from harsh conditions if kept outside without proper protection. Understanding your pet’s breed, coat, overall health and preference for warm or cold temperatures can help you choose the type of winterizing best suited to your dog’s individual needs. Use the following guidelines to create a warm and safe environment for your outdoor dog in winter:
- Shelter
Providing the right kind of shelter is the first and most important step to winterizing your dog’s kennel. Although your dog may spend part of its time indoors during the harshest of winter months, having a warm and dry dog house inside the kennel gives your furry family member a place to go when the weather is at its worst. Plastic dog houses hold up well in the snow and rain, but no dog house should be without ventilation. Look for models with vent holes near the top of the dog house to keep out drafts and excess winds. Wooden dog houses should be off the ground a few inches to guard against a wet Zoor and wood rot. Wooden houses should also have shingled or plastic roofs to protect from leaks or damage. Many new dog houses come with foam insulation built in for extra warmth. Even if your dog’s house is insulated, he’ll enjoy plenty of soft bedding or a blanket or two.
- Dog run
Dogs that stay outside most of the winter won’t be content just to sit around in a dog house tucked inside a kennel. Dogs need year-round exercise and stimulation to keep them healthy, even though their activity levels will naturally diminish as the weather gets colder. Providing your dog with a dry place to run is important for his overall health during the winter. Adding a cover over the kennel keeps the ground clean and dry during cold winter days and provides extra protection for your dog’s house. If possible, consider adding an extra section of fencing to increase your dog’s winter play area. Just make sure the entire dog run is covered by a leak-proof roof or kennel cover. For additional protection from snow, wind, and rain, add ventilated windscreens to the sides of the kennel. These windscreens also provide shade from the direct sun which is necessary even in the winter.
- Bedding
Hay might seem like the natural choice for kennel bedding, but it can actually lead to Zea infestations, parasites and certain types of mange. A better choice is pine or cedar shavings. Shavings of this kind are soft, comfortable to lie on, absorb moisture and help control odor. Wood shavings are also environmentally safe, easy to dispose of and naturally repel Zeas and other insects. Never use wood shavings of any kind with pregnant dogs or newborn puppies. Certain types of bacteria found in some wood shavings can be dangerous for whelping females and their puppies. Along with wood shavings, consider adding one or two old blankets or towels to your dog’s house. Towels and blankets are great for cuddling in the cold and are also easy to remove and wash for better hygiene. Make sure to replace wet or soiled shavings with dry ones as soon as possible.
Winter dog care
Along with proper winterization of your dog’s kennel and house, good nutrition and access to clean, fresh water are especially important during the winter months. If your dog stays outdoors all the time in the winter, you must check and refresh the water several times each day. Water freezes over quickly in cold temperatures, so make sure your dog gets a good drink as soon as the water is reRlled. Check your dog’s paws regularly for signs of dryness or cracking of the paw pads. Inspect, rinse or wipe your dog’s feet to get rid of harmful salt or other chemical residues especially after a walk, and keep foot hair well trimmed to avoid snow or ice build-up between paw pads. Also, check your dog’s coat periodically for mats or hair loss. Hair loss can be a sign of stress or poor diet at any time of year.
Adding a coat supplement to your dog’s food can help. And if your dog seems to have a stronger aroma during the winter, don’t worry. The less a dog is bathed the more like a dog he’ll smell, and bathing dogs often in the winter can lead to dry skin. A healthy coat is your dog’s best defense against the winter cold.
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