March 29, 2024

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Knowledge is Power

Today’s News: January 02, 2023

WORLD NEWS

Chinese Cities See COVID-19 Infection Rate Exceeding 50 Percent

The rate of COVID-19 infections may have exceeded 50 percent in Chinese provinces and large cities and reached as high as 80 percent in the capital city of Beijing, the country’s health experts and officials estimated, painting a picture much grimmer than what the nation’s central authorities disclosed and fueling distrust around the world.

“The infection rate of the current COVID wave is already very high, with many large cities seeing it exceed 50 percent,” Zhang Wenhong, director of the National Centre for Infectious Diseases, said on Dec. 29 at an online forum. That may reach up to 80 percent during China’s Lunar New Year in late January, the expert estimated, as a huge number of people normally travel around the country for family reunions.

China is grappling with an explosive COVID-19 outbreak on the heels of the abrupt retreat from the zero-COVID policy long championed by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Since the outbreak first hit Wuhan three years ago, the CCP had vowed to eliminate every infection among communities through repeated testings, swift lockdowns, prolonged quarantine, and digital surveillance in spite of growing economic and human tolls. State media and officials repeatedly warned the Chinese public of catastrophic outcomes—such as millions of COVID-related deaths—if they abandon the curbs and opt to live with the virus like the West.

But following widespread protests against the tightened curbs in late November, the regime suddenly stopped the efforts to control the pandemic and dismantled most of its hallmark zero-COVID policy. State media moved at a quick speed to portray the Omicron variant as a flu-like mild virus as COVID spread unabated through China’s 1.4 billion population with low natural immunity after three years of harsh lockdown.

China May See a Peak of 25,000 People a Day Die From COVID in January: Report

As many as 25,000 Chinese people may die from COVID-19 a day at the expected peak of an infection wave next month, according to a British-based health analytics firm, offering a bleak prediction of what the regime’s abrupt U-turn in pandemic policy may mean in the absence of reliable COVID-19 figures.

That is predicted to occur on Jan. 23, around China’s Lunar New Year, Airfinity said in its latest analysis published on Dec. 29. COVID-19 infections are likely to peak on Jan. 13 when 3.7 million people may catch the virus, researchers estimated, with the peak of deaths following 10 days later.

Massive outbreaks are sweeping the country following the regime’s abrupt retreat from its hallmark zero-COVID policy. The actual scale and severity of the outbreak, however, are hard to gauge in the absence of credible infection tallies, prompting experts to turn to proxy data to assess the impact on the global economy and the health of people in China.

CDC Imposes New Mandate for Travelers From China, but Experts Note Several Problems

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) latest announcement of a new travel mandate affecting travelers from China into the United States is seen as problematic by several health experts.

On Dec. 28, the CDC announced that beginning Jan. 5, it will impose a requirement that all passengers 2 years and older boarding flights to the United States from China must produce a negative COVID-19 test or proof of recovery from the virus, if they tested positive to the virus 10 days before.

Airlines will be required to confirm the negative test result or proof of recovery for all passengers, regardless of nationality or vaccination status, before passengers are allowed to board the plane. Otherwise, the airline must deny boarding for the passenger. This same requirement will also apply to passengers boarding flights to the United States originating from Hong Kong and Macao. According to experts, there are several problems with this announcement.

Infection Fatality Rate of COVID-19 Was 0.0003 Percent At 0–19 Years: Study

A study that looked into the age-stratified infection fatality rate (IFR) of COVID-19 among the non-elderly population has found that the rate was extremely low among young people.

“The median IFR was 0.0003 percent at 0–19 years, 0.002 percent at 20–29 years, 0.011 percent at 30–39 years, 0.035 percent at 40–49 years, 0.123 percent at 50–59 years, and 0.506 percent at 60–69 years,” the study conducted across 29 countries stated. “At a global level, pre-vaccination IFR may have been as low as 0.03 percent and 0.07 percent for 0–59 and 0–69-year-old people, respectively.”

The study aimed to accurately estimate the IFR of COVID-19 among non-elderly populations in the absence of vaccination or prior infection.

For every additional 10 years in age, the IFR was observed to increase by roughly four times. After including data from nine more nations, the median IFR for 0–59 years came in at 0.025 to 0.032 percent and for 0–69 years was at 0.063 to 0.082 percent.

According to the study, the analysis suggests a “much lower” pre-vaccination IFR in the non-elderly population than had been suggested previously. The large differences found between nations were pegged to differences in factors like comorbidities.

European Energy Crisis: France Close to Electricity Rationing Over Problems with Local Nuclear Plants

France is uncomfortably close to energy rationing as a result of issues it is having with some of its nuclear power plants, a report by The Times has claimed.

The UK newspaper has alleged that Emmanuel Macron’s France is currently coming close to having to ration energy due to a number of its nuclear power plants being taken offline over the last number of months.

U.S. NEWS, POLITICS & GOVERNMENT

THE GREAT REALIGNMENT: 2023 Trends and Predictions from 21WIRE

In last year’s Trends and Predictions for 2022, we identified a number of breaking trends and global developments – many of which accelerated to become major stories later that year. As much as any other year in living memory, this was truly the year of the apocalypse. When we say apocalypse, we are not referring to the Hollywood concept which is synonymous with Armageddon. Instead, we use the literal translation from Greek Latin, which literally means “the lifting of the veil.” But the epic tale that was 2022 and the beginning of the Great Awakening has set the stage for a great realignment in 2023. Look for unlikely allies who share common values to now join forces to overcome the globalist-corporatist attack on humanity, as we band together to defend our basic rights, freedoms, and traditions.

Fauci Stepping Down as Head of NIAID After 40 Years

Dr. Anthony Fauci was slated to step down from heading the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases by Dec. 31, though the agency has not officially confirmed it yet.

Earlier this year, both Fauci and NIAID said that he would be stepping down from his federal positions by the end of December. As of Sunday, NIAID’s website still listed Fauci as the director of the agency.

“At the end of this month,” NIAID said in a statement in December, “Dr. Anthony Fauci, Director of NIAID, will step down from the role he’s held since 1984.” It included a quote from Fauci that read, “While I am moving on from my current positions, I am not retiring. After more than 50 years of government service, I plan to pursue the next phase of my career while I still have so much energy and passion for my field.”

NIAID has not confirmed whether Fauci retired from his position on Saturday, Dec. 31. The Epoch Times on Sunday contacted the federal health agency for comment about Fauci’s current status.

Several days ago, Fauci recalled how his agency handled the U.S. COVID-19 response in an interview with The Guardian and asserted that the “only thing I can say is that we tried our best given our best judgment and our analysis of what was going on around us to make recommendations.”

“I don’t think anybody got it completely 100-percent right but the idea to say that you should have not put any restrictions on anything at a time when there was a tsunami of infections and New York City hospitals were getting overrun, practically—think of Elmhurst hospital, remember those pictures of the cooler trucks with bodies piling up in that—you had to do something pretty significant to slow that down,” he said.

The Twitter Files

Twitter documents released by Elon Musk reveal the lawlessness of our intelligence agencies and the psychological warfare against the American public is far worse than expected

Between October 2019 and February 2021 alone, FBI paid Twitter 3.4 million to censor certain views and stories on its behalf, including the damning Hunter Biden laptop story, which likely would have sunk Joe Biden’s bid for the presidency had it received the attention it deserved

The FBI, Twitter and Facebook even ran a tabletop exercise about “hacked” information relating to Hunter Biden one month before the real story broke. During that exercise, they practiced the narrative that weeks later became “official truth”

A large number of current and/or former FBI agents work at and with Twitter to keep the online narrative in check. More than 100 supposedly “former” intelligence agents also work in Facebook’s content moderation department

While hunting down and banning covert propaganda accounts tied to foreign governments, Twitter worked with the U.S. Department of Defense to promote and protect American propaganda accounts, and aided U.S. intelligence agencies in their efforts to influence foreign governments using fake news, computerized deepfake videos and bots

>>Related Video: Washington Expands the War State, Miranda Devine on Democrat’s Censorship Regime | SYSTEM UPDATE #6

Trump’s Tax Returns Contain a Major Revelation

Former President Donald Trump and his wife Melania reported negative income in four of the six years covered by the couple’s joint tax returns, which were released on Friday by the Democrat-controlled House Ways and Means Committee.

While the committee earlier published a report and some documents that revealed details about the Trumps’ income and taxes paid, the panel on Dec. 30 made the full set of tax documents public.

The complete assortment of tax return documents, which cover the years 2015 to 2020, consists of over 2,700 pages of individual returns for Trump and Melania and over 3,000 pages for the former president’s businesses.

Key information found in the tax returns includes the fact that the Trumps reported negative income in four of the six years covered by the documentation and paid around $1.8 million in taxes.

Kari Lake Ally Announces Motion to Delay Arizona AG Inauguration

Abraham Hamadeh announced he would file a motion to delay the inauguration of the next Arizona attorney general after a judge announced Thursday that a recount found that he lost to Democrat candidate Kris Mayes by only a few hundred votes.

“My team is filing a Motion for Stay to delay the inauguration for the Office of Attorney General next week until we resolve all matters regarding the potential discrepancies in the recount and litigation,” Hamadeh, the Republican nominee for Arizona’s Attorney General who often campaigned alongside GOP gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake, announced Thursday. Hamadeh then requested outgoing Attorney General Mark Brnovich to “remain in office until all issues are resolved.”

The announcement by Hamadeh came after a judge announced a recount in the attorney general race confirmed Democrat Kris Mayes was the winner. Records show that she defeated Hamadeh by about 280 votes, smaller than data originally indicated.

Boosted Worse Off Than Vaccinated in Many States, Data Show

People in the United States who have received COVID-19 boosters in many states are more likely than those who have gotten just a primary series to get infected, receive hospital care, and die, according to an Epoch Times investigation.

Cases, hospitalizations, and deaths among the boosted have been increasing since the booster shots were first introduced in 2021. The boosters were promoted as bolstering protection against adverse outcomes. But, compared to the vaccinated who have not received any boosters, boosted people are testing positive, being hospitalized, and dying at higher levels in many states, according to the review, which went over data in the first two quarters of 2022.

Everything We Know About Idaho Murder Suspect Bryan Kohberger

More details have emerged about Bryan Kohberger, the man suspected of killing four University of Idaho students, including reports that he was studying for a PhD in criminology and that he underwent a personality shift in high school that his friends found troubling.

Authorities said Kohberger was arrested early Friday morning by the Pennsylvania State Police with the assistance of other law enforcement agencies, at a home in Albrightsville, Pennsylvania, around 2,500 miles away from the scene of the crime.

Kohberger has been charged with four counts of first-degree murder and felony burglary in the Nov. 13 slayings of Kaylee Goncalves, 21, Madison Mogen, 21, Xana Kernodle, 20, and Ethan Chapin, 20, who were all stabbed to death.

9 Controversial California Laws Taking Effect on Jan. 1

As Californians get ready to turn the page on 2022, hundreds of new laws will go into effect starting Jan. 1. From increasing the minimum wage to legalizing jaywalking to shielding criminal records, the new laws will impact employment, health care, housing, public safety, and consumer protection.

Here’s a look at what to expect in 2023.

As Californians get ready to turn the page on 2022, hundreds of new laws will go into effect starting Jan. 1. From increasing the minimum wage to legalizing jaywalking to shielding criminal records, the new laws will impact employment, health care, housing, public safety, and consumer protection.  Here’s a look at what to expect in 2023.

St. Louis lawyer Mark McCloskey will not have his guns or the fines he paid returned to him even though he received a governor’s pardon in 2021, a Missouri judge has ruled.

McCloskey and his wife, Patricia McCloskey, both personal injury lawyers, pleaded guilty in June 2021 to misdemeanor charges for assault and harassment, respectively, over an incident in 2020 where they wielded guns as self-defense measures at their property while watching Black Lives Matter protesters walk through their private, gated neighborhood.

They were required to pay maximum fines totaling $2,750. As part of the plea agreement, the two also surrendered the guns they wielded—a Colt AR-15 rifle and a Bryco pistol.

North Carolina DOJ Not Charging Mark Meadows

The North Carolina Department of Justice announced on Friday that there isn’t enough evidence to charge former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows in connection with alleged voter fraud in the 2020 election.

The state DOJ’s investigation was prompted by a report in the New Yorker that alleged Meadows potentially committed voter fraud by listing a Scaly Mountain, North Carolina address on his registration form as his residence as of Sept. 20, 2020—three weeks before voter registration cut off.

The report further raised questions about whether Meadows, who worked in the White House during the Trump administration, and his wife actually resided at the residence or used it as a way to vote in the North Carolina elections.

Ultimately, the investigation found there wasn’t enough evidence to prosecute Meadows and his wife, Debra Meadows, on voter fraud charges.

https://995qyk.com/2023/01/01/5-florida-laws-going-into-effect-january-1-2023/

Exclusive — Kamala Harris Requiring COVID Tests for Anyone Over Two Years Old to Participate in Senate Swearing-In Photos

Vice President Kamala Harris is requiring any senator or family member or guest of a senator wishing to take a photo with her at Tuesday’s swearing-in ceremony for the new Congress to have a negative coronavirus test taken within 24 hours of the picture, Breitbart News has learned.

The U.S. Senate Sergeant-at-Arms Protocol Office blasted out a message on Thursday to all Senate offices noting that Harris’s office is requiring the coronavirus tests before taking photos with the vice president.

The 2nd Amendment Is the Only Carry Permit Needed in 25 States

Alabama’s constitutional carry law took effect January 1, 2023, meaning law-abiding Americans in 25 states can now carry a gun for self-defense without paying the government a fee or getting government permission.

On December 14, 2022, Breitbart News noted some 25 states had passed constitutional carry legislation and Alabama’s would take effect at the start of this year: “Those states are: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, West Virginia, and Wyoming. (Alabama’s constitutional carry provision takes effect January 1, 2023.)”

ECONOMY & BUSINESS 

Third of world in recession this year, IMF head warns

A third of the global economy will be in recession this year, the head of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has warned.

Kristalina Georgieva said 2023 will be “tougher” than last year as the US, EU and China see their economies slow.

It comes as the war in Ukraine, rising prices, higher interest rates and the spread of Covid in China weigh on the global economy.

In October the IMF cut its global economic growth outlook for 2023.

“We expect one third of the world economy to be in recession,” Ms Georgieva said on the CBS news programme Face the Nation.

“Even countries that are not in recession, it would feel like recession for hundreds of millions of people,” she added.

Katrina Ell, an economist at Moody’s Analytics in Sydney, gave the BBC her assessment of the world economy.

“While our baseline avoids a global recession over the next year, odds of one are uncomfortably high. Europe, however, will not escape recession and the US is teetering on the verge,” she said.

Here’s A List Of Biden Tax Hikes Which Take Effect Jan. 1

When the Democrats finally passed the “Inflation Reduction Act” in 2022 (how’s that going?), they included several tax hikes set to take effect on Jan. 1, 2023.

Americans for Tax reform‘s Mike Palicz has conveniently compiled a list of them, along with his take on their intended effects:

$6.5 Billion Natural Gas Tax Which Will Increase Household Energy Bills

Think your household energy bills are high now? Just wait until the three major energy taxes in the Inflation Reduction Act hit your wallet. The first is a regressive tax on American oil and gas development. The tax will drive up the cost of household energy bills. The Congressional Budget Office estimates the natural gas tax will increase taxes by $6.5 billion.

US Stock Market Suffers Worst Year Since 2008—Is More Pain Ahead in 2023?

Investors will be quick to turn the calendar year to 2023 after the U.S. stock market suffered its worst annual performance since 2008, driven by elevated inflation, global recession fears, and tightening monetary policy.  

The leading benchmark indexes suffered notable losses in 2022, led by the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite Index’s 33.1 percent decline. The S&P 500 plummeted 19.44 percent, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average slumped 8.78 percent.  

By comparison, the Nasdaq plunged 40.54 percent, the S&P 500 tumbled 38.49 percent, and the Dow Jones lost 33.84 percent in 2008.  

According to Ipek Ozkardeskaya, a senior analyst at Swissquote Bank, the abysmal performance in equities marked the end of an era of easy money policies.  

“The most important take of the year is: the era of easy money ended, and ended for good,” she wrote in a note. “This is the beginning of a new era, when central banks will be playing a more subdued role in the markets, with less liquidity available to fix problems—a more than necessary move that came perhaps too late, and too painfully.”  

In March, the Federal Reserve launched its tightening cycle by raising the benchmark fed funds rate (FFR) by 25 basis points. By December, the central bank pulled the trigger on 425 basis points, lifting the target rate to 4.25 and 4.50 percent, the highest level in 15 years.  

Millions of Earners, Businesses to See State Tax Cuts Beginning on Jan. 1

With state legislatures entering their third sessions since the 2020 pandemic pumped trillions in federal recovery and stimulus assistance into state and local government coffers, tax reform across a range of levies is among front-burner priorities for lawmakers in 2023.

During 2022 sessions, Washington, D.C.-based Tax Foundation reports at least 38 states adopted “noteworthy tax changes” with most going into effect on Jan. 1, including trims in personal income tax rates in 11 states and flat income tax structures being implemented in three states, Arizona, Idaho, and Mississippi on New Year’s Day.

Here is a round-up of “noteworthy tax changes” that go into effect Jan. 1 provided by analysts at the Tax Foundation, Council On State Taxation, and Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy

15 Million Americans Set to Lose Medical Coverage as Public Health Emergency Ends

America is facing a health crisis and it isn’t made up of bacteria or viruses—instead, it’s an impending medical insurance meltdown.

There is an expectation that as of Jan. 11, 2023, an estimated 15 million Americans will begin to lose health coverage.

The reason is that after three years of a COVID-19 public health emergency, the shield of continuous coverage offered by Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) will end.

Once the state of emergency expires, regular income requirements and restrictions will apply. This will disqualify millions who’ve benefited from congressional legislation passed in 2020 preventing disenrollment for the duration of the COVID pandemic.

Home Depot Cofounder Bernie Marcus Blames Socialism for ‘Lazy,’ ‘Fat,’ ‘Stupid’ Labor Force

Home Depot cofounder Bernie Marcus blamed socialism for generating an entitled labor force that is “lazy,” “fat,” and “stupid.”

Due to the economic agenda of “socialism,” Marcus told the Financial Times, “Nobody works. Nobody gives a damn. ‘Just give it to me. Send me money. I don’t want to work — I’m too lazy, I’m too fat, I’m too stupid.’”

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 

Patrick Wood’s 2023 Forecast

Change is certain. Evil actors and corruption are just as certain. This makes forecasting more difficult because the evil actors never advertise in advance what they are going to do to screw things up.

Nevertheless, there are certain trends already in place that promise to make 2023 one of the most difficult in at least 15 years. Here are a few that I am watching.

SURVEILLANCE STATE 

North Carolina Lawmakers Urge Governor to Follow Other States in Banning TikTok

Two North Carolina representatives are pressing Gov. Roy Cooper’s office to follow other states in issuing an executive order banning TikTok from government devices.

State Reps. Jason Saine and Jon Hardister, both Republicans, sent a letter to the Democrat governor (pdf) insisting that Cooper remove the Chinese video app “swiftly and decisively,” deeming it to be a “matter of national security.”

“As we know, the Chinese government is constantly working to infiltrate our communications and access intellectual data within the United States,” Saine and Hardister wrote. “If sensitive data is breached, it could pose both an economic and security threat for North Carolina. We have a responsibility to prevent this from happening, which is why we are urging an executive order as soon as possible.”

Saine and Hardister referenced past orders, such as the chief administrative officer for the U.S. House of Representatives issuing an order on Wednesday for all lawmakers to delete the app on all devices managed by the House.

The $1.7 trillion omnibus bill President Joe Biden signed into law on Thursday includes legislation banning the social media app from government devices due to concerns over national security.


HEALTH

Measles Outbreak Infects 82 Children, Hospitalizes 32 in Ohio

A measles outbreak in Ohio has infected at least 82 children and left 32 hospitalized, said Columbus Public Health in an update posted Dec. 30.

Health officials said weeks ago that they began investigating after a child became infected at a childcare facility in Franklin County, later saying that cases have been reported at a number of different locations. They include a Dollar Tree, a mall, a church, and other locations.

All of the cases involve children under the age of 18, and about 28 percent are under 12 months of age.

Across the United States, about 117 cases of the virus have been reported by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in its most recent update. Most are located in Franklin County, where Columbus is located, while no deaths have been reported.

Unholy Trinity: Facebook As Fact, Government As Truth, Big Pharma As God

If events since March 2020 have shown us anything, it is that fear is a powerful weapon for securing hegemony. Any government can manipulate fear about certain things while conveniently ignoring real dangers that a population faces.

Author and researcher Robert J Burrowes says:

…if we were seriously concerned about our world, the gravest and longest-standing health crisis on the planet is the one that starves to death 100,000 people each day. No panic about that, of course.”

No panic because the controlling interests of the global food system have long profited from a ‘stuffed and starved’ strategy that ensures people unnecessarily go hungry when corporate profit rather than need dictates policies.

US social commentator Walter Lippmann once said that ‘responsible men’ make decisions and must be protected from the ‘bewildered herd’ – the public. He added that the public should be subdued, obedient and distracted from what is really happening. Screaming patriotic slogans and fearing for their lives, they should be admiring with awe leaders who save them from destruction.

During COVID, Prime Minister of New Zealand Jacinda Ardern urged citizens to trust the government and its agencies for all information and stated:

Otherwise, dismiss anything else. We will continue to be your single source of truth.”

In the US, Fauci presented himself as ‘the science’. In New Zealand, Ardern was ‘the truth’. It was similar in countries across the world – different figures but the same approach.

Like other political leaders, Ardern clamped down on civil liberties with the full force of state violence on hand to ensure compliance with ‘the truth’. Those who questioned the COVID narrative – including world-renowned scientists – were smeared, shut down and censored.

It was an internationally orchestrated campaign involving governments, the big tech companies, media and the WHO, among others.

The EU Times reported on 17 December 2022 that the US Centers for Disease Control worked with social media to censor facts and information about COVID that ran afoul of official narratives.

The organisation America First Legal noted in a press release that the fourth set of documents it released – obtained from litigation against the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) – revealed:

…further concrete evidence of collusion between the CDC and social media companies to censor free speech and silence the public square under the government’s label of ‘misinformation’.”

Twitter ran a ‘Partner Support Portal’ for government employees and other ‘stakeholders’ to submit posts that it would remove or flag as ‘misinformation’ on its platform.

The US government was actively working to ‘socially inoculate’ the public against anything that threatened its narrative. Big tech corporations monitored and manipulated users for the purposes of censoring unapproved information and pushing government propaganda. Facebook sent written materials to the CDC in which it talked of censoring more than sixteen million ‘pieces of content’ containing opinions or information the government wanted suppressed

How Oxalates Can Wreck Your Health

Oxalic acid is a naturally occurring toxic, corrosive acid. When the oxalic acid has minerals attached to it, it’s called oxalate, which acts as a mineral chelator

Oxalate forms crystals that your body has a limited capacity to process. Calcium oxalate, for example, which is oxalic acid with calcium attached, form into painful kidney stones

Unlike some other food-related toxins, oxalate cannot be removed by cooking, soaking or fermenting the food. You also cannot simply take a mineral supplement to address the depletion oxalates causes

The top three “superfoods” that are very high in oxalate and may cause trouble are spinach, Swiss chard and beet greens. Another high-oxalate food is almonds, which you can easily “overdose” on if you’re eating bread made with almond flour or drinking almond milk, or if you’re on a keto or paleo diet, as they both tend to rely heavily on almonds. Dark chocolate is another food that scores high for oxalates

Oxalate damages cellular membranes causing excess calcium to flood the cell, resulting in accelerated cell death and other metabolic problems that contribute to chronic disease and ill health

This Is Why You Have Gray Hair

An international team of researchers has discovered the first gene linked to gray hair

The gene has previously been linked to blonde hair in Europeans and is now connected to gray hair as well

The gene accounted for about 30% of hair graying among study participants

Does Your Hair Have Its Own ‘Biological Clock?’

According to Desmond Tobin, Ph.D., professor of Cell Biology from the University of Bradford in England, your hair follicles may be regulated by a “melanogentic clock” that eventually slows down the activity of melanocyte cells. Further, according to the Library of Congress:5

“… Tobin suggests that hair turns gray because of age and genetics, in that genes regulate the exhaustion of the pigmentary potential of each individual hair follicle. This occurs at different rates in different hair follicles. For some people it occurs rapidly, while in others it occurs slowly over several decades.”

It’s known, for instance, that white people may start going gray in their mid-30s, while Asians typically go gray beginning in their late 30s. African Americans typically don’t go gray until their mid-40s.

What Else Causes Gray Hair?

Other factors for why hair turns gray include:

  • Hydrogen peroxide — Hydrogen peroxide is a well-known tool for bleaching your hair, but many people aren’t aware that your hair cells make hydrogen peroxide, too. As you age, the amount produced increases, which researchers believe ultimately bleaches out your hair pigment, turning your hair grey and then white.
  • Smoking — There is a significant association between tobacco use and graying of hair.8 Cigarette smoking is also linked to premature hair graying, with the onset of gray hair occurring before the age of 30.
  • Oxidative stress — Oxidative stress can be defined as the state in which your free radicals (from pollution, poor diet, stress) outnumber your antioxidant defenses (from healthy diet). Graying hair may be an indicator of oxidative stress-induced damage.10 Research has also shown that people with premature graying had a higher level of pro-oxidants and lower levels of antioxidants than those with normal hair.
  • Vitamin B12 deficiency — This is also linked to premature gray hair, and there is at least one report of pigmentation returning to hair after the vitamin deficiency was resolved
COVID RELATED NEWS

Shocking Lab Investigation of COVID Vaccines

A recent laboratory investigation by The Highwire reveals the only consistent thing about the COVID shots are their inconsistency. There is no quality control. Some appear clear like saline, while others are loaded with contaminants

In August 2021, Japan rejected 1.63 million doses of Moderna’s mRNA shot due to contamination. Last year the European Medicines Agency (EMA) also expressed concern over vials that were only 50% to 55% pure

The vials also contain massively inconsistent amounts of polyethylene glycol (PEG). PEG can cause anaphylactic shock in some people. PEG also gets in the way of proper immune response

If you are unfortunate enough to get a vial that is loaded with PEG, your risk of adverse effects such as anaphylactic shock and dysregulated immune response is greater than if you get a vial with lower amounts

According to Dr. Ryan Cole, a pathologist, what looks like microchips or nanotechnology in the liquid are actually stacked cholesterol, sugar and salt crystals, and what has been described as parasites are stellate trikons, found on the bottom of leaves. They’re likely a contaminant picked up at some point during the lab investigation

Quercetin and Vitamin C: Synergistic Therapy for COVID-19

Vitamin C and quercetin have synergistic effects that make them useful in the prevention and early at-home treatment of COVID-19. Both are part of the MATH+ protocol developed by the Front Line COVID-19 Critical Care Working Group (FLCCC)

For COVID-19 prophylaxis, the FLCCC recommends vitamin C, quercetin, zinc, melatonin and vitamin D3

The at-home treatment for mildly symptomatic patients is very similar to the prophylactic regimen, but adds several optional drugs, including aspirin, famotidine (an antacid) and ivermectin (a heartworm medication that has been shown to inhibit SARS-CoV-2 replication in vitro)

The in-hospital MATH+ protocol calls for intravenous methylprednisolone, high-dose ascorbic acid (vitamin C), thiamine and heparin. Optional additions include melatonin, zinc, vitamin D3, atorvastatin, famotidine and magnesium

There are two distinct phases or stages of COVID-19 — the viral replication stage and the immune dysfunction stage — and the treatment must be appropriate for the stage you’re in. Equally crucial is starting aggressive treatment as early as possible

—> Power Mall Products of Interest: PLANT BASED QUERCETIN & OPTIVIDA VITAMIN C 

How COVID Vaccines Cause Cancer

Antibodies are studied more than other immune proteins for association with disease. This does not mean that they are more decisive in disease outcomes. Type I interferon likely has far more impact.

Antibodies Are Not the Whole Story of Immune Resilience Toward Cancer

Much is being made of a recent study showing IgG4 antibodies spiking in the blood labs of those who are triple-injected with the mRNA COVID vaccines.   Journalists are speculating that this may be the cause of increased cancers in the COVID-vaccinated.  But that is not the main reason that the COVID-vaccinated are getting new cancer cases, sometimes aggressive “turbo cancers,” or coming out of remission from earlier cancer.  Rather, there is earlier research that provides more plausible mechanisms for cancer risk, based on abundant prior knowledge of immune function.  Let’s look at both the new study on IgG antibodies and earlier research.

The popular fallacy seems to be along these lines: ‘Antibodies are easy to test for.  Plus, they are the focus of vaccine development and vaccine action.  So therefore we spend a lot of time thinking and talking about them.  So therefore they must be important markers of disease outcomes.  So therefore they must be decisive in disease outcomes.’

After focusing my own work on cancer patients for the last 16 years as a naturopathic oncologist, if I made this mistake in thinking, most of my patients would be dead by now from misdirected efforts.

No, cancer remains a mega-problem of DNA damage, immune distraction, disrupted cell signaling, frenzied growth, lack of apoptosis, weakened tissues, angiogenesis, and metabolic derangement, as the principal features of an entity that feeds itself at the expense and to the detriment of the organ and the organism.  These are the principal features of cancer, and they are hard as heck to treat successfully.  I discuss that very daunting challenge here.

Why Is Protecting COVID-19’s Origin so Important?

The manufactured anthrax crisis of 2001 initiated the PATRIOT Act, one of the most severe compromises of our personal freedoms up to that point. Now, the COVID-19 pandemic is being used to take away even more freedoms

It appears influential virologists are protecting the narrative that SARS-CoV-2 arose naturally and did not originate from a lab in China or elsewhere, even though their scientific justification for that conclusion is faulty

Strong evidence suggests SARS-CoV-2 cannot be the result of a natural mutation

The National Institutes of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), under Dr. Anthony Fauci’s leadership, has funded gain-of-function research on coronaviruses for about two decades

Efforts to develop coronavirus vaccines have failed for two decades, as the vaccines tend to cause paradoxical immune enhancement resulting in damaging and lethal cytokine storms

COVID-19 Omicron Variant XBB.1.5 More Dominant, Makes Up 40 Percent of New Cases in US: CDC

The COVID-19 Omicron XBB.1.5 subvariant nearly doubled in prevalence over the past week, data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) showed on Friday, with it now comprising over 40 percent of new cases in the United States.

Specifically, for the week ending Dec. 31, CDC data puts the Omicron XBB.1.5 subvariant as making up 40.5 percent of the total new COVID-19 cases in the country. That figure was 21.7 percent in the week ending Dec. 24.

Meanwhile, subvariants BQ.1 and BQ.1.1 are now at 26.9 percent and 18.3 percent of total new U.S. cases, respectively. Last week, BQ.1.1 was 33.2 percent and BQ.1 was at 24.1 percent of new cases.

The XBB.1.5 subvariant appeared in the United States around late November and has roughly doubled in prevalence every week since, according to CDC data. It accounts for the majority of current COVID-19 cases in the U.S. northeast, at around 75 percent of cases in the New York tri-state area and New England.

Dr. Barbara Mahon, the director of the CDC’s proposed Coronavirus and Other Respiratory Viruses Division, told CBS News that it is projected to be the dominant variant in the U.S. northeast and will increase in prevalence in other regions of the country. However, she said there is “no suggestion at this point that XBB.1.5 is more severe.”

Meanwhile, the BQ.1.1 Omicron subvariant still makes up most cases in the country’s south and west.

10 Ways COVID Changed How People Think About Health–Part 1

COVID-19 has left lasting imprints on everyone.

Some lived in fear for three long years of contracting a COVID-19 infection, others lost their jobs as they resisted vaccine mandates, and many reported symptoms of long COVID or suffered vaccine injuries.

People are now looking back on the COVID-19 pandemic as a poorly managed public health crisis—and as we learn to live with the ever-mutating virus, it’s time to reflect on decisions made during the pandemic and their resulting consequences.

The Epoch Times presents how COVID changed the way people think about health.

  1. Declining Trust in Vaccinations
  2. Fear of Infectious Diseases
  3. Loss of Trust in Public Health
  4. Pandemic Buzzwords
  5. To Vaccinate or Not Vaccinate, That Is the Question
CANCEL CULTURE

WEF Ditches Twitter, Says Followers Should Use Chinese Apps Instead

Prior to its upcoming conference in Davos next month, the World Economic Forum (WEF) appears to have joined the cancel campaign against Twitter, taking to recommending Chinese state-controlled social media apps to “follow along” with Davos Man into the future.

Twitter is noticeably absent from the entities listed on the organization’s “How to follow Davos 2023” social media pamphlet, and that appears to be no accident.

To stay up to speed with all that is happening within the invite-only doors of the ruling class confab, the WEF recommends following along through a handful of social media sites. They include the U.S.-based narrative-compliant Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, and YouTube, along with the Chinese social media apps TikTok WeChat, and Weibo. Twitter, which has freed itself from the grasp of the WEF-endorsed censorship-compliant social apps, is no longer included.

Through its founder Klaus Schwab and partner organizations, the WEF has a very cozy relationship with the Chinese government. Davos recently revealed that their China office now has 40 full time staffers. Moreover, every year in Beijing, the WEF hosts its “Annual Meeting of the New Champions,” which facilitates partnerships between international businesses and the Chinese Community Party. In 2018, the CCP awarded Klaus Schwab with its China Reform Friendship Medal, a medal for non-Chinese people who do the CCP’s bidding overseas.

Davos 2023 will feature Shou Zi Chew, the CEO of TikTok, on stage. First reported by The Dossier, he will appear at an event titled “Tackling Harm in The Digital Era.”

In case you missed it, The Dossier has obtained an early, partial list of both events and confirmed speakers for Davos 2023. On the agenda for the 2023 conference includes event titles such as Why We Need Battery Passports, Leading The Charge Through Earth’s New Normal, A Living Wage For All, Enabling An Equitable Transition, and Beyond The Rainbow: Advancing LGBTQ+ Rights, among others.

The Bird App has faced a ferocious cancel campaign following its change of management. Elon Musk’s pledge to turn Twitter into a free speech platform has met major resistance from the institutional corporate and governmental ruling class. Several WEF partners, such as BlackRock, have joined the attacks against Twitter, boycotting the platform in protest of its “content moderation” policies. It should come as no surprise that the ruling class’s favorite narrative and ideas shop for technocratic tyranny has come after Twitter, given that the latter app is now serving as the one major global social media platform for open debate and dialogue.

Woke Fail: Netflix Shares Plummet More Than 50 Percent in 2022 — Worst Year in More than a Decade

Netflix has closed out its worst year in more than a decade, with its stock plunging more than 50 percent and wiping out a staggering $136 billion in market value.

For 2022, Netflix shares dropped 50.6 percent, the most the stock has declined on an annual basis since 2011. For the first time, the once-invincible company lost subscribers for two consecutive quarters, ushering in a period of painful belt-tightening that has included several hundred layoffs.

End of Year Report by Chief Justice Roberts Says Judges’ Security Should Be a Priority

After a difficult 2022 at the Supreme Court, Chief Justice John Roberts said in an annual report that the personal security of judges needs to be a priority.

“The law requires every judge to swear an oath to perform his or her work without fear or favor, but we must support judges by ensuring their safety,” Roberts wrote (pdf) in the “2022 Year-End Report on the Federal Judiciary,” which was made public late Dec. 31.

“A judicial system cannot and should not live in fear,” he added.

ICYMI

Hohmann: New Lessons For Today In Mel Gibson’s Iconic Portrayal Of ‘The Patriot’

Later that day we sat down to watch a familiar movie, The Patriot, starring Mel Gibson in the role of a fictional character named Benjamin Martin, who finds himself drawn into the American Revolutionary War.

It’s always been a favorite and I’ve seen it many times. But this time I would see the story unfold through an entirely new lens. There’s more to it, I found, than just a patriot hero, a keen military strategy and an intriguing history lesson.

Barbara Walters Dies At The Age Of 93

Legendary ABC News interviewer and broadcaster Barbara Walters died Friday at the age of 93.

Walters became the first female anchor on the network in 1976 after joining the “Evening News” program and became a co-host of the program “20/20” three years later, ABC News reported. She later launched the ABC daytime program, “The View,” in 1997, where she appeared as a co-host until 2014.

She won 12 Emmy awards throughout the span of her career, winning her first in 1975 for Outstanding Talk Show Host, the outlet reported

Former Pope Benedict Dies Aged 95 in Vatican Monastery

Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI has died at the age of 95 in a secluded monastery at the Vatican where he had lived since stepping down nearly a decade ago due to poor health.

Matteo Bruni, a spokesman for the Holy See, made the announcement in a Dec. 31 statement.

“With sorrow I inform you that the Pope Emeritus, Benedict XVI, passed away today at 9:34 in the Mater Ecclesiae Monastery in the Vatican,” Bruni said.

Bruni told reporters that Benedict’s health deteriorated over Christmas and he received the sacrament of the anointing of the sick after his daily mass on Dec. 28.

The Vatican said the body of the former pope will lie in state from Jan. 2 in St.Peter’s Basilica, so that the faithful can pay their final respects.

While the Vatican has detailed rituals for what happens after a reigning pope dies, there are no known ones for a former pope.

Bruni told reporters that, in line with Benedict’s wishes, his funeral will be celebrated with “simplicity.”

Pelosi Announces One of Her Final Acts as House Speaker

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) has boosted the maximum rate that lawmakers can pay House staff, with the move being one of her final acts before having to hand over the speaker’s gavel next week as Republicans take control of the lower chamber of Congress.

“It is my privilege as Speaker to announce that the House will raise the maximum annual rate of pay for staff to $212,100,” Pelosi said in a Dear Colleague letter Friday.

This is the third time Pelosi has raised the maximum House staff salary since last year, when the cap was lifted after a 13-year freeze.

Pelosi boosted the cap last year to $199,300. She again raised it in May of this year, this time to $203,700, while also instituting a minimum salary level of $45,000.

She said that the move would help Congress attract and retain quality employees.

“As you know, our hard-working, patriotic Congressional staffers are integral to the functioning of the House of Representatives: ensuring this institution can effectively carry out our legislative and constituent responsibilities,” Pelosi said in the letter.

General Motors Funds Transgenderism Efforts in Children’s Classrooms

General Motors (GM) provided a grant to a pro-transgender organization that supplies kindergarten and elementary classrooms with children’s books that support its ideology.

The Detroit-based automaker made a donation last year to the Gay Lesbian and Straight Education Network’s (GLSEN) “Rainbow Library” Program, according to its 2021 Social Impact Report (pdf).

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