WORLD NEWS
State Department Urges Americans in Lebanon to ‘Leave Now’
State Department Urges Americans in Lebanon to ‘Leave Now’
The State Department is urging all Americans in Lebanon to “leave now” while commercial flight options remain available, amid growing tensions in the region due to Hezbollah’s sustained attacks on Israel from across its northern border with Lebanon.
In an Oct. 22 update, the government department recommended “that U.S. citizens who choose not to depart prepare contingency plans for emergency situations.”
To the best of its knowledge, the State Department believes there are still commercial flights available, but warned there is reduced capacity on the planes. Citizens who want to depart with government assistance must express their interest via a crisis intake form.
Hamas releases two more hostages
Hamas released two more hostages Monday but is still holding more than 200, officials said.
Yocheved Lifshitz and Nurit Cooper were released Monday. They were among the people taken hostage in a series of terror attacks against Israel 17 days ago that left more than 1,400 people in Israel dead.
The Biden administration is advising Israel to delay a ground invasion of Gaza, U.S. officials said, in order to allow for more time for hostage negotiations and humanitarian aid to reach there.
Freed hostage says she was held in ‘spider’s web’ of Gaza tunnels
“I went through hell,” says Yocheved Lifschitz, an 85-year-old grandmother and peace activist released by Hamas on Monday after two weeks in captivity.
Mrs Lifschitz and her husband were kidnapped by Hamas gunmen on motorbikes and taken into a “spider’s web” of tunnels underneath Gaza, she said.
She said she was hit by sticks on the journey, but that most of the hostages were being “treated well”.
She was freed alongside another woman, Nurit Cooper, 79, on Monday evening.
Extraordinary images show the grandmother shaking the hand of a Hamas gunman, just seconds before she was escorted to an ambulance by the International Red Cross who drove her back into Israel.
“Shalom,” she appears to say to the gunman – the Hebrew word for peace.
Mrs Lifschitz was kidnapped, alongside her husband Oded, from Nir Oz kibbutz in southern Israel on 7 October. He has not been released.
It was early in the morning when Hamas attacked their kibbutz, massacring the small community. One in four residents are believed to have been killed or kidnapped, including many children.
Speaking at a news conference from a hospital in Tel Aviv just a few hours after her release, Mrs Lifschitz explained what happened after she was kidnapped.
She said he was hit with sticks during the journey into Gaza, and suffered bruises and breathing difficulties.
Her daughter, Sharone Lifschitz, who helped tell reporters of her mother’s ordeal, said the 85-year-old was forced to walk for a few kilometres on wet ground.
Sharone said her mother was taken into “a huge network of tunnels underneath Gaza that looked like a spider’s web”.
Biden Hints at Saving Hamas; ‘Ceasefire’ an Option if All Hostages Released
President Joe Biden said Monday that he was open to discussions of a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas if the Palestinian terrorist organization released all of the hostages that it still holds in Gaza.
Biden’s remarks contrast with Israel’s stated goal of eliminating Hamas in the wake of the Oct. 7 terror attack, in which the group murdered more than 1,400 people, wounded more than 4,000, and took more than 200 hostage.
Jihadists! Need a place to multiculturalize? Scotland’s borders are wide open!
Scotland’s First Minister Says They Are Ready To Welcome Gaza Refugee
Scotland’s First Minister Humza Yousaf has announced that the country is welcoming refugees from Gaza amid the war between Israel and Hamas.
Yusaf announced on Wednesday that Scotland is ready to offer asylum to the people of Gaza who have been displaced in the ongoing conflict.
He made the announcement on X (Twitter) emphasizing that they are willing to be a place of sanctuary for misplaced victims.
“The people of Gaza are a proud people. Many don’t want to leave, and shouldn’t have to. But for those displaced, who want to leave, there should be a worldwide refugee scheme. Scotland is willing to be a place of sanctuary and be the first country to take those refugees,” he said.
Yousaf also urged countries in the Middle East, Asia, Europe, the United Kingdom, and the U.S. to welcome Gaza refugees.
“Let’s say that Scotland will be a place of sanctuary for them as we have shown kindness and compassion for others. Let us show it once again and this time for the people of Gaza,” Yousaf said. “And Scotland is willing to be the first country in the U.K. to take those refugees.”
In another video that Yousaf posted to X, he said that Scotland’s hospitals would care for people in Gaza who have been injured in the war.
The first minister asserted that he is now calling on the U.K. government to “begin work on the creation of a refugee resettlement scheme for those in Gaza who want to, and of course are able to, leave.”
Global “Holodomor” Ahead: The Intentional Destruction Of Agriculture
Dutch farmers and fishermen represent the “canary in the coal mine” in the battle to destroy agriculture worldwide. Everything that is happening there is being replicated in the U.S., Canada, Australia, and throughout Europe. Holodomor means “death by hunger,” as was intentionally inflicted on Ukrainian peasants during 1932-33, killing at least 5 million. Now that a global Holodomor is forming, it should be as plain as your nose on your face.
This paper represents every facet of the attack in the Netherlands. There is still time to thwart these evil plans, but the vast majority of the intended victims have no clue.
Canada Seeks to Legalize Medically Assisted Death for People Addicted to Drugs
Canada is reportedly poised to legalize medically assisted dying for people who are addicted to drugs, while some worry that the country has gone “t00 far.”
Canada is planning to expand its medical assistance in dying (MAID) law this spring to include people whose sole medical condition is mental illness, which also covers those who have a substance use disorder, according to a report by the Toronto Star.
AI is not the only thing you have to worry about …
Why Are People so Obedient? Compliance and Tyranny
Obedience allows totalitarianism to rule, but humans may be hard-wired to support the majority opinion, even when it goes against their own self-interest.
Humans may be biologically wired to go with the flow and stick with the majority group, even if they don’t agree with its intentions.
In the 1950s, psychologist Solomon Asch conducted a now-classic social psychology experiment showing the power of peer pressure and the desire to fit in.
Governments, corporate giants and globalists are able to shape public opinion and behavior of the masses by “manufacturing illusions of consensus”.
False beliefs about public majority opinions may drive people to censor their true opinions about an issue, furthering an altered perception of reality and conformity.
Even minor displays of noncompliance can give others the courage to follow, triggering a ripple effect that can change society.
Low-welfare eggs from caged hens imported to UK in ‘staggering’ numbers
Exclusive: Concerns grow that post-Brexit trade deals could lead to further decline in quality as battery farm eggs are reintroduced
Low-welfare eggs are flooding into the UK from abroad, the Guardian can reveal, as experts warn the effects of Brexit could cause even more to be imported.
Official data reveals that between 2021 and August 2023 the number of eggs imported from Poland rose by more than 2,000%, from 46 consignments to 1,095. The number imported from Italy also increased by almost 300% between 2022 and 2023 from 72 consignments to 279, according to figures from the Animal and Plant Health Agency.
The total number of consignments imported went from 422 in 2021 to 2,120 in 2022, and has already reached 2,536 in the first eight months of 2023.
But the quality of products from these countries could be lower, experts have warned. A recent report showed that a large salmonella outbreak earlier this year was linked to Polish eggs. Concern has also been raised that post-Brexit trade deals could lead to a further decline in quality as low-welfare eggs from caged hens enter the UK.
U.S. NEWS, POLITICS & GOVERNMENT
US Government Is Warning Americans Not to Travel to These Places Right Now
The State Department issues travel advisory levels for over 200 countries.
After the outbreak of war between Israel and Hamas that has increased tensions across the Middle East, the U.S. State Department has issued a worldwide caution alert for Americans traveling abroad.
The alert was issued because of “increased tensions in various locations around the world, the potential for terrorist attacks, demonstrations, or violent actions against U.S. citizens and interests.” Before that update, the most recent worldwide caution advisory was sent out in 2022 after a U.S. strike killed al-Qaeda chief Ayman al-Zawahiri.
The State Department issues travel advisory levels for more than 200 countries, with advisories ranging from Level 1 to Level 4. Generally, Level 4 countries have a high risk of unrest, terrorism, or conflict, which means that people likely shouldn’t travel there, whereas Level 1 countries mean that U.S. citizens should exercise normal precautions when traveling.
Biden Says The U.S. Will Build A “New World Order”
The current system of totalitarian control is failing as the slave class slowly figures out the game, and the masters know it. Joe Biden said that the United States-led world order has “sort of run out of steam,” but Washington will shape the “New World Order” system that will replace it.
If you think a new system designed by the sociopaths that created the current system will be better, you’re delusional. The new system, or new world order, will remove the illusion of freedom and ensure permanent inescapable slavery for all but a few human beings on this planet. The current head ruler, Joe Biden, told supporters on Saturday that the U.S. has the opportunity “to do things.”
Leaders in Moscow and Beijing, however, have argued otherwise. According to a report by RT, while speaking at a campaign reception in Washington, Biden bragged about how he convinced Japan and South Korea to send financial aid to Ukraine, and how he signed a rail and ports deal with the European Union, India, and Saudi Arabia at the G20 summit in New Delhi last month.
“So, I think we have an opportunity to do things if we’re bold enough and have enough confidence in ourselves, to unite the world in ways that it never has been,” Biden declared. “We were in a post-war period for 50 years where it worked pretty damn well, but that’s sort of run out of steam. Sort of run out of steam. We need a new, new world order in a sense,” he continued.
The U.S. is flailing as it attempts to fund two separate wars and control the slave class domestically. With Beijing expanding its nuclear arsenal and modernizing its military, President Xi Jinping has referred to the U.S.-led West as “declining” on multiple occasions, and hailed the emergence of a “multipolar world,” in which international relations are governed by laws and treaties, rather than U.S.-enforced “rules.”
The ruling class is continuing to decide how many rights other human beings are entitled to. That, in and of itself, is slavery. We all need to start to see this system for what it is and the damage it has done to humanity.
“We proceed from the fact that all people are equal, everyone has the same rights, the rights and freedoms of one country and one people end where the rights and freedoms of another person or of an entire state start. This is how a multipolar world should gradually be born,” Putin told the Chinese network.
Trump Says Reports About Sharing Sensitive Information With Mar-a-Lago Member Are ‘Fake News’
‘I never spoke to him about Submarines, but I did speak to him about creating jobs in Ohio and Pennsylvania, because that’s what I’m all about.’
Former President Donald Trump on Oct. 22 rebutted reports that he spoke about confidential information with an Australian billionaire on Truth Social, after the story was amplified by coverage by The New York Times.
“The Failing New York Times story, leaked by Deranged Jack Smith and the Biden ‘Political Opponent Abuser’ DOJ, about a red-haired weirdo from Australia, named Anthony Pratt, is Fake News,” he wrote.
… and the Schiff Show continues in Washington …
House Republicans Go Back to Drawing Board as Speaker Search Nears 3-Week Mark
Pressure mounts on the deeply divided Republican conference as the House concludes a third week with no leader, unable to conduct the nation’s business.
House Republicans return to Washington on Oct. 23 for a third attempt to elect a speaker in as many weeks.
The deeply divided Republican conference is back to square one in its quest for a leader after a tumultuous series of events that began with the ouster of the former speaker and includes the failed candidacies of two Republican speaker designees.
Meanwhile, the House of Representatives has been essentially closed for nearly three full weeks.
Do you think we should vet those who occupy the flight deck for mental illness?
US pilot charged with attempted murder for ‘trying to shut down’ plane’s engines
An Alaska Airlines flight bound for San Francisco was reportedly diverted to Portland, Oregon, after an off-duty pilot inside the cockpit attempted to disable the aircraft engines.
Alaska Airlines flight number 2059 operated by Horizon Air from Everett, Washington, was diverted on Sunday after reporting a credible security threat, according to a Federal Aviation Administration statement.
The FAA told airlines in a notice seen by Reuters that the individual at the center of the case sought to disable the engines on the Embraer 175 regional jet by deploying the fire suppression system. The statement added the crew was able to subdue the man and remove him from the flight deck.
“I’ll just give you a heads-up. We’ve got the guy that tried to shut the engines down out of the cockpit,” the pilot told FAA air traffic control, according to audio posted by LiveATC. “It doesn’t sound like he’s causing any issue at the back. I think he’s subdued.
Crack pipe anyone?
Joe Biden Moves to Ban Menthol Cigarettes While Pushing Safe Crack Pipes, Marijuana Reform
President Joe Biden’s Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is pushing to ban menthol cigarettes after it has pressed for safe crack pipe distribution and marijuana reform.
The FDA has pushed its long-awaited ban on menthol cigarettes, which some public health groups believe could help improve black communities and prevent young Americans from smoking cigarettes. Menthol cigarettes are viewed as more addictive than traditional cigarettes.
Tobacco companies have argued that there is no direct link between menthol cigarettes and starting smoking or even increased dependence on cigarettes. Black leaders, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), and other similarly minded groups have voiced concerns that a menthol ban could lead to further policing of black communities.
Could the allegations be true? Again, AI isn’t the only thing we have to worry about …
Consortium News Sues NewsGuard, U.S. Government over Censorship Collaboration
Consortium News, a news website focused on foreign policy founded by an award-winning journalist who helped break the Iran-Contra story in the 1980s, is suing NewsGuard and the U.S. government over alleged collaboration to suppress its reporting, which is critical of U.S. foreign policy.
The complaint, filed in federal court, focuses on NewsGuard’s relationship with the Pentagon’s Cyber Command. In 2021, the Pentagon contracted NewsGuard to develop a system called “misinformation fingerprints” to catalogue “known hoaxes, falsehoods and misinformation narratives that are spreading online.”
Touchdown!
‘It’s a Blessing’: Niece of Cleveland Browns Wide Receiver Born in Stadium During Game
While the Cleveland Browns were beating the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday, a cousin of one of the winning team’s players gave birth in the stadium.
The baby born inside Lucas Oil Stadium was already a miracle, but the story became even sweeter when the relationship between the newborn and Browns wide receiver David Bell was discovered by FOX59.
Not everyone on the Court is happy about the latest U.S. Supreme Court decision …
Federal officials and the Biden White House can resume censoring conservatives on social media for now, as a divided Supreme Court on Monday stayed a lower court injunction that had blocked such censorship on First Amendment grounds – a decision Justice Samuel Alito called “highly disturbing.”
“This case concerns what two lower courts found to be a coordinated campaign by high-level federal officials to suppress the expression of disfavored views on important public issues,” Alito wrote in a dissent from the court’s ruling, noting that the injunction the justices now blocked had stopped Biden administration officials from “either coercing social media companies to engage in such censorship or actively controlling those companies’ decisions about the content posted on their platforms.”
A bad day for drivers in Louisiana …
Seven killed after smoky ‘superfog’ in Louisiana causes 158-vehicle pileup
Twenty-five people injured on I-55 interstate as search for victims continues and governor calls for blood donors
At least seven people were killed after a “superfog” of smoke from south Louisiana marsh fires and dense fog caused multiple massive car crashes Monday morning involving a total of 158 vehicles, authorities said.Twenty-five people were injured and the number of fatalities may increase as first responders continue to clear the crash scenes and search for victims, Louisiana state police said in a press release Monday evening.
Governor John Bel Edwards issued a call for blood donors and asked for prayers “for those hurt and killed”.
Videos of the wreck showed what looked like an endless junkyard of cars overtaking the busy interstate near the community of Manchac. Vehicles were crushed, rammed under one another, and some engulfed by flames. Many people stood on the side of the road looking in disbelief at the disastrous scene, while others remained in their car waiting for aid.
ECONOMY & BUSINESS
Auto insurance skyrockets in one U.S. city due to soaring car thefts
Auto theft in Baltimore, Maryland, has skyrocketed over the past year, forcing more victims to purchase replacement vehicles and raising car insurance rates across the city, Fox45 News reported.
One local car dealership has seen a roughly 5-8% increase in customers who have had their cars stolen, Craig Farmer, an executive at Len Stoler Automotive, told Fox45. Monthly auto insurance rates are 43% higher in Baltimore than anywhere else in the state and 231% more than the average national rate, according to Insurify, a company that tracks national and local insurance rate trends.
Big Oil is getting bigger …
Chevron to buy Hess Corp for $53 billion in all-stock deal
Chevron (CVX.N) has agreed to buy Hess (HES.N) for $53 billion in stock to gain a bigger U.S. oil footprint and a stake in rival Exxon Mobil’s (XOM.N) massive Guyana discoveries, the latest in a series of blockbuster U.S. oil combinations.
The Chevron deal announced on Monday and a $60 billion acquisition by Exxon earlier this month will add years of oil and gas production to the two top U.S. producers’ portfolios, much of it from U.S. shale. And the deals will leave European oil rivals that had shifted their focus to renewable energy further behind in fossil fuels.
And the saga of the electric vehicle continues to worsen …
Tesla Admits the DOJ Is Investigating Its Vehicles’ Driving Range
The US Department of Justice is officially investigating whether Tesla exaggerated the advertised ranges of its vehicles, according to new documents the Elon Musk-led company filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
According to the documents, Tesla “received requests for information, including subpoenas from the DOJ, regarding certain matters associated with personal benefits, related parties, vehicle range and personnel decisions” — confirming the Wall Street Journal’s reporting this past summer that federal prosecutors were investigating the carmaker for exaggerating the ranges of its vehicles.
None of this should be particularly surprising. The company has long been under fire for misleading its customers with inflated or “rosy” range values that often don’t reflect reality, with the issue reportedly so serious that Tesla created a “diversion team” to cancel appointments with disappointed customers, according to a Reuters investigation last year.
Trick? Or treat? Los Angeles’s underbelly is laid “bare” …
PHOTOS — ‘A Fallen City’: L.A. Prostitutes in Thongs Work Streets in Daytime Due to California Law
Prostitutes in Los Angeles have been spotted wearing barely any clothing during daylight hours, and the scene has many questioning if such “work” is empowering for women.
Hundreds of prostitutes have spent ample time on Figueroa Boulevard after Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) passed the Safer Streets for All Act, the New York Post reported Monday.
Stelllantis takes a major hit at its most profitable plant!
UAW Strike: 6.8K Auto Workers Shut Down Stellantis’ Most Profitable Plant
Nearly 7,000 auto workers at Stellantis’ Sterling Heights Assembly Plant in Sterling Heights, Michigan, have joined the United Auto Workers (UAW) strike — a major blow for the automaker as the plant is its most profitable in the United States.
On Monday morning, 6,800 auto workers at the Sterling Heights plant joined tens of thousands of fellow UAW members in an ongoing strike against General Motors (GM), Ford, and Stellantis.
NewsGuard & US Govt. Sued By Consortium News; Musk Slams ‘Scam’
NewsGuard, a company which claims to rate media outlets’ level of ‘trustworthiness’ and therefore has a meaningful influence over ad revenue, has been sued along with the Biden administration by Consortium News, which also named the Pentagon’s Cyber Command for “contracting with NewsGuard to identify, report and abridge the speech of American media organizations that dissent from U.S. official positions on foreign policy.”
According to the complaint, NewsGuard is “acting jointly or in concert with the United States to coerce news organizations to alter viewpoints” regarding Ukraine, Russia and Syria, and has impsed a form of “censorship and repression of views” that diverge from US policies and those of its allies, the complaint says.
Consortium also notes that NewsGuard has branded the entirety of Consortium News’ 20,000+ articles as ‘unreliable’ based on just six examples they took issue with (which is the exact same thing they do with ZeroHedge and other independent media).
NewsGuard uses its software to tag targeted news sites, including all 20,000+ Consortium News articles an videos published since 1995, with warnings to “proceed with caution,” telling NewsGuard subscribers that Consortium News produces “disinformation,” “false content” and is an “anti-U.S.” media organization, even though NewsGuard only took issue with a total of six CN articles and none of its videos.
The complaint seeks a permanent injunction declaring the joint program unconstitutional; barring the government and NewsGuard from continuing such practices and more than $13 million in damages for defamation and civil rights violations. –Consortium News
Tyson Foods, the world’s second-largest processor and marketer of meat, has announced a joint venture with Protix, the world’s largest insect factory, to delve into the world of insect protein and lipid production, targeting the pet food, aquaculture, and livestock industries.
However, the question that looms large is, do insect proteins really hold the key to sustainability, or is this just a trendy leap onto the bandwagon of alternative protein sources?
Tyson Foods and Protix envision an insect protein processing facility on American soil that seeks to transform food manufacturing byproducts into insect proteins and lipids.
According to CNN, “that facility will use animal waste to feed black soldier flies, which will then be turned into food for pets, poultry and fish… Those flies are not going into human food, at this point.”
“The strategic investment will support the growth of the emerging insect ingredient industry and expand the use of insect ingredient solutions to create more efficient sustainable proteins and lipids for use in the global food system,” according to the company’s press release. “The agreement combines Tyson Foods’ global scale, experience and network with Protix’s technology and market leadership to meet current market demand and scale production of insect ingredients.”
It continued, “Tyson Foods and Protix have entered a joint venture for the operation and construction of an insect ingredient facility in the continental United States. Upon completion, it will be the first at-scale facility of its kind to upcycle food manufacturing byproducts into high-quality insect proteins and lipids which will primarily be used in the pet food, aquaculture, and livestock industries.”
John R. Tyson, the Chief Financial Officer of Tyson Foods, and Kees Aarts, CEO of Protix, have lauded this venture
“Our partnership with Protix represents the latest strategic investment by Tyson Foods in groundbreaking solutions that drive added value to Tyson Foods’ business,” said John R. Tyson. “The insect lifecycle provides the opportunity for full circularity within our value chain, strengthening our commitment to building a more sustainable food system for the future.”
“We are very excited to announce the next step in our international growth strategy. Tyson Foods’ and Protix’s strategic partnership advances our joint work towards creating high-quality, more sustainable protein using innovative technology and solutions,” said Kees Aarts. “Moreover, we can immediately use their existing byproducts as feedstock for our insects. This agreement is a major milestone for Protix and significantly accelerates our ambition to grow through international partnerships.”
HEALTH
More Than a Third of Women Under 50 Are Iron-Deficient
The condition can cause fatigue and other symptoms but is rarely tested for. Here’s what to know.
Roughly 35 percent of women of reproductive age in the United States don’t have sufficient amounts of iron in their bodies. And yet the nutritional deficiency, which can affect multiple functions, from immunity to cognition, often goes undiagnosed, said Dr. Malcolm Munro, professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles. This oversight is partly because symptoms can be difficult to pin down but also because iron deficiency is rarely recognized as an urgent condition with short- and long-term consequences, he said.
Despite persistent calls from experts and researchers, there are no recommendations in the U.S. to regularly screen for iron deficiency among adult women and it is therefore rarely a part of blood work in annual checkups. There are recommendations only for screening pregnant and nonpregnant women for anemia, a condition that can develop when iron deficiency is left untreated.
That iron deficiency is often overlooked might come down to “the normalization of women’s disorders,” Dr. Munro said. The associated symptoms — like feeling faint, fatigued or irritable — are often seen as a part of life as a woman, he added.
The risks of iron deficiency
Iron is used to manufacture hemoglobin, which is a protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen from the lungs to the rest of the body. It’s also essential for other cellular functions and hormone production.
Iron that isn’t used for hemoglobin or other functions is stored in the bone marrow and liver as a protein called ferritin. When the body’s iron stores dip, the remaining iron is redirected to the maintenance of red blood cells at the expense of heart, brain and muscular functions, Dr. Munro said. If the body uses up its stores, iron deficiency can lead to a reduction in hemoglobin and the number of healthy red blood cells, called anemia.
So someone with normal hemoglobin levels might still have low levels of iron, Dr. Munro said. There are other forms of anemia, including inherited red blood cell disorders like sickle cell disease, but anemia caused by iron deficiency is the most common type in the U.S.
The symptoms of iron deficiency are often nonspecific and nebulous, including shortness of breath, brain fog, fatigue, lightheadedness, increased sensitivity to cold temperatures and heart palpitations — all of which could be signs of many other health conditions too, said Dr. Angela Weyand, a pediatric hematologist at University of Michigan Medical School. It is also associated with several other negative health outcomes, including anxiety, depression, sleep disturbances and even heart failure, she said.
PRODUCT TO TRY: Iron & Molybdenum Re-Natured®
Walking for 11 Minutes a Day May Add Years to Your Life, New Study Says
You likely have heard that walking is good for you. According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), a daily walk can help lower stress, control blood pressure, improve sleep, strengthen bones and boost cardiovascular health by reducing your risk of stroke, obesity, type 2 diabetes and heart disease (the leading cause of death globally). However, while the Physical Guidelines for Americans set out by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends adults accumulate at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic physical activity weekly, you may still reap some benefits by doing just 11 minutes of walking a day, according to recent research.
A new study published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine found that one in ten premature deaths could be prevented if everyone engaged in moderate-intensity physical activity like brisk walking for 11 minutes daily (approximately 75 minutes per week). Furthermore, the study suggests this amount of physical activity may lower the risk of some of our top causes of death, such as heart disease, stroke and cancer. Keep reading to learn more.
Study Finds Baby Foods Contaminated With High Levels of Heavy Metals
Food items consumed by babies continue to have the presence of high levels of heavy metals, thus posing a risk to their development, a new study has found.
Nonprofit Consumer Reports (CR) tested 14 products eaten by babies, ranging from fruits and vegetables, meals, snacks, bars, and puffs, according to the June 27 report. This was a follow-up of CR’s 2018 study that tested 50 foods. Long-term intake of heavy metals can affect the development of children, including causing lower IQ, behavioral issues, and autism. Heavy metals include elements like lead, cadmium, and arsenic. At least three samples of each product were tested by CR. The items selected for testing were ones for which there were “concerning levels” of heavy metals in Consumer Reports’ previous test.
The study found that the overall risk of heavy metal contamination “hasn’t changed much in the last five years,” even as levels of arsenic, lead, and cadmium in baby foods appeared to be getting lower.
Rice and sweet potatoes were found to be “still risky,” CR said about its latest test. “In our 2018 tests, products made with rice, sweet potatoes, and, to a lesser extent, carrots tended to pose the biggest risks. Our latest tests had similar results, especially for sweet potatoes and rice.”
The content of heavy metal in baby snacks—puffs and teething wafers—was seen as “concerning” as children eat them a lot. Many of these snacks are made from rice. “Rice-based puffs are a stand-out for heavy metal contamination,” said Jane Houlihan, research director for the nonprofit group Healthy Babies Bright Futures (HBBF).
As the serving size mentioned by manufacturers can be lower than what many parents think, kids can end up eating a lot of these foods, thus exposing themselves to more heavy metals.
Herbicide in every bite: GLYPHOSATE detected in 100% of U.S. fast-food brands tested
The herbicide glyphosate, known for causing serious health issues, has been detected in 100 percent of food samples taken from the top 20 fast food brands in the United States.
The shocking find was uncovered by the Fast Food Testing Program backed by Moms Across America (MAA) and its affiliates, including Children’s Health Defense. MAA sent 42 samples from the 21 brands to the Iowa-based Health Research Institute (HRI) in their “original packaging” – untouched and frozen. The HRI then tested the samples for glyphosate alongside 236 agrochemicals, four heavy metals, PFAS phthalates, mineral content and 104 commonly used veterinary drugs and hormones, B vitamins and calories.
Summary of notable testing results
In an Oct. 11 press release, MAA reported some notable results for the glyphosate and pesticides testing.
HRI found the following during glyphosate testing of the food samples:
- 100 percent of the 20 fast-food brands contained alarming glyphosate residues.
- Panera Bread, a self-proclaimed proprietor of “good food” and “clean, wholesome foods,” contained the highest levels of glyphosate in two samples.
- Arby’s sandwiches came in at the second-highest levels.
- Dairy Queen and Little Caesar’s were nearly tied for third third-highest total glyphosate detected.
- Meals from Chipotle, one of the first fast-food restaurants to advertise non-GMO and organic ingredients, were found to have the lowest levels, which is 94.4 times lower than the highest levels detected in Panera Bread.
- Meals from Panda Express and McDonald’s were the next lowest levels.
Meanwhile, the laboratory noted these observations during pesticide testing:
- 90 percent of fast-food brands contained at least trace levels of 27 different kinds of harmful pesticides.
- Domino’s and Pizza Hut pizzas were found to have the highest levels of pesticides.
- Chipotle, In-N-Out and Panera Bread all had either trace or detectable and concerning levels of pesticides.
According to a study published in the journal Toxicology Reports, chronic toxicity caused by long-duration exposure to pesticides to even low doses of oral consumption can become evident much later as chronic diseases, including asthma, cancer, congenital defects, dermatitis, endocrine disorders, immunotoxicity, neurobehavioral disorders and reproductive dysfunctions.
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
AI isn’t sacred … not when it’s allegedly stepping on copyrighted material …
Music Giants Sue AI Startup Anthropic for Copyright Infringement over Song Lyrics
Giant music publishers including Universal Music have taken legal action against artificial intelligence startup Anthropic, accusing it of unlawfully using copyrighted song lyrics from artists ranging from Beyonce to Don McLean to enhance its chatbot technology.
The Guardian reports that music industry powerhouses such as Universal Music, ABKCO, and Concord Publishing have filed a lawsuit against Anthropic, a prominent AI startup. The suit, filed in a Tennessee federal court, accuses Anthropic of illicitly utilizing a vast array of copyrighted song lyrics to refine and train its chatbot, Claude.
Anthropic’s Claude is a sophisticated chatbot, trained through the assimilation of massive quantities of text sourced from the internet. The lawsuit alleges that the AI company has infringed upon the copyrights of the music publishers by incorporating the lyrics of over 500 distinct songs without obtaining requisite permissions.
According to the Guardian:
The lawsuit said Anthropic violates the publishers’ rights through its use of lyrics from at least 500 songs ranging from the Beach Boys’ God Only Knows and the Rolling Stones’ Gimme Shelter to Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars’ Uptown Funk and Beyoncé’s Halo.
The music publishers maintain that Claude, in its operational capacity, unlawfully reproduces copyrighted lyrics in response to various user prompts. This reproduction is not limited to explicit requests for lyrics but extends to a broader range of prompts, such as requests to craft songs or poetry in the style of specific artists or songwriters.
Some prompts that return copyrighted lyrics include “requests to write a song about a certain topic, provide chord progressions for a given musical composition, or write poetry or short fiction in the style of a certain artist or songwriter.”
ENERGY & ENVIRONMENT
Gavin Newsom Pimps Chinese Electric Car Company BYD, the Same Company He Awarded a $1B Mask Contract
During his trip to China to discuss climate change (and “combating xenophobia,” but nothing else), California Gov. Gavin Newsom toured the Shenzhen facility of electric automobile manufacturer Build Your Dreams (BYD) and tested out their newest product.
Great! With a $3,200 down payment and a new car loan at, say, 6.34 percent, your payment will be only $3200 – and that’s without California sales tax. Then we have registration fees, some of which vary by county and city in the state. If you live in Santa Monica, you can expect to pay $17,357 in registration fees on top of that purchase price. THEN, figure out what you’re going to pay to charge it – when there aren’t rolling blackouts.
If you’re still excited about this vehicle, perhaps because you believe Gavin’s law about outlawing gas-powered vehicles sometime in the near future in California will actually come to pass, you then have to hope that it won’t stall out when going uphill. That’s the problem BYD’s electric buses have historically had, including fleets provided to various California agencies.
Governor Vetoes Controversial Wind Bill; “developers must win support from host communities”
Opposition to offshore wind development is not going away. Dead whales and other marine life have been washing up on beaches and Americans continue to take legal action against projects. Of course, increasing costs are associated with these projects as well. Despite their numerous problems, some U.S. lawmakers are determined to continue approving and funding these projects; however, state authorities in New York recently put the kibosh on that. Governor Hochul vetoed a controversial pro-wind bill as well.
From Newsday:
Citing local opposition, Gov. Kathy Hochul on Friday vetoed a controversial wind power bill that contained a passage that could have allowed a proposed transmission cable in Long Beach to move through regulatory hurdles.
The governor said that while she supports wind power development, she said developers must win support from host communities — which hadn’t happened in Long Beach.
This was the second regulatory blow in eight days for Empire Wind, a wind farm proposed by Norway-based Equinor in the waters south of Nassau County. Some opponents said the veto could spell the death knell for the project while supporters criticized Hochul, a Democrat, for not fully supporting renewable energy.
Equinor said the veto “undermines” New York’s commitment to renewable energy but didn’t say if it would cancel Empire Wind.
The bill nixed by Hochul contained a passage that could, in the future, allow Equinor to land a transmission cable from an offshore turbine and run it under the beach at Long Beach to a transfer station in Island Park.
Because the beach is considered parkland, the state would have to give Long Beach permission to “alienate” a parcel to land the cable. Language to do so was tucked into the statewide wind power bill — over the objections of Republicans who represent Long Beach. The State Legislature approved the bill in June following lengthy and heated debates.
But Hochul put the brakes on it. Her decision is a win for some local Democratic and Republican officials who opposed the bill, but the latest setback for wind power advocates.
Hochul in her veto message put some of the responsibility for the veto on the company: “It is incumbent on renewable energy developers to cultivate and maintain strong ties to their host communities throughout the planning, siting and operation of all large-scale projects.”
“Here, the City Council of Long Beach, the host community for the wind power project, has made clear that while it supports the State’s efforts to transition from the use of fossil fuels, it would not support or authorize any alienation of parkland in furtherance of this project,” the governor said.
GARDENING, FARMING & HOMESTEADING
Cold Hardy Plants: Grow Edible Fresh Greens Year-Round
Don’t give up on your garden during the winter by using cold-hardy plants and these season-extending gardening techniques.
Fresh greens of all kinds are a year-round staple in my family’s kitchen. We have learned to transform the traditional “lean time” of the coldest months into a time of abundance by growing hardy and semihardy greens adapted to each season and using season-extending techniques in winter and early spring. Try these techniques and you’ll be thrilled the first time you pick a fresh, crisp salad right from your back yard — in the middle of January.
2ND AMENDMENT
Massachusetts Lawmakers Pass Sweeping Gun Bill Months After 6–3 Supreme Court Decision
Lawmakers in a Democrat-controlled state passed a major gun law, with the House speaker saying it came after the Supreme Court’s 2022 ruling.
Stupid is as stupid does …
Alleged Hammer-Wielding Robber Targets Gun Store, Gets Shot Dead
An alleged hammer-wielding robber was shot and killed Sunday afternoon around 2:30 p.m. as he reportedly tried to rob a gun store and the store owner opened fire.
KTVU reported the incident occurred at East Bay Firewarms in Livermore, California.
Florence, Oregon Man Claims Gun Store ‘Violated His Second Amendment Rights’ for his Antifa Support
A Florence, Oregon man is being refused a gun transfer and background check, not by the government, but by the store. Why? He handed over, unprompted, a card stating his support for Antifa. Honestly, he should have seen that coming.
A Florence man is hoping that a gun shop owner changes his mind about doing a background check.
Mark Iannicelli says the Florence Gun Shop won’t give him one, meaning he can’t get the gun that he bought online when he lived in Colorado. Iannicelli said a routine background check, required to get his already purchased gun — has turned into a major headache.
“It’s because I had given him this business card, and he said he didn’t feel good about it because he didn’t support Antifa, and I explained to him it’s more like a movement,” Iannicelli said, referring to a card he had presented to the gun store owner that included links to several websites about self defense, including one operated by a Portland-based Antifa group. “You know I have never actually gone up there and marched with Antifa, but he was adamant he wasn’t going to sell me the firearm.”
It’s like a scene from the Bruce Willis movie Death Wish …
COVID RELATED NEWS
US Government Pays 2 More People Injured by COVID Vaccines
Both experienced myocarditis, or heart inflammation, after receiving a COVID-19 vaccine. One person received $4,183 and the other $4,934.
The U.S. government has paid two more people who were injured by COVID-19 vaccines as it faces the prospect of being forced by a court to improve a program for victims.
The U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), which runs the Countermeasures Injury Compensation Program (CICP), issued the payments to two people who suffered heart inflammation after COVID-19 vaccination.
HRSA disclosed the two payments in its most recent update, which includes data current as of Oct. 1.
Meanwhile, back at the ranch … Introducing the vaccine for stupid people!
New Non-mRNA ‘Emergency’ Vaccine Authorized for COVID
September 11, 2023, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved reformulated monovalent COVID shots by Pfizer and Moderna for use in individuals 12 years of age and older. They also issued emergency use authorization (EUA) for use of the reformulated jabs in children aged 6 months to 11 years.
October 3, 2023, the FDA issued EUA for an updated non-mRNA COVID vaccine, Nuvaxovid, a subunit protein vaccine made by Novavax. The spike protein is produced inside moth cells. According to health authorities, this may encourage vaccine uptake among those who are “hesitant about the mRNA vaccines”.
The updated COVID shots correspond to the Omicron variant XBB.1.5., which was the dominant variant in the U.S. for most of 2023, but which has since been replaced by other variants.
High-risk individuals who were recommended to get additional doses will have received as many as six mRNA injections at this point — a three-dose primary series in 2021, two boosters to the primary series during 2021/2022, and one bivalent booster in the fall of 2022. The latest reformulation for XBB.1.5 will be the seventh.
Americans are tired of the endless boosters and have come to recognize both their ineffectiveness and dangers. Only 2% of the population has opted to receive the latest shot, and a recent study found the most commonly reported reason for not having been boosted was a prior SARS-CoV-2 infection, followed by concern about vaccine side effects, or that it would not protect against infection.
CANCEL CULTURE
‘Nazi Salute,’ ‘Antisemitic Slurs’ Reportedly Hurled at L.A. Jewish High School Football Team
Members of a Jewish high school football team endured “antisemitic slurs” and “gestures, including the Nazi salute” after Thursday night’s game in Los Angeles, according to school officials.
Sarah Shulkind, head of school at Milken Community School, a private Jewish high school in Los Angeles, wrote to parents that that it was “unacceptable” that the Jewish grade school students “felt threatened and unsafe” during the incident, and stressed “deep concern” from the school.
Your Tax Dollars at Work: State of Michigan Holds ‘Harm Reduction’ Conference Denouncing ‘Whiteness’
Michigan’s Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) held a conference in May regarding “harm reduction” that featured a panel on denouncing “whiteness.”
The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services’ Viral Hepatitis unit, which holds an annual “harm reduction” conference, featured a workshop at this year’s event in May, titled, “Decentering Whiteness: An Equity-Based Approach.”
Actor and comedian Marlon Wayans says he is being unfairly prosecuted for disturbing the peace over a dispute with an airline employee who he alleges targeted him because of his race.
Attorneys for Wayans, who is Black, made the allegations in a court filing Thursday that asked for dismissal of the case stemming from a luggage dispute at Denver’s airport.
Wayans was cited for disturbing the peace, a municipal violation, in June, police said. According to the court filing, a United Airlines gate agent told him he could not get on a flight to Kansas City with three bags. The gate agent apparently tried to physically block Wayans from getting on the flight after he consolidated his luggage into two bags to conform with airline policy, the filing said. He boarded anyway and was later asked to get off the plane before it departed.
PET NEWS
Bobi, the world’s oldest dog ever, dies aged 31
The world’s oldest dog ever has died at the age of 31 years and 165 days.
Guinness World Record holder Bobi, a purebred Rafeiro do Alentejo, passed away at his home in Portugal on Saturday.
His death was announced on social media by a veterinarian who met Bobi several times.
“Despite outliving every dog in history, his 11,478 days on earth would never be enough, for those who loved him,” wrote Dr Karen Becker.
Little-Known Therapies Giving Pets a Second Chance on Life
They’re not the typical tools found in most veterinarians’ clinics, but when used on animals in need, the results can be truly miraculous. For this veterinarian, it took a newly crippled dachshund, picked up and shaken by a neighbor dog, to open her eyes to these natural healing methods.
Dr. Christine Woodford, an integrative veterinarian and founder of Veterinary Integrative Performance Services in Robins, Iowa, was nominated for a Game Changer award by Leah H.
Woodford uses modalities from chiropractic care and acupuncture to nutrition and stretching — and she’s using her .gifts to improve the lives of the canine and equine world alike
While it was animals that brought Dr. Woodford to the veterinary field, one of the things she loves most about the work she does is the relationship she develops with people.
Getting to see the difference in the animals she treats and experiencing the human-animal bond on a daily basis make it all worthwhile for Dr. Woodford.
She wants others to also follow their heart and passion to realize a fulfilled life.
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