March 28, 2024

The Power Hour

Knowledge is Power

Today’s News: September 13, 2022

WORLD NEWS

OBEY OR BE LOCKED DOWN: Trudeau threatens that covid tyranny will return this fall if 90% booster shot compliance isn’t achieved

We are just weeks away from the completion of summer, and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is already threatening to reinstate more lockdowns, mask mandates, and “vaccine” requirements for the Wuhan coronavirus (Covid-19) if not enough Canadians voluntarily line up for the latest “booster” jab.

In a statement he provided to the press inside what appeared to be a hospital room, Trudeau argued that covid is “not done with us yet,” even though the vast majority of the world is done with it.

“We might want to be done with it, but it’s still around,” Trudeau stated. “And yes, we have a lot more tools, a lot more understanding, a lot more knowledge on how to keep ourselves and our loved ones safe. But we also know that as winter comes, and as people get pushed back indoors, there is a real risk of another serious wave of covid.”

The only solution to that potential “wave,” according to Trudeau, is “to ensure that everyone is up to date on their vaccinations,” otherwise provinces will have to “make decisions about restrictions and mandates.”

“The recommendation is you should be up to date on your vaccinations if you have had a dose within six months,” Trudeau added. “Everyone who has been a while since their vaccinations should look at the fact that we have new vaccines coming out this month that are tailored against Omicron that will provide better protection, and everyone should get out and get vaccinated.”

“If we are able to hit that 80, 85, 90 percent of Canadians up to date in their vaccinations, we’ll have a much better winter with much less need for the kinds of restrictions and rules that were so problematic for everyone over the past years,” he went on to blab.

Cash Handouts To Canadians Could Spark “Inflationary Fire,” Economists Warn

While the Bank of Canada is locked in a period of oversized interest rate increases to combat the highest inflation since the early 1980s, politicians who want to please their constituents are aiming for new rounds of fiscal support, which economists warn is a terrible idea.

“While there are times where fiscal largesse is just what the economy needs, these aren’t such times,” Avery Shenfeld, chief economist at Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce, wrote in a note to clients.

“In a period of high inflation and excess demand, cutting taxes or handing out cheques can add fuel to the inflationary fire, and make the job of a central bank that’s raising rates to cool demand all that more troublesome,” Shenfeld said. 

He continued:

What concerns us is that federal and provincial governments in Canada are feeling tempted to “do something” to help their constituents cope with high prices. While governments are feeling some inflation in their own costs, they’ve done even better on the revenue side, which creates the impression that they have the green light to put more money in voters’ pockets. That issue is apparently at least up for discussion as the Liberals meet to plan their agenda for the upcoming parliament.

Provinces have already moved in that direction. Either through fee rebates or broad-based cheques, most residents of Ontario, Quebec, Saskatchewan and Manitoba have or will soon receive payments marketed as a helping hand to deal with inflation. Alberta’s governing party is choosing a new leader, and it remains to be seen whether that will impact its apparent willingness to devote a huge $13 bn surplus this year to debt reduction.

The appeal of handouts to voters complaining about inflation is evident in the fact the provinces opting for them were generally about to face the electorate. But unless very narrowly targeted to only reach those in the most need of support to put food on the table, or even better, financed by offsetting spending cuts elsewhere, they add to the inflation pressure in the economy by increasing spending power.

Last week, the BoC hiked rates by 75bps as expected, lifting the overnight rate to 3.25% – the highest policy rate among major advanced economies – with the fourth consecutive outsized (more than 25bps) rate hike, and warning that “given the outlook for inflation, the Governing Council still judges that the policy interest rate will need to rise further.”

Charles III: Antigua and Barbuda plans vote on King’s role as head of state

Antigua and Barbuda will vote on whether to become a republic following the death of Queen Elizabeth II, the country’s prime minister has said.

Gaston Browne said a referendum could take place within three years – but emphasised that the move was “not an act of hostility”.

He made the comments after confirming Charles III as King and head of state of the Caribbean nation.

Mr Browne said he intended to introduce the referendum if re-elected next year.

While he expects to win that election – his party holds 15 of the 17 seats in the House of Representatives – he accepted that there hadn’t been any major demand to hold a vote among citizens.

“I think most people haven’t even bothered to think about it,” Mr Browne told ITV News.

Earlier, Australia ruled out a similar vote within the next four years.

The Queen’s death has reignited Australia’s monarchy debate, and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who was elected in May, is a republican.

U.S. NEWS, POLITICS & GOVERNMENT

Judge Set to Hear Trump and DOJ Picks for Special Master

Former President Donald Trump and the Justice Department (DOJ) have each submitted two candidates to serve as an independent special master to review documents the FBI seized from the former president’s Mar-a-Lago residence last month.

The four candidates for the position were revealed on Sept. 9 in an eight-page filing (pdf) with the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida. According to the court filing, Trump’s legal team and the DOJ will “advise the Court about their respective positions on the other party’s proposed candidates” on Sept. 12.

U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon on Sept. 5 granted Trump’s request to have a special master independently review seized documents that may be protected by attorney-client or executive privilege. Days later, The DOJ filed an appeal against the judge’s order, arguing that doing so would place “irreparable harm” to U.S. national security.

Aside from the question of who will serve as special master, Trump’s legal team and the DOJ are apart on the scope of duties the individual would have. Lawyers for Trump want the special master to review “all seized materials, including documents with classification markings,” but the DOJ said it does not believe the individual should be permitted to review any classified records or consider potential claims of executive privilege.

The four candidates that Trump and the DOJ have proposed as potential special masters are as follows.

Trump’s Choices

The first of two Trump’s choices is Raymond J. Dearie, who began his federal judicial service in 1986, the year he was nominated by then-President Ronald Regan and confirmed by the Senate to be a U.S. district judge for the Eastern District of New York.

Trump Scored ‘Big Win’ With Ruling on Special Master in FBI Case: Former Prosecutor

Former federal prosecutor Andrew McCarthy said former President Donald Trump’s team scored a major victory last week when a U.S. judge approved his request for a special master to review documents taken by the FBI from his Florida home last month.

“It’s a big win for the Trump team and a potentially explosive ruling if it holds. I would imagine it’s important enough that the government will appeal this immediately,” McCarthy told Fox News on Monday morning.

Late last month, following the Aug. 8 raid on the Mar-a-Lago resort, Trump’s attorneys filed a petition with Florida Judge Aileen Cannon to obtain a special master—or a neutral third party—to review the documents that were taken by FBI agents. Cannon sided with Trump’s team in her order, noting the unprecedented nature of the FBI targeting a former president’s home, while adding that she has concerns regarding government leaks about the case to the media.

Lawyers for the Department of Justice (DOJ) wrote in a separate filing they are planning to appeal Cannon’s order with the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals. Among other claims, DOJ prosecutors said a special master will slow down their investigation of Trump and argued that an agency filter team has already reviewed the documents that were taken.

“In a nutshell, what happened here is the Justice Department assumed that Trump only had attorney-client privilege, that he did not have executive privilege,” McCarthy told Fox, “or at least to the limited extent that as a former president he maintains executive privilege, it can’t be asserted against the executive branch itself.”

Trump Lawyers Fire Back After DOJ Asks to Continue Review of Documents Seized by FBI

Former President Donald Trump’s lawyers on Sept. 12 urged a federal judge to reject the Department of Justice’s bid to continue reviewing documents that were taken during the FBI raid of Mar-a-Lago.

Trump’s lawyers argued that the materials that were taken by FBI agents on Aug. 8 may not be classified. While he was president, Trump had broad latitude in declassifying documents and has a “right to access” any presidential records whether they are classified or declassified, the attorneys added.

“In what at its core is a document storage dispute that has spiraled out of control, the Government wrongfully seeks to criminalize the possession by the 45th President of his own Presidential and personal records,” Trump’s team wrote (pdf) to federal Judge Aileen Cannon, a Trump appointee.

Last week, Cannon sided with Trump and ordered that a special master be appointed to review the materials that were taken during the raid. A special master is generally a retired judge or prosecutor who is named to act as an independent arbiter on the court’s behalf.

When FBI agents arrived in August, they took 11 sets of allegedly classified documents from Mar-a-Lago, asserting that some were marked “top secret.” Department of Justice (DOJ) prosecutors also alleged the empty folders that had classified markings were found during the raid, and in one court filing, they included a photo that showed several documents scattered on the floor, some marked ‘TOP SECRET.”

Prosecutors further said that there is a likelihood that “improperly stored classified information may have been accessed by others and compromised,” which is a “core aspect” of the investigation.

The DOJ last week submitted its request (pdf) for a stay of portions of Cannon’s order pending an appeal to the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals. When Cannon issued her order, she also halted any use of materials for the DOJ’s investigation but stipulated the Intelligence Community assessment could continue.

As it stands, the Florida judge’s order risks “irreparable harm to our national security and intelligence interests” by allegedly undermining the Intelligence Community’s efforts to review the materials.

DOJ Supports One of Trump’s Nominees for Special Master

The Department of Justice (DOJ) has agreed to one of the special master nominees proposed by former President Donald Trump’s legal team to review documents seized by FBI agents from Mar-a-Lago.

In a four-page court filing (pdf) on Monday evening, the Justice Department said that Trump nominee Raymond J. Dearie would be an acceptable choice for an independent arbiter of the seized documents. The DOJ also named their two preferred nominees Barbara Jones and Thomas Griffith.

The DOJ said the three candidates met the “important qualifications for this position” given their “previous judicial experience and engagement in relevant areas of law.”

“Judges Jones, Griffith, and Dearie each have substantial judicial experience, during which they have presided over federal criminal and civil cases, including federal cases involving national security and privilege concerns,” the filing says.

U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon on Sept. 5 granted Trump’s request to have a special master independently review seized documents that may be protected by attorney-client or executive privilege. On Sept. 9, the names of four candidates were revealed in a joint court filing.

Dearie began his federal judicial service in 1986, when he was nominated by then-President Ronald Regan and confirmed by the Senate to be a U.S. district judge for the Eastern District of New York. In 2011, he assumed senior status on the court, allowing him to handle a reduced caseload in a semi-retired state.

Additionally, Dearie served on the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISA) from 2012 to 2019.

However, the DOJ rejected the Trump team’s other nominee.

“The government respectfully opposes the appointment of Paul Huck, Jr., who does not appear to have similar experience,” the filing says.

Huck, the founder of Huck Law firm, served as deputy attorney general in Florida from 2003 to 2007, and then was a general counsel to Charlie Crist for two years, who was a Republican at the time and the governor of Florida.

Earlier on Monday, Trump’s lawyers notified Cannon that they opposed the DOJ’s two nominees Jones and Griffith.

“There are specific reasons why those nominees are not preferred for service as Special Master in this case,” the lawyers stated in a three-page filing, without elaborating on the reasons for their opposition.

Instead, the lawyers asked “for permission to specifically express our objections to the Government’s nominees only at such time that the Court specifies a desire to obtain and consider that information.”

Jones, originally a nominee of former President Bill Clinton, is a retired federal judge of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. She is currently a partner for Bracewell LLP.

Additionally, Jones served as a special master in cases involving Trump’s former attorneys, Michael Cohen and Rudy Giuliani, as well as the conservative citizen journalism project Project Veritas.

Democrat Candidate Vicente Gonzalez Claims Texas Special Election Was Stolen

Democrat congressman Vicente Gonzalez took aim at his Republican opponent on Sept. 8, saying outside money was flooding Texas congressional races in an effort to steal the election.

Rep. Mayra Flores (R-Texas) won the election for an open seat in the 34th Texas Congressional District on June 14. She is the first Republican elected in the heavily Hispanic Rio Grande District in more than 100 years.

Gov. DeSantis Activates National Guard at Florida State Prisons

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has activated the state National Guard in a bid to aid corrections officers amid staffing issues at prisons.

The Department of Corrections “is authorized to employ over 20,000 correctional and correctional probation officers, almost a quarter of all state employees,” the governor’s order states, noting that there’s currently a “severe shortage” of officers that “threatens the safety” of inmates, officers, and the public.

The state’s corrections agency said that National Guard members will be deployed as a supplemental measure to security posts at some institutions. They will be supervised by respective prison wardens or similar staff, the agency said.

“We think, as we continue to hire and reduce the stress on the compounds, the existing officers are going to want to stay because they’re not going to work that amount of overtime they’re currently working,” Department of Corrections Chief Financial Officer Mark Tallent told WPTV. “They’re going to have a better family life, be able to get out of the institution more. We definitely think we’re trending in the right direction.”

The Guard members won’t be expected to directly supervise inmates, according to DeSantis’s order.

“Members of the Guard have the training and capability to assist Florida’s correctional officers with certain duties, such as manning guard towers, perimeter patrols, and control stations, which will allow the correctional officers to concentrate on directly supervising and caring for inmates,” the Republican governor’s order reads.

ECONOMY & BUSINESS

Airline Chaos Could Persist Until 2024, Despite Efforts to Cure Woes

After a record-breaking summer of angst, aggravation, and anger at America’s airports, little relief may be in sight.

The problem came into sharper focus during the past few weeks with airline complaints in May and June soaring 270 percent above pre-pandemic levels.

While airlines and federal officials recently announced improved customer service and information-sharing practices with travelers, critics say those measures amount to baby steps. They advocate bigger, more meaningful strides to alleviate the chaos and restore order.

“When we look at the misery that we’ve seen this last summer, the thought is: How long could it last?” Jay Ratliff, an aviation expert, told The Epoch Times on Sept. 9.

Ratliff said that the problems predate the COVID-19 pandemic, are more complex than many people realize, and may persist until 2024.

Breitbart Business Digest: Woke Capitalism Is Alienating Republicans

President Joe Biden said on Monday that the American people should have confidence that “we’re on the right track” and that we are “seeing real progress” in the fight against inflation.

The Federal Reserve Bank of New York’s latest survey indicates that Americans actually are pretty confident that we have seen the worst of inflation. The median one- and three-year-ahead inflation expectations “continued their steep declines in August,” the New York Fed said. Expected inflation over the coming year fell to 5.7 percent from 6.2 percent in July. This was at 6.8 percent in June and 6.6 percent in May.

GM moves to prevent flying car hoods

General Motors is recalling 120,688 model year 2013-2015 Chevrolet Sparks and model year 2014-2015 Spark EVs.

The secondary hood latch may corrode at the latch pivot, preventing the hood latch from properly engaging.

If the hood latch fails, the car’s hood could open unexpectedly, posing the risk of a crash.

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 

Disney Eyes Domination Of The Metaverse

Bob Chapek won’t talk about whether an Encanto sequel is coming or not, but the Disney CEO makes it clear he has some very big plans for the company as it heads into its 100th anniversary in 2023.

“We call it next-gen storytelling,” Chapek said backstage at the D23 Expo in Anaheim on Saturday about what has been called Disney’s metaverse future by the man himself in a memo earlier this year. “We tend not to use the M word too often, because it has a lot of hair on it,” the enthusiastic exec adds mere minutes after the sprawling Lucasfilm and Marvel presentations had concluded at the confab.

“But yes, Disney+ will not just be a movie service platform, but it’s going to become an experiential lifestyle platform. A platform for the whole company to embody both the physical things that you might be able to experience in a theme park, but also the digital experiences that you can get through media.”

While talk of Disney’s next step has been in the ether for several months (and ex-SVP of consumer experiences and platforms Mike White was promoted to run point on the initiative), Chapek has mostly been quiet publicly about the true scope and scale of the company’s next big move until now.

More than 30 months after being named as CEO, Chapek has weathered the slings, arrows and near-empty coffers of the pandemic, some hard decisions, some disruptive decisions to put it mildly, and more than one political trial by fire. Having inked a new contract in June, he now finds himself overseeing a healthy stock, surging theme-park attendance, a greater than expected streaming subscriber base, a full pipeline of content across the board and a lot of cash on hand.

Leaning into Disney’s big celebration next year, Chapek today outlined where he wants to see the company go over the next decade or so. Talking with Deadline, the longtime House of Mouse employee also laid out some of his cards when it comes to the importance of ESPN and sports to the Disney empire, the future of Hulu, and the next big challenge for the entertainment industry.

SURVEILLANCE STATE 

Locals in North Dakota Oppose Massive Corn Mill Project by Chinese Company

One by one, residents opposed to a corn mill investment by a Chinese company with reputed ties to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) through its chairman, got up to chastise the mayor and city council of Grand Forks, North Dakota.

“You guys are the scariest people I know. You are willing to endanger this city, the people, the country, and this nation,” said Dennis Kadlec, an outspoken critic of the project.

He believes city officials have ignored residents’ concerns over the project and the flag they serve.

“This is a republic. Please treat it as such,” Kadlec said.

Kadlec’s accusations of inaction and secrecy on the part of city officials seemed to resonate with other concerned citizens at the city council meeting on Sept. 6.

The group views the corn mill as a potential Chinese spying operation and a threat to the environment and municipal resources.

Some residents see divisions over the project worsening in a close-knit agricultural community of 56,000, where sugar beets and wheat—not corn—are king.

The city of Grand Forks is not a significant producer of corn, either, straddling the Minnesota border about 75 miles south of Canada, where winter temperatures can drop to well below zero.

So the question arises: why would a Chinese company build a corn mill in Grand Forks when harvest volumes are so low?

Critics who fear Chinese espionage say one needs to look no further than Grand Forks Air Force Base, about 12 miles away. The base stores and tests the military’s sensitive drone, satellite, and surveillance technology.

However, city officials supporting the corn mill see the project as an economic opportunity too good to pass up. As the most significant single capital investment in the city’s history, it promises 230 permanent high-paying jobs, higher corn prices for regional growers, and other long-term benefits.

Fufeng USA, the American subsidiary of Fufeng Group, wants to build on 370 acres it acquired that would add millions in sales and property tax revenues and improve city infrastructure.

The “wet corn” mill would employ thousands of workers during construction and, in operation, extract ingredients used to produce animal feed products for sale in the domestic market.


HEALTH

Are Fall Allergies Acting Up?

Do you struggle with allergies? If so, you’re in luck because we make a wide variety of natural supplements that can support the body’s natural anti-allergic and histamine response.

We know each person is unique with individual needs. Thus, we are dedicated to the education and health of our customers. We’ve organized our products and ingredients according to what is beneficial for exactly what you’re looking for.

To support the body’s natural anti-allergic and histamine response you need the natural, wild powers of our whole food and wild spice supplements, Including Oregano P73 and more.

BENEFICIAL INGREDIENT FOR ALLERGIES: OREGANO

Due to its anti-allergic properties, oregano oil reduces the way the body reacts to allergies. It reduces swelling, rashes, sneezing and other allergy symptoms as it has antihistamine in it.

Power Mall Products of Recommendation:

Get Up And Stretch! Sitting Down Too Much Can Double A Woman’s Risk Of Breast Cancer

Exercising more and sitting down less can lower the risk of women developing breast cancer, according to a new study.

Observational studies have already shown a link between sedentary behavior and breast cancer risk but have not provided proof of what causes it. Now, using a Mendelian randomization study – which use genetic variants as proxies for a specific risk factor such as lifelong sedentary behavior – researchers say they have found that proof by studying the genes of thousands of women.

Their findings which they say applies to all types and stages of breast cancer, are published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.

“Increasing physical activity and reducing sedentary time are already recommended for cancer prevention. Our study adds further evidence that such behavioral changes are likely to lower the incidence of future breast cancer rates,” says corresponding author Professor Brigid Lynch, Deputy Head of Cancer Epidemiology Division at the Cancer Council Victoria, Australia, in a media release.

“A stronger cancer-control focus on physical activity and sedentary time as modifiable cancer risk factors is warranted, given the heavy burden of disease attributed to the most common cancer in women.”

The Right Way to Shower According to Experts

Too-frequent showering and shampooing can dry your skin and hair — as will many soaps

Personal care products with phthalates, parabens or triclosan should be avoided

People frequently overclean parts of their bodies while under-cleaning others

Water conservation can be part of your shower practices — helping the environment

Beware of These Chemicals

There are toxins you want to avoid in your soaps, shampoos and other personal care products — antibiotics. When antibacterial dish, body and laundry soaps emerged in the 2000s, they were sold as “new and improved” products to get you “better than clean.”

However, the products, still widely sold, do not get you cleaner than soap and water but do expose you to the endocrine-disrupting effects of antibiotics like triclosan, found in popular dish detergents and toothpastes.

Antibiotic resistance and the creation of “superbugs” is also driven by the wide use of these antibacterial products.

In 2016, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) gave industry a year to remove antibiotics from personal care products unless manufacturers can prove they are “both safe for long-term daily use and more effective than plain soap and water in preventing illness and the spread of certain infections.”3

All Body Parts Should Not Be Washed Equally

Soaping your skin can be counterproductive, as we have seen, since it removes the balance of beneficial bacteria and dries your skin. However, you certainly want to wash areas that have a high density of sweat glands and can produce odors — notably your groin area, buttocks and armpits.

But even when it comes to washing your genitalia, experts warn about excess soap. Here is what writer and Harvard-educated anthropologist Leslie Turnbull of The Week says:4

“The external genitalia of both men and women need to be cleaned … However, given the sensitivities of these areas, this is best done with the hand, not a cloth … and, believe it or not, the water of the shower is probably all you need.

If you feel you really need to use your surfactant-free soap on your groin and (for guys) testicles and (ladies) external labia, then whatever you do … keep that soap away from the areas where your outside turns into your inside.

Both urologists and gynecologists agree; soap in these places is as unnecessary and potentially harmful as soap in the eye. Both genders should clean their external genitals front to back, finishing with the perianal area. As with every other part of the body, rinse well both front and back.”

Shampoo in the Shower? Don’t Make These Mistakes

Many people wash their hair in the shower daily or every other day. As with showering, there’s growing recognition that perhaps we’ve become too clean with these practices.

Like overcleansed skin, hair can be dried out by shampoo and can move people to use conditioners to try to replenish the natural oils that are lost, which, like skin’s natural oils, are immensely preferable to external lotions that are applied.

Ironically, the less you wash your hair, the less it needs washing: Frequently shampooing actually makes hair more oily — and when you shampoo less, you “train” your hair to become less oily.

In addition to drying out hair, most commercial hair products contain toxic chemicals that operate as endocrine disruptors including sodium lauryl sulfate, phthalates used for fragrance, and methylisothiazolinone (MIT) and parabens, used as preservatives.

Neither bath soap nor shampoo should be synthetically scented because a pleasant aroma is not worth exposure to these chemicals. A slight hint of lavender or citrus derived from essential oils is safe but, if you’re unsure, look for hair products whose labels say “fragrance free.”

Have You Heard of the ‘No-Poo’ Movement?

In reaction to excessive harsh shampooing, a “no-poo” has developed that advocates abstaining from shampoo altogether in favor of baking soda, vinegar or even applying conditioner to use as a “shampoo.”

If you’re thinking of switching over to baking soda and vinegar, be aware, though, that many people say their hair initially felt grimy and unclean before it ultimately got better.

Though we have all heard the instructions “lather, rinse, repeat” for decades, almost no experts actually recommend a second shampooing. Sometimes “lather, rinse, repeat” is necessary in a salon after chemical treatments, say experts, but is seldom necessary in the everyday world.6

Applying conditioner after you shampoo is more important on your hair’s ends than your scalp because the ends are much farther away from your scalp’s oil and will be drier.

Dr. Karyn Grossman, a dermatologist in Beverly Hills, California, recommends slapping “conditioner on the ends of your hair — generally, more for thick hair and less for thinner strands — to let it sink in.”7 She told Greatist:8

“The warm, wet environment works magic: Follicles open up, letting the conditioner sink in extra deep and making it more effective than if you had rinsed off immediately … Wait until the end of your shower, and then use a comb to detangle hair.”

Like shampooing, both men and women often like to shave in the shower because it is convenient and skin is softened. Turnbull suggests:9

“If you shave in the shower, always keep a clean razor on hand. Dry it out between uses. Consider investing in a good shaving mirror if you shave your face and/or a shower bench if you shave your legs. These can make the process of shaving in the shower infinitely easier and even safer.”

Water Is a Precious Resource To Be Conserved

With droughts occurring in many parts of the U.S. and world, we can’t act like water is an unlimited resource. A 10-minute shower can use up to 50 gallons of water — about 5 gallons are used a minute. For this reason, experts suggest turning the water off while you are shaving — especially since most people want to take their time and be careful with a blade, which could expend a lot of unnecessary water.

A lot of water is also misused in waiting for the shower to reach its desired warm temperature. That is why some conscientious people place 5-gallon buckets under their shower head while the water is warming to use later for watering plants, rinsing clothing or even flushing the toilet.10

Speaking of the toilet, some people urinate in the shower, which is not as unsanitary as it sounds since urine is sterile unless there is infection present.11 While some may find the idea of relieving themselves in the shower unpleasant, it is a habit that does conserve water because 27% of the water used in American homes comes from toilet flushing.12

Even the humidity and warmth in the bathroom after taking a shower can be conserved by keeping the door and windows closed. This will soften your skin and let moisture sink in while you are dressing and grooming, say experts.

But there is one caution when it comes to humidity: It can degrade the potency and composition of any medicines you have stored there (and, if left overly humid, the moisture could contribute to mold growth). Increasingly, pharmacists tell people to keep their medicines anywhere but in the bathroom!

→ Check out our chemical free personal care products @ The Power Mall!

https://www.thepowermall.com/Personal-Care-Items_c_197.html 

→ Our Miracle II Moisturizing Soap is a  natural gentle soap that cleanses impurities from skin and hair without drying or stripping away natural oils. This solution works great for dry skin, face and hair. All you need is a small amount to gently wash away dirt and impurities leaving skin fresh and clean. Contains NO: animal fats, alcohols, detergents, or petroleum products are used in this soap or any of our products.  Shake well before use.

Pharmaceutical Adverse Reactions Are Skyrocketing

Researchers published some shocking statistics about the dramatic rise in adverse drug reactions in the UK in a study published in BMJ Open in July. Many of these adverse reactions were related to the number of prescriptions prescribed to the study participants.

“Polypharmacy,” the term for prescribing multiple drugs, is at the heart of an epidemic of overprescription. The issue has been snowballing in the past decade as big pharma continues to develop new drugs. To truly achieve better health, patients need to be advised and supported to make lifestyle changes that support health. That’s because most of the chronic conditions that people are being treated for arise directly out of factors ranging from a poor diet and lack of exercise to habits such as smoking and drinking. In the case of immediate need, drugs can provide a stop-gap measure, but true healing requires addressing the root causes of the illness. Unfortunately, this rarely happens. Instead,  health care providers simply prescribe drugs for a condition—sometimes with multiple prescriptions.

When a patient ends up taking multiple prescriptions, it’s called polypharmacy, a term that is used often but with varied definitions. According to one article, the term polypharmacy “was used over one and a half centuries ago to refer to issues related to multiple-drug consumption and excessive use of drugs.”

No matter when the term originated, it’s commonly accepted that polypharmacy is the prescription of too many medications. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), “Polypharmacy, often defined as the simultaneous use of five or more prescription drugs, is more common in an aging population where multiple coexisting chronic conditions often occur.”

The use of multiple prescriptions is almost always to treat several chronic conditions at the same time. Yet this causes side effects, can trigger additional health concerns, and can even lead to death. The results from the featured study demonstrate the depth of the need for deprescribing to affect a real change in people’s health.

ENERGY & ENVIRONMENT

Ted Cruz on Calls to Limit Electricity in CA: Dems Hold True ‘Contempt for Working Class Men, Women’

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) blasted the Democratic Party, describing it as ‘of the rich, by the rich and for the rich’ and ‘the party of radical climate billionaires,’ while explaining how Democrats show true “contempt for working-class men and women,” as he condemned recent calls for Californians to cut back on electricity usage.

During an appearance on Fox News’s Jesse Watters Prime Time on Wednesday, Cruz addressed Gov. Gavin Newsom’s (D) recent call for Californians “to double down to save energy” by turning off their air conditioners after 4 p.m. to avoid the “real” risk of outages.

Cruz, who is a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, insisted the solution to maintaining power in the summertime is “not complicated.” 

“It’s an all-of-the-above energy policy,” he said with regard to exploiting various energy sources. “It’s a policy that lets people heat their homes and cool their homes and drive their cars and get to work and take care of their kids.”

He then commended Watters for earlier remarks he believed accurately depicted the Democrats.

“I’ve got to say that that opening monologue you just did, it really did illustrate the modern Democratic Party, which is ‘of the rich, by the rich and for the rich,’” he said. 

“Today’s Democrat Party is all about California environmentalist billionaires,” he added.

Cruz also pointed to Newsom’s attire, which seemed to highlight the hypocrisy of policies like his. 

“I love that Gavin Newsom was wearing his fleece, obviously in cool air conditioning, saying ‘let them eat cake, let them sweat, you don’t get air conditioning,’” the Texas senator said. 

“It’s like [climate envoy] John Kerry who flies his private jet all over the planet lecturing people that ‘you poor, gritty working class with dirt under your fingernails, you need to go without an automobile. You need to turn your air conditioner off,” he added. “‘In fact, you need to just stay home and eat worms.’” 

According to Cruz, such policies indicate a true “contempt for working-class men and women” by the Democrats.

“And that’s led to the flip, which is today’s Republican Party is the party of truck drivers and steel workers and waiters and waitresses and cops and firefighters,” he said. 

“And I think that’s the most significant political shift we’ve seen in decades,” he added.

In a tweet following the broadcast, Cruz deemed Democrats “the party of radical climate billionaires.”

 “The contempt from the ruling class on the working-class people is palpable,” he wrote.

States to Ban Gas-Powered Cars Despite Human and Environmental Cost of Electric Vehicles

In Chile’s Salar de Atacama, locals watch helplessly as their ancestral lands wither and die, their precious water resources evaporating in salar brines.

In the Democratic Republic of Congo, hope for a better life dissolves as well-funded Ugandan-led extremist groups force children as young as six into cobalt mines.

Closer to home, Nevada’s Fort McDermitt Tribe and local ranchers fight to protect a sacred burial site and agricultural lands set to be sacrificed by Lithium Nevada, a mining company, in the coming days.

Meanwhile, in California and other states, politicians like Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-Calif.) pat themselves on the back for their “aggressive” environmental stance and boast that their gas-powered vehicle bans are leading “the revolution towards our zero-emission transportation future.”

GARDENING, FARMING & HOMESTEADING

Satellite Image Reveals “Agriculture Wasteland” Across California’s Rice Capital

New satellite imagery shows a large swath of California’s rice fields has been left barren without harvest as fears of a “mini dust bowl” emerge due to diminishing water supplies.

Kurt Richter, a third-generation rice farmer in Colusa, the rice capital of California, told San Francisco Chronicle that fields upon fields of the grain have already transformed into a “wasteland.”

A report via the US Department of Agriculture shows about 300,000 out of the 550,000 acres committed to rice growing in California will go without harvest. This could potentially drive up sushi prices nationwide because most of the rice produced in the state is for just that.

UC Davis agricultural economist Aaron Smith warned the collapse in rice production in the state will translate to an estimated $500 million loss for farmers, about 40% of which will be covered by federal crop insurance.

Satellite imagery service Sentinel Hub shows a satellite view (above) of the farmland in the rice capital this month compared with the same time last year — only to reveal many fields appear fallow.

Richter said rice fields are “abandoned,” and a mini dust bowl could emerge west of the Sacramento River in Colusa County. He said this summer’s scorching heat and lack of moisture are some of the significant contributors to the area’s water shortage.

Not all is lost in the rice capital. In Butte County, green fields can be seen via satellite imagery. San Francisco Chronicle noted, “Butte County farmers planted slightly more acres of rice than last year.”

Luis Espino, a farm advisor at UC ANR’s cooperative extension in Butte, said water sourcing is critical and is why some rice farms can source more water than others.

Eastside farmers depend on Lake Oroville, which was able to capture more water than Shasta Lake, where the current storage is less than half of the average storage for this time of year.

The farmers in the Sacramento River watershed who rely on water from Shasta, including Richter’s family farm operation, are receiving somewhere between 0 and 18% of their water deliveries this year from government-run water projects. Farmers in Butte and Yuba counties received far more — about 75%. — San Francisco Chronicle

Across the rice capital of six top-producing counties, only two will be unharmed by the mega drought.

Ahead of this year’s growing season, we pointed out California To Cut Water To Cities And Farmland Amid Persisting Drought. By summer, we noted California’s Farmland Rapidly Turns To Dust Amid Water Crisis.

As a reminder, the state is responsible for a tremendous amount of US food production — cutting off water to farmers, leaving tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of acres unworkable, will only exacerbate the food crisis.

COVID RELATED NEWS

Rifles, Tasers and Jails: How Cities and States Spent Billions of COVID-19 Relief

President Biden’s signature American Rescue Plan Act gave local governments $350 billion to recover from COVID-19. They spent much of it on police, prisons and the courts.

After signing the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) last spring, President Joe Biden touted what the economic stimulus bill would deliver: food assistance to millions of people in need, lower healthcare premiums for millions of Americans, and $350 billion for state and local governments to spend on COVID-19 recovery. Economists say it was the largest infusion of federal funding in local governments in almost 40 years.

A year later, ARPA became one of President Biden’s talking points to demonstrate Democrats are not out to defund the police.

“[T]he American Rescue Plan … provided $350 billion that cities, states, and counties can use to hire more police, invest in more proven strategies like community violence interruption, trusted messengers,” Biden said during his State of the Union address this year.

“We should all agree the answer is not to defund the police,” he continued. “It’s to fund the police. Fund them. Fund them. Fund them with the resources and training — resources and training they need to protect our communities.”

That’s indeed what thousands of state and local governments did with the federal COVID-19 relief funds they received. While the Treasury Department’s lax reporting requirements make it difficult to track exactly how much was spent on law enforcement, corrections and courts, a Marshall Project review of the latest data shows that billions of dollars flowed to the criminal justice system by the first quarter of 2022, from covering payroll to purchasing new equipment. So far, governments have allocated $101 billion of the total $350 billion.

With few limitations on how local governments can allocate ARPA funds, the spending will likely continue reflecting each municipality’s priorities and values. In many cases, the money flows to programs and institutions not with the greatest need during a public health crisis and economic upheaval, but those with the most existing political and budgetary power: police, corrections and the courts.

Here’s an example of how local government spent the federal COVID-19 relief fund on the criminal justice system:

Chautauqua County, New York

Project name: New Handguns

Obligation: $44k

From their report submitted to the Treasury Department: “Replacement of the current .45 caliber Sig Sauer handguns used by Office of the Sheriff. Current weapons are starting to have failures and parts for the weapons are difficult to impossible to find due to discontinuation of the current model of weapon. In addition, the ammunition for the 9mm is cheaper and more accessible. “

Lancaster County, Nebraska

Project name: Lanc. Co. Revenue Replacement – Body Scanners

Obligation: $360k

From their report submitted to the Treasury Department: “Lancaster County will be purchasing three body scanners. Two will be for Lancaster County Corrections and one will be for Lancaster County Youth Services Center. The use of these body scanners will help staff and individuals served remain safe and allow for social distancing while maintaining security in both facilities. It will reduce the number of body searches and reduces the introduction and sharing of contraband. The scanners have thermal sensors that read body temperature and are regulated by the FDA.”

Josephine County, Oregon

Project name: Lenco Bearcat G3 Armored Vehicle for the Sheriff’s Office

Obligation: $300k

From their report submitted to the Treasury Department: “Josephine County has seen an increase in gun violence over the last two years. This is in part due to the increase in illegal marijuana cultivation, which exploded during the COVID-19 shutdown in 2020. From 2019 to July of 2021, the Josephine Marijuana Enforcement Team (JMET) has conducted search warrants on 68 illegal marijuana cultivation operations. Nearly half of those operations have resulted in the seizure of multiple firearms. The larger grow sites are typically on properties containing not only a residence but also many additional outbuildings and armed people guarding the grow sites. With the increase in organized cartel and drug trafficking operations (DTOs) the risk of violence to law enforcement is on the rise. We currently have to wait for OSP involvement in enforcement of large marijuana grows because we do not have the necessary equipment to safely enter these compounds. The Lenco Bearcat armored vehicle provides additional safety for law enforcement personnel entering dangerous situations. It can be used for both rescue and tactical operations where the risk of injury or death is imminent. We want to invest in technology and equipment to allow our local law enforcement to more efficiently and effectively respond to the rise in gun violence in our county. The BearCat G3 provides Lenco’s proven armor system in a ruggedized off-road platform, it works for off-road and rural missions, and seats 10–12 fully equipped officers, and its open floor plan allows for rescue of downed personnel.”

Mchenry County, Illinois

Project name: Range & Regional Training Facility

Obligation: $6.2M

From their report submitted to the Treasury Department: “McHenry County is investing in a regional shooting range for use by the Sheriff’s Office, County Police Departments and police Departments in the area. Improvements to existing facility will include building envelope repair and updates to bring building up to code and up to training standards.”

What They’re Not Telling You About the New mRNA Boosters

August 31, 2022, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration authorized the reformulated mRNA COVID bivalent boosters, and they didn’t even allow members of its Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee (VRBPAC) to meet, discuss or vote on the matter

The CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) met for eight hours September 1, 2022, and authorized the untested boosters 13-to-1. CDC director Rochelle Walensky endorsed the recommendation later that evening

Pfizer’s new booster is a bivalent injection targeting Omicron subvariants BA.4 and BA.5, which are the two currently in circulation, while Moderna’s shot targets the already extinct Wuhan strain and Omicron subvariant BA.1

The bivalent boosters will only be available to those who have already received the primary two-dose series and/or a monovalent booster at least two months ago

Pfizer’s bivalent booster was tested on a total of eight mice, and they only checked antibody levels, even though antibodies cannot tell you whether the shot actually protects against infection and symptomatic and/or serious illness. Moderna also used mice to ascertain antibody responses, but has not disclosed the number of mice used

More Reports of COVID Vaccine-Linked Heart Inflammation in Young Males Submitted to CDC

Reports submitted to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)’s vaccine surveillance system suggest that cases of post-COVID-19 vaccine-linked heart inflammation among young males have risen.

Recent figures published in the CDC’s Vaccine Safety Datalink surveillance system show that within a week of getting the two-dose Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, there were 14 cases of myocarditis or pericarditis among 102,091 males between the ages of 16 and 17. And of the 206,000 12- to 15-year-old males who got the same two-dose vaccine series, there were 31 cases within a week, according to the CDC (pdf).

Those reports were presented to the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices on Sept. 1 show that the incident rate for the 12- to 15-year-old group is 150.5 per million—or about 1 in 6,600—and 137.1 per million for the 16- to the 17-year-old group—or about 1 in 7,262.

Following the first booster dose, CDC-presented figures show that it jumps to 188 per million among the 16- to 17-year-old group. But for the 12- to 15-year-old males, 61.3 per million developed heart inflammation after the booster dose, according to the figures.

In August 2021, the figures submitted to the CDC system (pdf) show that of 42.6 myocarditis and pericarditis cases per million and 71.5 per million for 12- to 15-year-old males and 16- to 17-year-old males, respectively. That breaks down to about one in 23,500 for the younger group and around one in 14,000 for the older group.

The agency noted that “myocarditis is a rare event following mRNA COVID-19 booster vaccination” and that it has “verified 131 myocarditis case reports to VAERS in people ages [5 years and older] after 123,362,627 million mRNA COVID-19 booster vaccinations.”

In analyses of the data, “myocarditis [and] pericarditis incidence following first booster dose and dose 2 of the primary series are similar, though case counts are small and confidence intervals around point estimates are wide,” said the CDC.

The Vaccine Safety Datalink is described by the agency as “a collaborative project between CDC’s Immunization Safety Office and nine health care organizations” and is designed to “monitor [the] safety of vaccines and conduct studies about rare and serious adverse events following immunization.”

In May, the CDC said reports of heart inflammation linked to the Pfizer vaccine were much lower in 5- to 11-year-old boys than in adolescents and young males. Among that group, the rate of heart inflammation stood at 2.7 cases per million.

Wisconsin Healthcare Workers Who Had Religious, Medical Exemptions Must Get Novavax COVID Shot or Lose Job

A Wisconsin hospital this week said it is withdrawing medical and religious exemptions for some employees from the hospital’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate, giving those employees until Sept. 21 to get the Novavax vaccine.

This article was originally published by The Defender – Children’s Health Defense’s News & Views Website

A Wisconsin hospital this week said it is withdrawing medical and religious exemptions for some employees from the hospital’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate, giving those employees until Sept. 21 to get the Novavax vaccine.

Froedtert & the Medical College of Wisconsin, which operates 11 hospitals and more than 45 health centers and clinics throughout the midwest and employs more than 2,000 physicians, in an email said the Novavax vaccine option “eliminates conflicts” for those who originally declined COVID-19 vaccination for religious or medical reasons.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration in July granted Emergency Use Authorization of the Novavax COVID-19 vaccine for adults ages 18 and up. While the prior COVID-19 vaccines made by Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson used fetal cell lines from unborn fetuses in various stages of development and testing, the Novavax vaccine is made differently and does not use human fetal cell lines.

Froedtert employees who don’t get the first Novavax dose by Sept. 21 will be terminated as Froedtert will consider them to have “voluntarily resigned,” the company said.

The hospital said in a statement:

“Froedtert Health requires staff and providers be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 as a federal requirement that is monitored for compliance. We join many other health systems around southeast Wisconsin and the U.S. that have made vaccination a condition of employment.

“The Novavax vaccination for COVID-19 is now available. This protein-based vaccination option eliminates conflicts for those staff with religious or medical exemptions caused by mRNA-based vaccines and other concerns.

“Since those staff are now eligible for a vaccination that does not conflict with their religious beliefs or medical situation, their exemption will expire. This affects a small percentage of staff with a vaccine exemption. Eligible staff continue to be exempt from a COVID-19 vaccine for religious and medical reasons.

“Froedtert Health respects the right of staff and providers to engage in activity protected by state and federal law.”

A Froedtert employee who spoke anonymously to WISN 12 News on Wednesday said Froedtert’s abrupt demand will have negative repercussions.

“Anyone in healthcare knows we’re very understaffed and overworked right now and this is just going to take away a lot of nurses from the bedside,” she said. “This will affect patient care and safety.”

‘Uninformed Consent’: 3 California Hospitals Face Lawsuits for Use of ‘Remdesivir Protocol’ Attorneys Allege Led to Wrongful Death

Three hospitals in California face lawsuits alleging they treated patients with the controversial antiviral drug remdesivir without receiving informed consent, using a protocol which two attorneys allege led to wrongful death.

Daniel Watkins with Watkins & Letofsky and Michael Hamilton with Hamilton & Associates filed three complaints—one against Saint Agnes Medical Center, Community Regional Medical Center, and Clovis Community Medical Center—in the Superior Court of California in Fresno County on Sept. 7.

Clovis Medical Center Community Medical Center, Community Regional Medical Center, and Saint Agnes Medical Center told The Epoch Times that they couldn’t comment on pending litigation.

Watkins and Hamilton discussed the lawsuit the day of the filing at an event called, “Remdesivir Death: Landmark Lawsuit,” where they were joined by medical advocates such as Dr. Peter McCullough, Dr. Bryan Ardis, Dr. Angie Farella, and Dr. Janci Linsay, all of whom have spoken out against the use of remdesivir.

Watkins said they filed the lawsuits on the behalf of 14 Fresno-area families who allege that the hospitals engaged in medical deception and failed to provide informed consent in relating the potential side effects, such as kidney failure.

“Full informed consent means that patients must be provided with full information about the deadly harm that this dangerous experimental drug causes on its own,” the lawsuit states. “They must be told that the only time it was ever tested, it was pulled because it killed so many people.”

The lawsuit references a study found in the New England Journal of Medicine in which a safety board found it to be the least effective and deadliest drug in the trial before it was suspended after 53 percent of the Ebola patients who took the drug died.

The National Institute of Health (NIH) has said it’s the only drug approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat COVID-19.

“Remdesivir received Emergency Use Authorization in or around May of 2020, after being recommended by an NIH panel that contained nine individuals with financial ties to its creator, Gilead Sciences,” the lawsuit alleges. “It is very nearly the equivalent of a death sentence for a COVID patient, or a patient with real Pneumonia (as opposed to ‘covid pneumonia’).

Without receiving informed consent before giving remdesivir, the hospitals violated the Nuremberg Code, the lawsuit states, which criminalizes human experimentation performed without informed consent.

In some cases, according to witness testimony, Watkins said in the conference that remdesivir was given even after the patients declined.

Peer-Reviewed Study: 94% Of Vaccinated Patients With Subsequent Health Issues Have Abnormal Blood

Physicians in Italy studied the blood of patients who had been injected with mRNA COVID-19 vaccines and found foreign matter long after vaccination, a new study shows.

The three doctors, all of whom are surgeons—Franco Giovannini, M.D., Riccardo Benzi Cipelli, M.D., and Giampaolo Pisano, M.D.—examined freshly drawn blood of more than a thousand patients using direct observation under microscopes to see what was happening in the blood.

Their results were published in the International Journal of Vaccine Theory, Practice, and Research in August 2022.

For this study, the Italian doctors used optical microscopy, that is, regular light microscopes, to examine the blood. Blood cells are easily visible under a microscope. Their shape, type, and how and if they are aggregated—clumped together—can help the skilled physician better understand the patient’s health.

In their 60-page peer-reviewed study, the Italian researchers reported case studies from their observations. Although they could not explain what they observed, they noted in the study that what they saw was so strange that they felt the need to alert the medical community.

An Inspirational Tribute to the Unvaccinated

Message to the Unvaccinated

“Even if I were pollinated and fully vaccinated, I would admire the unvaccinated for withstanding the greatest pressure I have ever seen, even from partners, parents, children, friends, colleagues and doctors.

People who were capable of such personality, courage and critical ability are undoubtedly the best of humanity. They are everywhere, in all ages, levels of education, states and ideas. They are of a special kind; they are the soldiers that every army of light wants to have in its ranks. They are the parents that every child wants to have and the children that every parent dreams of having.

They are beings above the average of their societies, they are the essence of the people who have built all cultures and conquered horizons. They are there, next to you, they look normal, but they are superheroes.

They did what others could not, they were the tree that withstood the hurricane of insults, discrimination and social exclusion. And they did it because they thought they were alone, and believed they were the only ones.

Banned from their families’ tables at Christmas, they never saw anything so cruel. They lost their jobs, let their careers sink, had no more money … but they didn’t care. They suffered immeasurable discrimination, denunciation, betrayal and humiliation … but they kept going.

Never before in humanity has there been such a “casting”, now we know who are the best on planet Earth. Women, men, old, young, rich, poor, of all races or religions, the unvaccinated, the chosen of the invisible ark, the only ones who managed to resist when everything collapsed.

That’s you, you passed an unimaginable test that many of the toughest Marines, Commandos, Green Berets, astronauts and geniuses could not withstand. You are made of the stuff of the greatest who ever lived, those heroes born among ordinary men who glow in the dark.”

Anon

EXCLUSIVE: US Pandemic Committee Hasn’t Worked During COVID-19 Pandemic

A committee formed to evaluate research projects involving pathogens that could cause pandemics has not worked during the COVID-19 pandemic, The Epoch Times has learned.

The Potential Pandemic Pathogen Care and Oversight (P3CO) Review Committee was formed in 2017 under a new framework aimed at strengthening oversight of potentially risky projects that were up for funding from the U.S. government, following a multi-year pause ordered after issues involving anthrax and avian influenza.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), which includes the National Institutes of Health (NIH), created the panel.

According to the HHS website for the panel, it has only reviewed three projects, all of which were for influenza viruses. The most recent review took place in 2019.

The Epoch Times asked the HHS records office for any projects the panel has reviewed since Jan. 1, 2020, determinations for each project reviewed since then, and details, such as transcripts, of all meetings held.

The HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR) searched and found no records responsive to the request, according to the records office.

“Specifically, the ASPR has informed our office that the Committee has not reconstituted within the search dates given for the search,” Arianne Perkins, a Freedom of Information Act officer, told The Epoch Times in a letter.

Asked what that meant, Ruhma Sufian, another records officer, said in an email that “because the HHS P3CO Review Committee has not met within the search frame you gave … ASPR responded with no records.”

That means no work has been done by the committee despite it coming to light that the NIH funded risky experiments at the laboratory in Wuhan, China located near where the first COVID-19 cases appeared in 2019.

“It is unconscionable that the Committee has not reviewed any of the thousands of HHS-funded coronavirus research projects when people are still dealing with the COVID-19 outbreak—the American people deserve better,” Sen. Roger Marshall (R-Kan.), who has tried halting grants for risky research, told The Epoch Times in an emailed statement.

“We are troubled that the P3CO Review Committee may have been sidelined and isolated from reviewing any research proposals,” Jack Heretik, a spokesman for Republicans on the House of Representatives Energy and Commerce Committee, who have been investigating the HHS review process, told The Epoch Times via email.

The HHS, ASPR, and the NIH did not respond to requests for comment.

CANCEL CULTURE

Meghan Markle Called Hypocrite for Including Herself in Royal Family During Mourning for Queen, #GoHomeMeghanMarkle Trends

Meghan Markle’s public display of mourning for Queen Elizabeth II has prompted the hashtag #GoHomeMeghanMarkle to trend on Twitter Monday, with royal fans accusing the Duchess of Sussex of hypocrisy because she has renounced her royal obligations and trashed her in-laws in the news media.

Over the weekend, Meghan Markle joined her husband, Prince Harry, in public mourning duties for the late queen by greeting well-wishers outside Windsor Castle. In one TikTok video circulating online, the Duchess of Sussex is seen consoling another mourner and saying, “Thank you for being here, it means so much to the family. We appreciate it.”

What Are They Scared Of?: Google News Excludes Coverage of ‘My Son Hunter’ by Breitbart News

Despite a major wave of interest in the hit film My Son Hunter resulting in coverage from publications including Newsweek, Rolling Stone, and the Washington Post, trending hashtags on social media, and a feature on Tucker Carlson, Google has deliberately excluded Breitbart articles about the new film from the Google News tab even though as the film’s distributor, Breitbart News is the best source of information on the movie about Joe and Hunter Biden. After Breitbart News requested comment on the matter from the Masters of the Universe, a week-old Breitbart article on the movie appeared on page two of the News tab.

The recent film My Son Hunter from Breitbart News chronicles the story of Hunter Biden, including his corrupt business dealings, his relationship with his father, and a rockstar lifestyle funded by China. The film received widespread acclaim and trended across Twitter on the day of its release. The film was praised by the leftists at the Daily Beast and has even been credited by one left-wing critic for helping him learn the truth about the Biden family. The film’s launch was so popular that a surge of user traffic halted access to MySonHunter.com on release day.

PETS

Are Essential Oils Safe for Dogs and Cats?

Once limited to specialty shops and natural food stores, essential oils can be found just about everywhere these days. The popularity of these natural plant-derived oils has skyrocketed in recent years, thanks largely to their pleasing scents and the benefits attributed to them. Not only do essential oils make our homes smell delightful, proponents claim the soothing scents can potentially improve our health and help us feel more centered, too.

But are these products safe for our pets? Using essential oils to improve pet health remains a controversial topic. While some holistic veterinarians and alternative medicine practitioners may recommend certain essential oils, most veterinary professionals urge pet parents to steer clear of them. At best, the benefits of essential oils remain unproven in pets. At worst, some essential oils can put your pet’s health at serious risk.

Unfortunately, products labeled “all natural” or “organic” are not always safe for dogs and cats because our pets often can’t metabolize substances the way we do. This makes it difficult for them to eliminate certain toxins from their bodies, including some essential oils. These can be very dangerous to pets if ingested, inhaled, or applied topically – especially in highly-concentrated forms.

Therefore, pet parents must be cautious when using essential oils around pets. Make sure you understand how to use essential oils safely and which essential oils should be avoided altogether. Not only are dogs and cats at risk, but rabbits, hamsters, guinea pigs, and other pets can also be harmed by essential oils. Birds are especially susceptible to the toxic effects of inhaled oils.

How Essential Oils Affect Dogs and Cats

To keep your pet safe around essential oils, it’s important to know some basics about how they work. Essential oils are fatty aromatic compounds extracted from various plants. These compounds are distilled into a broad range of concentrations – from 100% pure essential oil all the way down to concentrations of 1-20%, which are diluted with a non-aromatic carrier oil. The more concentrated the oil is, the more dangerous it can be to pets.

Because essential oils are lipophilic, they are readily absorbed through the skin and mucous membranes (such as the lining of the mouth and nose), which carry the oils into the bloodstream where most are metabolized and eliminated by the liver.

Essential oils can also float through the air as scents, traveling through the nose to the olfactory nerves and then onto the amygdala, where the oils trigger a response in the emotional center of the brain. For instance, the smell of lavender can instill a sense of calm, while peppermint evokes energy and invigoration.  Many people use essential oils for a wide range of potential health benefits, including: to regulate sleep, reduce anxiety, as well as to ease muscle aches and nasal congestion. In addition to aromatherapy, certain essential oils may also act as insect repellants, keeping mosquitoes and other bugs at bay.

Essential oils come in various forms: pure essential oils, air fresheners, and room sprays, flavorings, herbal remedies, perfumes, aromatherapy jewelry, bath and personal products, household cleaning products (such as Pine-Sol®), candles, and liquid potpourri, as well as passive or active diffusers.

Passive diffusers include reed diffusers, warmers, or plug-ins; these all diffuse essential oil scents into a room, which can cause respiratory irritation in dogs and cats. In contrast, active diffusers, such as nebulizers or ultrasonic diffusers, release not only a scent, but also microdroplets of oil that settle onto nearby objects. In addition to respiratory irritation, using active diffusers can actually expose your pet to an even greater potential threat, when they ingest the oil on their fur while grooming.

Pet-safe Essential Oils

While pet parents should avoid using the majority of essential oils, a few are safe for pets if used appropriately. For example, lavender (when used sparingly and in the proper concentration) is probably the safest essential oil for both dogs and cats. However, due to species variations, other oils that are safe for dogs may not be safe for cats.

When an oil is used, it needs to be diluted and applied appropriately. Because the degree of toxicity of essential oils is dose-dependent, the more concentrated the product, the more dangerous it can be.

Your veterinarian can advise you on dilution and dosage guidelines for specific oils, as well as which pet-safe carrier oils to use (such as coconut oil, extra virgin olive oil, almond oil, and grapeseed oil). Most often, at least 1 drop of pure essential oil to 50 drops of a pure carrier oil is required for proper dilution of pet-friendly oils.

Keep in mind that even safe essential oils can still cause airway irritation if inhaled. It’s always a good idea to ask your veterinarian about the safety of an essential oil product marketed for pets – such as shampoos, sprays, or calming treats – before using them.

Furthermore, just because an oil is safe for a dog or cat doesn’t necessarily mean it will improve their health. For instance, citrus oils (including citronella and lemon oils), when used to repel pests, can theoretically help reduce the severity of flea and tick infestations as well as the presence of mosquitos. However, no scientific research has proven that these essential oils are fully effective at preventing disease-carrying external parasites or mosquito bites – especially not at a safe, non-toxic concentration. Therefore, essential oils should never replace veterinary-approved, year-round monthly flea, tick, and heartworm prevention measures.

Essential Oils Safe for Dogs:

  • Cedarwood oil: acts as an insect repellant
  • Chamomile oil: elicits a soothing effect and helps calm the gastrointestinal system
  • Citrus oils (including lemon oil and orange oil): act as a mosquito repellant and deodorizer
  • Eucalyptus oil
  • Fennel oil
  • Frankincense oil: currently being evaluated as a therapy for bladder cancer in humans and dogs
  • Helichrysum oil: a member of the sunflower family with some potential in aiding bleeding disorders
  • Lavender oil: induces a calming effect; Dog parents may also wish to consider the calming line of Adaptil® canine appeasing pheromone products, such as collars, sprays, and diffusers.
  • Lemongrass oil
  • Certain mint oils (peppermint, spearmint): help calm GI upset
  • Rose oil

Essential Oils Safe for Cats:

  • Chamomile oil
  • Jasmine oil
  • Lavender oil
  • Rose oil

Keep These Essential Oils Away from Pets

When it comes to essential oils, it’s a bad idea to assume that what’s safe for the pet parent is safe for the pet. Due to metabolic differences, the same oil we can enjoy with no ill effects can cause GI upset, chemical scalding of the mouth or esophagus, as well as respiratory, neurologic, and liver damage in our pets.  In severe cases, death may result.

Cats are especially susceptible to the toxic effects of essential oils. Being such fastidious groomers, cats are at increased risk of developing toxicity when oils settle on their skin or fur. In such cases, oils enter the body via inhalation, ingestion, and across the skin barrier simultaneously, quickly reaching a toxic concentration in the bloodstream. Because felines lack the enzymes that enable the liver to metabolize many essential oils and eliminate toxins, pet parents should avoid using oral, topical, and other inhaled oils around cats.

In addition to pets with respiratory disease (including asthma and bronchitis), essential oil use should also be avoided around dogs and cats with liver disorders, elderly pets, puppies and kittens, or pregnant or nursing animals. Furthermore, prevent pets with open wounds or sores from direct dermal contact with such oils, as the broken skin could allow for more rapid absorption.

Avoid applying essential oils to your pet’s sensitive areas – eyes, ears, nose, and genitals. For instance, attempting to treat ear mites by applying an essential oil to the ear canal can damage your pet’s skin, nerves, and eardrums. Leave the ear mite treatment to your veterinarian! Additionally, topical use of an essential oil like tea tree oil to treat dermatologic conditions, such as hot spots or skin allergies, often causes much more skin irritation. The risks greatly outweigh any potential benefit.

The following list is not exhaustive, but it contains some of the most common dangerous essential oils. If in doubt, consult your veterinarian or check the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center (APCC)’s website on toxic and non-toxic plants.

Essential Oils Bad for Dogs:

  • Cassia oil
  • Hot oils (including cinnamon oil, clove oil, and oregano oil): Although cinnamon oil is an ingredient in some over-the-counter “natural” flea and tick spot-on treatments and collars due to its potential pest repellent properties, it can be toxic to dogs and cats and is not fully protective against external parasites.
  • Pennyroyal oil
  • Pine oils
  • Sweet birch oil
  • Tea tree oil (also known as melaleuca oil): Tea tree oil is responsible for the majority of essential oil toxicity cases in dogs and cats. Though tea tree oil carries some antiseptic properties, it should never be fed to or applied to the skin or fur of a dog or cat. Even in diluted form, tea tree oil can be very toxic if ingested or applied topically to a dog or cat.
  • Thyme oil
  • Wintergreen oil

Essential Oils Bad for Cats:

  • Basil oil
  • Bitter almond oil
  • Citrus oils (oils that contain d-limonene, including citronella, bergamot oil, grapefruit oil, lemon oil, lime oil, orange oil, and tangerine oil): Most cats dislike the scent of citrus. While you may be tempted to place citrus oils like lemon or orange oils around areas where your cat is urine marking or jumping where they shouldn’t, the d-limonene component of citrus oils is toxic to cats, so these products should be avoided. To help calm your cat and deter unwanted destructive behaviors, consider a safe and effective alternative, such as Feliway pheromone spray or diffuser.
  • Dill oil
  • Fennel oil
  • Geranium oil
  • Hot oils (including cinnamon oil, clove oil, and oregano oil)
  • Juniper oil
  • Lemongrass oil
  • Menthol oils or mint oils (including eucalyptus oil, peppermint oil, spearmint oil, sweet birch oil*, and wintergreen oil*): *these two oils contain methyl salicylates, products similar to aspirin that are toxic to cats.
  • Myrrh oil
  • Nutmeg oil
  • Oregano oil
  • Pennyroyal oil
  • Pine oils (these contain toxic phenols)
  • Rosemary oil
  • Sandalwood oil
  • Sassafras oil
  • Tarragon oil
  • Tea tree oil (also known as melaleuca oil)
  • Thyme oil
  • Wormwood oil
  • Ylang ylang oil

→ Power Mall Product of Interest: Silver Shield Dog & Bedding Spray

Social Share Buttons and Icons powered by Ultimatelysocial