WORLD NEWS
Russia Says Nord Stream Pipeline Damage Likely ‘Terrorist Act’
Russia said on Thursday that pipeline leaks emitting natural gas into the sea appear to be the result of state-sponsored terrorism.
The European Union is investigating the cause of the leaks in the Gazprom-led Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines under the Baltic Sea and has said it suspects sabotage.
“This looks like some kind of terrorist act, possibly at the state level,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters, according to TASS news. “This is an extremely dangerous situation that requires urgent investigation,” he stressed.
A day before, Peskov dismissed claims that Moscow was behind the damage to the pipelines and described those allegations as “predictably stupid.” He questioned why Russia would sabotage its own pipeline system, which would lead to the loss of significant amounts of “expensive” gas.
A report from CNN alleged that European security officials had observed Russian navy support ships and submarines not far from the sites of the leaks. When asked to comment on the CNN report, Peskov said there had been a much larger NATO presence in the area.
Russia has also said the leaks off the coasts of Denmark and Sweden occurred in territory that is “fully under the control” of U.S. intelligence agencies.
The former head of the German Federal Intelligence Service claims Russia stood “to gain the most” from sabotaging Russian gas pipelines to Germany bypassing Ukraine and Poland.
“An unnoticed, conspiratorial damage to pipelines at a depth of 80 meters in the Baltic Sea requires sophisticated technical and organizational capabilities that clearly point to a state actor,” said ex-intelligence chief Gerhard Schindler, in comments to German media quoted by POLITICO.
China Says Nord Stream Pipeline ‘Accident’ May Be ‘Forever Mystery,’ Blames U.S. Anyway
The Chinese government newspaper Global Times, citing Communist Party-approved “experts,” predicted on Wednesday that the world may never know the cause of the “unusual leaks” of the two Nord Stream pipelines previously used to send natural gas from Russia to Europe – but cast its suspicion towards the United States.
Natural gas began erupting out of the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines this week from the bottom of the Baltic Sea, an incident the company in charge of the infrastructure called “unprecedented” and may likely be the result of irreversible damage. The Nord Stream pipelines have been the subject of tremendous controversy since Russia escalated the eight-year-old war against neighboring Ukraine in February, as Europe’s dependence on Russian gas has weakened its ability to respond in defense of Ukraine. The war was preceded by left-wing President Joe Biden removing sanctions imposed on the never-completed Nord Stream 2 pipeline under his predecessor, former President Donald Trump last year, a move that an irate Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said at the time “confused” and “disappointed” him.
U.S. NEWS, POLITICS & GOVERNMENT
Ian Strengthens Back to Category 1 Hurricane, Headed Toward South Carolina
After making landfall on Florida’s west coast on Wednesday as a Category 4 hurricane, Ian gradually weakened to a tropical storm while crossing the Florida peninsula before regaining strength over the Atlantic Ocean as a Category 1 hurricane on Thursday afternoon as it heads toward South Carolina.
Ian is expected to cross the coast of South Carolina on Friday as a Category 1 hurricane. Hurricane warnings have been issued for the entire coast of the state. According to the National Hurricane Center, life-threatening flooding, storm surge, and strong winds are possible.
“Maximum sustained winds have increased to near 75 mph (120 km/h) with higher gusts. Ian could slightly strengthen before landfall tomorrow, and is forecast to rapidly weaken over the southeastern United States late Friday into Saturday,” the center said in a hurricane advisory on Thursday at 5 p.m. local time.
Earlier on Thursday, officials reported the first confirmed death. More deaths have been reported since, with some outlets putting the current death toll at nine, while other reports say at least 15 people have died in southwest and central Florida.
Senate Passes Stop-Gap Spending Bill with $12 Billion in Ukraine Aid, $3 Billion for Biden’s Afghans
The Senate on Thursday passed a stop-gap spending bill that would fund the government through mid-December, providing $12 billion in Ukraine aid and $3 billion for facilitating Afghan refugees to the United States.
The Senate voted to pass a stop-gap spending bill that would fund the federal government through December 16. The federal government would shut down if Congress failed to pass a spending bill before the end of Friday.
Judge Orders FBI to Produce Information From Seth Rich’s Laptop
The FBI must produce information from Seth Rich’s laptop computer to a Texas man, a federal judge ruled on Sept. 29.
The bureau improperly withheld the information from Brian Huddleston, the Texas man, according to a 53-page ruling from U.S. District Judge Amos Mazzant.
Rich was a Democratic National Committee staffer who was murdered around 4:20 a.m. in July 2016 in Washington. Officials have claimed the killing was done as part of a botched robbery.
The FBI has acknowledged it has files from Rich’s computer but tried withholding them from Huddleston, citing a portion of federal law that enables agencies to withhold information that would be a clear invasion of privacy interests when the interests are not outweighed by the public interest.
The bureau said that Rich’s family members have a privacy interest in preventing the release of the information that outweighs the public interest, but Mazzant, an Obama appointee, rejected the argument.
“The Court is not persuaded by the FBI’s argument that Seth Rich’s survivors have a privacy interest in withholding the entirety of the information contained on Seth Rich’s laptop,” he said.
“Pointedly, the FBI cites to no case law for the proposition that survivors of the deceased have a privacy interest in information related to the deceased’s favorite music or relationship history,” he added.
Man Who Shot 84-Year-Old Michigan Pro-Life Activist Identifies Himself
“I shot somebody. It was an accident,” said a 74-year-old Michigan homeowner in a Sept. 27 video interview with TV-8 News of Grand Rapids.
The Odessa Township man admitted to shooting an 84-year-old pro-life volunteer who was knocking on doors in her community trying to persuade people to vote “No” on a proposed amendment to the Michigan constitution that would make abortion on demand a right.
The shooting occurred on Sept. 20 during daylight hours.
TV-8 reported earlier that law enforcement sources described the prelude to the shooting as “an alleged verbal altercation while she [the volunteer canvasser] passed out pamphlets.”
The man said in the Sept. 27 interview that he was in his barn when he heard his wife arguing loudly with a visitor who had come to the door of the house.
Police Decline to Investigate North Texas Pride Festival After Kids Exposed to Obscenities
The Plano Police Department in Texas won’t investigate whether a Sept. 17 LGBT pride festival violated state obscenity laws, according to a state representative.
The North Texas Pride Festival was marketed to children 12 years old and under.
At the event there were low tables where magnets bearing obscene phrases were openly displayed.
Rep. Matt Shaheen (R-Plano) told The Epoch Times that he requested an investigation this week in a Sept. 28 meeting with the Plano city manager and the Plano police chief but was told law enforcement “won’t do anything” due to a lack of resources.
The festival was approved through the city’s special events process, according to a Sept. 20 city council meeting where several residents complained.
“I was shocked to hear of an event that was held this past weekend but not so much by the gay aspect of the event, but the Satanists, the exorcisms, the drag queens interacting with small children, the pornography on the tables, and the van to check for sexually transmitted diseases,” Plano resident Diane Neal told council members.
DANGER: Article V Convention Legislation filed in Congress: They Want a New Constitution
Legislation recently filed in Congress shows that the assurances pro-convention lobbyists have been making to State Legislators to induce them to apply to Congress for Congress to call a Convention under Article V of our Constitution are false.
These lobbyists have convinced too many State Legislators that our Framers said that when the federal government violates the Constitution, the solution is to get a convention to amend the Constitution. Our Framers never said such a thing! But that is what is behind the push for an Article V convention.
Article V of our Constitution provides two methods of amending the Constitution 1) Congress may propose amendments by two-thirds majority in both Houses; or 2) Congress, upon the applications of two-thirds of the State Legislatures, calls a convention where the Delegates may propose amendments. The second method has never been used – it’s dangerous!
Nevertheless, the pro-convention lobby has been assuring State Legislators that a Convention is perfectly safe because State Legislatures will control it: They will determine the amendments to be considered at the Convention; Congress can’t call a convention until Congress receives 34 applications from State Legislatures which ask for the same amendment; and Delegates to the convention may consider nothing but amendments requested by 34 State Legislatures.
Warrants: Illegal Alien Brothers Planned to Flee After Allegedly Killing K9 Officer Ned Byrd
Police warrants reveal the grisly details of how a pair of illegal alien brothers allegedly murdered K9 officer and sheriff’s deputy Ned Byrd, a 13-year veteran of the force, in the sanctuary jurisdiction of Wake County, North Carolina.
Illegal alien brothers 25-year-old Alder Alfonso Sotelo and 29-year-old Arturo Marin Sotelo, both from Mexico, have been arrested and charged with the murder of 48-year-old Byrd after he was shot and killed on August 12 while exiting his unmarked patrol vehicle.
Confused Kamala Harris Praises “the Republic of North Korea” on Visit to DMZ
If a week is a long time in politics, 24-hours can seem like an eternity, especially when a White House administration is confused by basic historical facts.
U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris amply illustrated this Thursday when she ended her four-day trip to Asia with a journey to the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) dividing the Korean Peninsula.
WATCH: SWAT Opens Fire After Suspect Puts Gun to Police K9’s Head
A SWAT Team in Tucson, Arizona, opened fire on robbery suspect Francisco Javier Galarza after he allegedly put a gun to a police K9’s head while being apprehended.
The incident occurred on August 25 but bodycam footage was released this week.
The Daily Mail reports that Galarza was wanted for “a home invasion and several robberies in the area.”
FBI Singles Out Conservative Agents in ‘Purge,’ Retaliates Against Whistleblowers: GOP Lawmakers
House Judiciary Republicans are asking a senior FBI official to testify in a transcribed interview, alleging the official has signed off on many “adverse personnel actions” against conservative agents, saying they were being targeted in a “purge.”
Their allegations concern Jennifer Leigh Moore, the executive assistant director of the FBI’s human resources branch, according to a Sept. 29 letter from Reps. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), Darrell Issa (R-Calif.), and Mike Johnson (R-La.). Jordan is the ranking member of the House Judiciary Committee.
“This is beyond outrageous,” the House Judiciary GOP wrote on Twitter.
The lawmakers said they found out how conservative agents were being targeted while investigating “serious allegations of abuse and misconduct within the senior leadership of the Department of Justice and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.”
“During the course of this investigation, we have received protected whistleblower disclosures that the FBI is engaging in a ‘purge’ of employees with conservative views by revoking their security clearances and indefinitely suspending these employees,” the lawmakers wrote.
They added, “Many of the formal notices for these adverse personnel actions have been signed by you,” referring to Moore.
What’s more, the three lawmakers allege that Moore has “retaliated against at least one whistleblower who has made protected disclosures to Congress.”
Utah Investigators Arrest First Suspect in Ritualistic Child Sex Abuse and Trafficking Case
Special investigators with the Utah County Sheriff’s Office in Utah arrested a Provo man on charges of alleged ritualistic child sex abuse stemming from a year-long investigation that is likely to produce more suspects and arrests.
David Lee Hamblin, 68, was arrested in Provo on Sept. 28 by members of the sheriff’s special victims unit and charged with first-degree felony rape of a child, sodomy of a child, aggravated abuse of a child, and lewdness involving a child, a misdemeanor.
A Utah County judge ordered Hamblin held without bail at the county jail pending his arraignment. Juab County Attorney Ryan Peters will serve as special prosecutor in the case in that jurisdiction.
“We feel like we have [made] progress and anticipate there will be more arrests in the future,” Utah County Sheriff’s Sgt. Spencer Cannon told The Epoch Times.
Hamblin’s arrest marks the first break in the investigation that began in early 2021, producing more than 130 witnesses and alleged victims.
One victim, a woman in her forties, told investigators she was 6 or 7 when Hamblin allegedly began sexually molesting her in the mid-1980s.
ECONOMY & BUSINESS
ATTOM, a leading curator of real estate data nationwide for land and property data, today released its third-quarter 2022 U.S. Home Affordability Report showing that median-priced single-family homes and condos remain less affordable in the third quarter of 2022 compared to historical averages in 99 percent of counties across the nation with enough data to analyze. That continues to be far above the 69 percent of counties that were historically less affordable in the third quarter of 2021 and marked yet another high point reached during the country’s 11-year housing market boom.
However, the report also shows some potential relief for homebuyers as the portion of average wages nationwide required for median major home-ownership expenses has dipped slightly from 30.9 percent in the second quarter of the year to 30 percent in the third quarter.
Lawyer who says student-loan forgiveness leaves him worse off sues to block program
Updated: An Indiana lawyer who will have part of his student debt forgiven through the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program has filed a lawsuit challenging student-debt cancellation by the Biden administration.
The plaintiff is Frank Garrison, a lawyer with the Pacific Legal Foundation, who said President Joe Biden’s student-debt plan will force him to pay taxes on forgiven loans that he would not have to pay in the PSLF program. He is represented by the foundation, according to a Sept. 27 press release.
The Biden program, announced in August, will cancel up to $20,000 in student debt for Pell Grant recipients and up to $10,000 for others with federal loans. Borrowers are eligible for loan forgiveness if their loans are held by the U.S. Department of Education and their income in either 2020 or 2021 was less than $125,000 per year as an individual or less than $250,000 per year per household.
Some borrowers will have to apply for debt relief, but others will have their debt canceled automatically.
Garrison said he will owe more than $1,000 in state income taxes when his student debt is automatically canceled.
But the DOE clarified on its website Wednesday that anyone who qualifies for automatic loan forgiveness would be given an opportunity to opt out of the program. That led U.S. District Judge Richard L. Young of the Southern District of Indiana on Thursday to deny Garrison’s motion for a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction to block the program, report Axios and the Hill.
Because Garrison could opt out of the program, Young said, he would not be irreparably harmed as required for preliminary relief. Young said he would give Garrison a chance to file an amended complaint. The revised complaint should consider whether Garrison has standing because he lacks any injury and whether the suit is ripe for adjudication, given the evolving nature of the program.
Biden Admin Quietly Makes Reversal on Student Loan Forgiveness Program, Scales Back Eligibility
The Biden administration quietly issued an update to its student loan forgiveness plan on Thursday, drastically scaling back eligibility on the same day that six Republican-led states filed a lawsuit against President Joe Biden, claiming his student loan forgiveness plan is illegal.
As of Thursday, borrowers who have federal student loans that are owned by private entities and not by the U.S. Department of Education will no longer qualify for the relief program.
Previously, the administration had said those borrowers with student loans owned by private entities, many of which were made under the former Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) program and Federal Perkins Loan program, would qualify for relief of up to $10,000 or $20,000 in loan forgiveness, as long as the borrower consolidated his or her debt into the federal Direct Loan program.
The guidance now states: “As of Sept. 29, 2022, borrowers with federal student loans not held by ED cannot obtain one-time debt relief by consolidating those loans into Direct Loans.”
More than 4 million student loan borrowers have privately held loans through the FFEL Program, according to NPR.
“Our goal is to provide relief to as many eligible borrowers as quickly and easily as possible, and this will allow us to achieve that goal while we continue to explore additional legally-available options to provide relief to borrowers with privately owned FFEL loans and Perkins loans, including whether FFEL borrowers could receive one-time debt relief without needing to consolidate,” the Department of Education said in an emailed statement to CNN.
Mortgage Rates Surge to 6.7% — More than Double Since Last Year
The 30-year fixed mortgage rate surged to 6.7 percent on Thursday, more than double what it was a year ago.
According to data from Freddie Mac, the 30-year fixed mortgage rate jumped by 0.41 percent from a week ago. A year ago, the rate was at 3.01 percent. It is also the highest it has been since July 2007, when the subprime mortgage crisis was in its early stages.
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
Google Harnesses Quantum Computers That Speak ‘The Language Of Nature”
Outside, balmy September sunshine warms an idyllic coast, as California basks in yet another perfect day.
Inside, it’s minus 460 Fahrenheit (-273 Celsius) in some spots, pockets of cold that bristle with the impossible physics of quantum mechanics — a science in which things can simultaneously exist, not exist and also be something in between.
This is Google’s Quantum AI laboratory, where dozens of super-smart people labor in an office kitted out with climbing walls and electric bikes to shape the next generation of computers — a generation that will be unlike anything users currently have in their pockets or offices.
“It is a new type of computer that uses quantum mechanics to do computations and allows us… to solve problems that would otherwise be impossible,” explains Erik Lucero, lead engineer at the campus near Santa Barbara.
“It’s not going to replace your mobile phone, your desktop; it’s going to be working in parallel with those things.”
Quantum mechanics is a field of research that scientists say could be used one day to help limit global warming, design city traffic systems or develop powerful new drugs.
Who Imagined? Customers Deserting ‘Beyond Meat’ Brand Fake Meat
Beyond Meat, the company that makes “meat substitutes,” is in trouble. According to Bloomberg, the company’s stock has lost 77% of its value over the last year. In fact, all plant-based meat substitutes are losing customer share. Sales of refrigerated meat alternatives at retailers are down 10.5% by volume for the 52 weeks that ended Sept. 4, according to Information Resources, Inc.
One reason for this is their price. With food prices going through the roof, a lot fewer customers are willing to pay a premium for fake meat when the real thing isn’t that much more expensive.
And according to Deloitte, there’s a cultural resistance at work.
Deloitte believes the industry is suffering from a perception problem. In July, it surveyed 2,000 consumers and found a decline in the belief that plant-based meat is healthier and more environmentally sustainable than meat from animals. (While the environmental credentials of plant-based products compared to their meatier counterparts are well established, the health claims are not.)
Deloitte also suspects that the addressable market may be more limited than previously thought with a growing cultural resistance to its “woke” status — even among those seeking to reduce red meat consumption. Case in point: When Cracker Barrel announced plans to add Impossible Foods’ sausage to its menu over the summer, it faced an onslaught of criticism on social media.
It’s a twist on the “Go woke, get broke” truism. Beyond Meat and other fake meat companies have proudly been marketing their products to vegans and hip wokesters as environmentally friendly and healthier alternatives to red meat. While the benefits of using plants instead of gas-passing, methane-spewing cattle might be a selling point to some, any health benefits from eating meat substitutes are as yet unproven.
SURVEILLANCE STATE
Lizzy Warren took an ax and gave this merger 40 whacks …
Elizabeth Warren, Members of Congress Demand FTC Oppose Amazon-Roomba Deal
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and five members of the House of Representatives are calling on the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to block Amazon’s proposed acquisition of iRobot, the company that produces the popular Roomba cleaning robots.
As reported by Breitbart News’ Lucas Nolan, the deal is already under scrutiny at the FTC, and comes during an atmosphere of greater attention on the growing power of tech companies, and concerns about their anticompetitive behavior.
“Given our concerns with Amazon’s anticompetitive policies that put consumers and their privacy at risk, we urge the FTC to oppose the proposed Amazon-iRobot acquisition,” the lawmakers wrote in the letter, which Axios reported earlier Thursday.
The deal, announced in August, was already under scrutiny from the FTC. The agency made a second request for information from both Amazon and iRobot as part of its review of the deal. The request extends the review process and indicates a higher level of scrutiny. The company is also in the process of acquiring One Medical, a primary care provider with in-person and telehealth services. The FTC has also made a second request for information in that deal.
The scrutiny comes as lawmakers worry about tech companies extending their reach into ever more markets. They’re considering a slate of antitrust legislation aimed at Big Tech companies. The FTC is chaired by Lina Khan, an antitrust reformer who wrote a legal analysis Amazon’s potential monopoly powers. The agency is running a broader probe into Amazon’s practices, as well as an examination of Amazon’s planned merger with MGM.”
In a statement, Amazon pushed back on Warren’s letter, calling it “broadly inaccurate” with “a number of falsehoods.”
“We will continue to cooperate with regulators, and we are confident that this deal is pro-competitive and will make customers’ lives better and easier.”
HEALTH
250 Scientists Highlight Concerns With Earbuds
Wearing wireless earbuds may be convenient but it could be increasing your risk of neurological disorders as they send a magnetic field through your brain to communicate.
STORY AT-A-GLANCE
- Wireless headphones, like Apple’s popular AirPods, could be dangerous to human health, according to a petition signed by 250 scientists
- The petition to the United Nations (U.N.), led by the International Electromagnetic Field Alliance takes aim at nonionizing electromagnetic fields (EMFs), which are used by AirPods and other Bluetooth devices, as well as cellphones and Wi-Fi, which emit radiofrequency radiation
- The devices, which include not only AirPods, but also other wireless Bluetooth headphones, communicate with one another by sending a magnetic field through your brain
- One scientist who signed the petition believes the use of earbuds is akin to a giant experiment and could increase your risk of neurological disorders
Wireless headphones, like Apple’s popular AirPods, could be dangerous to human health, according to a petition signed by 250 scientists.1 The devices, which include not only AirPods but also other wireless Bluetooth headphones, bring a new level of function and convenience to those looking to listen to music, podcasts, audio books and more while on the go.
Rat feeding study suggests the Impossible Burger may not be safe to eat
Rats fed GM yeast-derived protein soy leghemoglobin – the burger’s key ingredient – developed signs of toxicity. Report by Claire Robinson and Dr Michael Antoniou
The Impossible Burger is a plant-based burger, the key ingredient of which is a protein called soy leghemoglobin (SLH for short), derived from genetically modified (GM) yeast. It’s already being sold in restaurants and supermarkets in the US. In 2019 the manufacturing company, Impossible Foods, applied for permission to market the burger in the EU and the UK.
However, the results of a rat feeding study commissioned by Impossible Foods and carried out with SLH suggest that the burger may not be safe to eat.
SLH is the substance that gives the burger its meaty taste and makes it appear to bleed like meat when cut. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) initially refused to sign off on the safety of SLH when first approached by the company. The rat feeding study results suggest that the agency’s concerns were justified. Rats fed the GM yeast-derived SLH developed unexplained changes in weight gain, changes in the blood that can indicate the onset of inflammation or kidney disease, and possible signs of anaemia.
Fake Meat Sales Plummet On High Prices, Woke Messaging
A few years ago, life was good for the fake meat industry. Beyond Meat had been given vast amounts of real estate in grocery stores, and had scored a deal with Burger King to sell “Impossible” Whoppers. McDonald’s rolled out a McPlant burger (which was quietly shelved last month). Snarky woke advertisements permeated the airwaves and interwebs as plant-based ‘meats’ were on the rise. In fact, Beyond Meat waas valued at over $10bn in 2019, more than Macy’s or Xerox – with the most bullish investors claiming that plant-based meat would make up 15% of all meat sales by 2030.
Now, as Bloomberg reports, the fake meat industry is getting ground into hamburger – and that doesn’t include cannibalistic nose-biting execs, according to Deloitte Consulting, LLC.
Sales of refrigerated meat alternatives at retailers are down 10.5% by volume for the 52-weeks ending September 4, 2022, according to data from Information Resources Inc., or IRI. While higher prices are the top reason for the slide, it’s not the only one, according to Jonna Parker, a fresh food specialist at the market research company. -Bloomberg
“Proteins that were cheaper on a price-per-pound basis did fare better,” said Parker, who noted that semi-vegetarian shoppers who used to opt for the alternative product will now choose the less-expensive real thing. In short, people are less willing to pay a premium for fake meat, especially considering that ‘taste and health concerns’ are playing a role.
According to Deloitte, the fake meat industry has a perception problem. Based on a July survey of 2,000 consumers, there’s been a decline in the belief that plant-based meat is actually healthier and environmentally sustainable vs. meat from animals.
Weight-Loss Surgery Linked to New-Onset Epilepsy
Weight-loss surgery can change a person’s life and health for the better, but new research warns it might also come with a slight risk of developing epilepsy.
People who had the surgery had a 45% relative increased risk of developing epilepsy, compared with people who did not have the surgery. Moreover, those who suffered a stroke after weight-loss surgery were 14 times more likely to develop epilepsy than those who did not have a stroke, Canadian researchers reported.
“Patients who are considering weight-loss surgery should discuss the benefits and risks of bariatric surgery with their doctor,” said lead researcher Dr. Jorge Burneo, a professor of neurology at Western University in London, Ontario. “It’s important to note that, though elevated, the risk of epilepsy following bariatric surgery is still quite low.
A Mini Stroke Is a Warning! a Stroke May Follow
A mini stroke is also called a Transient Ischaemic Attack or TIA. It is a brief episode of dysfunction in the brain. Like a stroke, TIA’s onset is sudden, over a few seconds or minutes.
People having a mini stroke can experience a variety of symptoms. The most important are weakness on one side affecting the face, arm or leg – or all three – or speech disturbance, which can be slurring or decreased speech fluency or comprehension. These are the typical symptoms, but sometimes people can experience visual loss, dizziness or vertigo.
Patients having a mini stroke return to normal within minutes or hours after the event. This gives the false impression it may not be serious and patients do not always seek medical attention. But it is very important if you or someone in your family experiences any of the above symptoms, they immediately visit their nearest emergency department.
Large-Scale Study Finds Ground Coffee Linked to Longer Lifespan
While exercising, getting enough sleep, and limiting alcohol intake are good ways to lengthen lifespan, experts have discovered you can also drink yourself to longevity with the help of coffee.
Research published in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology, on Sep. 27, observed that amongst 450,000 adults with an average age of 58 over a 13-year period that sipping two to three cups of coffee a day is linked with a longer lifespan and a lower risk of heart disease compared to avoiding it.
“Ground, instant, and decaffeinated coffee were associated with reductions in the incidence of and death from cardiovascular disease or any cause,” the study’s author Prof. Peter Kistler of the Baker Heart and Diabetes Research Institute, said.
“The results suggest that mild to moderate intake of coffee should be considered part of a healthy lifestyle.”
Caffeine is the most well-known ingredient in coffee, but the beverage contains more than 100 biologically active components, including antioxidants, anti-inflammatory elements, and electrolytes.
“It is likely that the non-caffeinated compounds were responsible for the positive relationships observed between coffee drinking, cardiovascular disease, and survival,” Kistler said.
ENERGY & ENVIRONMENT
Biden Draining Strategic Petroleum Reserve Like ‘Campaign Credit Card’: Industry Official
The head of a U.S. oil industry association warned that the Biden administration is wantonly draining the U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve in a bid to keep Democrats afloat ahead of the 2022 midterms.
“This is the first time in history, honestly, that the Strategic Petroleum Reserve has been used as a campaign credit card to buy down political risk for the midterms,” Tim Stewart, the head of the U.S. Oil and Gas Association, said in a recent interview with Just the News.
The Strategic Petroleum Reserve as of Sept. 23 dropped to 422.58 million barrels of oil, or the lowest level since 1984. That’s down from 617 million barrels since Oct. 1, 2021.
“Let me put it in perspective if I could,” Stewart said. “At the current rate, the U.S. is selling more oil out of its emergency reserves than the production of most medium-sized OPEC countries like Algeria or Angola.”
VIDEO: CONTROLLING HURRICANE IAN?
(This video was submitted by geoengineeringwatch.org!) Climate change? Really?
GARDENING, FARMING & HOMESTEADING
How to Find Land for Homesteading
Homesteading is a dream for so many families and individuals. And theres a growing movement in the U.S. that proves it. Because growing your own food is one of the cornerstones of being self-sufficient, many people set off on their homesteading journey by first finding the right piece of land.
But how do you go about finding land for homesteading? How can you find the ideal piece of property for your needs?
- Consider Access Rights
- Don’t Forget About Water, Sewer and Drainage
- Consider Mineral and Timber Rights
- Are There Outbuildings? Can You Use Them?
- How Far Will You Be From Town?
- Are There Zoning, Covenants or HOA Restrictions?
- Talk to Neighbors; Get to Know the Area
COVID RELATED NEWS
Original Antigenic Sin — The Hidden Danger of COVID Shots
Due to a process known as ‘immune imprinting,’ which handcuffs your immune system, we could well be facing the ‘dark winter’ President Biden warned would befall us.
Scientists warn repeated COVID boosters may result in lowered immunity through a process known as “original antigenic sin” or “immune imprinting”
Original antigenic sin describes how your first exposure to a virus shapes the outcome of subsequent exposures to antigenically related strains. The end result is that you become increasingly prone to symptomatic infections
Data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirm that people who got two or three COVID jabs are MORE likely to get ill with COVID six to eight months after the last dose than had they gotten none
Health authorities are potentially worsening matters further by pushing people to simultaneously get the updated bivalent COVID booster and a quadrivalent flu vaccine this fall
The COVID jab and the flu vaccine are the No. 1 and No. 2 most dangerous injections respectively, based on adverse event reports and payouts from the U.S. Vaccine Injury Compensation Program. Both are also capable of shedding, and both can make you more prone to infection as their protection wears off
EXCLUSIVE: FDA Withholding Autopsy Results on People Who Died After Getting COVID-19 Vaccines
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is refusing to release the results of autopsies conducted on people who died after getting COVID-19 vaccines.
The FDA says it is barred from releasing medical files, but a drug safety advocate says that it could release the autopsies with personal information redacted.
The refusal was issued to The Epoch Times, which submitted a Freedom of Information Act for all autopsy reported obtained by the FDA concerning any deaths reported to the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System following COVID-19 vaccination.
Reports are lodged with the system when a person experiences an adverse event, or a health issue, after receiving a vaccine. The FDA and other agencies are tasked with investigating the reports. Authorities request and review medical records to vet the reports, including autopsies.
The FDA declined to release any reports, even redacted copies.
Bite Me: Human Successfully Vaccinated By Genetically Modified Mosquitos
A box full of genetically modified mosquitoes successfully vaccinated a human against malaria in a trial funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
The study involved about 200 hungry mosquitos biting a human subject’s arm. Human participants placed their arms directly over a small box full of the bloodsuckers.
“We use the mosquitoes like they’re 1,000 small flying syringes,” said researcher Dr. Sean Murphy, as reported by NPR.
Three to five “vaccinations” took place over 30-day intervals.
The mosquitoes gave minor versions of malaria that didn’t make people sick, but gave them antibodies. Efficacy from the antibodies lasted a few months.
“Half of the individuals in each vaccine group did not develop detectable P. falciparum infection, and a subset of these individuals was subjected to a second CHMI 6 months later and remained partially protected. These results support further development of genetically attenuated sporozoites as potential malaria vaccines,” researchers concluded.
Carolina Reid was one of twenty-six participants in the study.
“My whole forearm swelled and blistered. My family was laughing, asking like, ‘why are you subjecting yourself to this?’”
Reid enjoyed her experience so much that she says she wants to participate in as many vaccine trials as she can. For this research, each participant received $4,100 as an incentive.
Adverse reactions were what one would expect after getting bit by hundreds of mosquitos and nothing more.
Dr. Kirsten Lyke calls the research “a total game changer.”
Lyke led the phase 1 trials for Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine and was a co-investigator for Moderna and Novavax COVID vaccines.
Researchers say the genetically modified mosquitoes will not be used at large to vaccinate millions of people. The reason why mosquitos were used instead of syringes, they claim, was to save costs.
“He and his colleagues went this route because it is costly and time consuming to develop a formulation of a parasite that can be delivered with a needle,” NPR report
COVID Vaccines Contaminate Breastmilk With mRNA: Study
A new study published on the JAMA network concludes that mRNA from COVID vaccines can be transmitted in small amounts through breast milk.
The authors of the study examined 11 “lactating individuals,” after getting either the Pfizer or Moderna mRNA shots.
Nine of them were white, one black, and one Asian.
Five of the participants “had detectable vaccine mRNA in their breast milk.”
Three of them took the Pfizer shots and two of them took Moderna’s.
The mothers, aged between 22 and 37, got vaccinated between 4 to 25 weeks after delivery.
The authors used a technique called 2-step quantitative reverse transcriptase–polymerase chain reaction.
The publication came as a surprise to Dr. Christiane Northrup, a former fellow in the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.
“When a group of us began seeing unusual and sometimes severe bleeding problems in women and children just from being around those who had been injected with COVID shots, we launched an endeavor called My Cycle Story—a database to collect the stories and data from the women who were being adversely affected,” Northrup told The Epoch Times.
The COVID Rabbit Hole: An Inside Look at the Virus’ Origin
In early 2020, a Scripps Research virologist discovered a paper describing gain-of-function techniques that looked like a how-to manual for building the Wuhan coronavirus in a laboratory.
Evidence points to SARS-CoV-2 being the result of a lab leak, and that Dr. Anthony Fauci, Harvard researchers, China, the mainstream media, the World Health Organization and tech companies all worked together to cover it up. U.S. Right to Know has published a detailed timeline of the cover-up
In mid-January 2020, then-director of the CDC, Dr. Robert Redfield voiced concerns that the pandemic may have been the result of a lab leak at the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV) in China. He called Fauci, Wellcome Trust director Jeremy Farrar, and World Health Organization director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, urging each of them to “take the lab leak hypothesis with extreme seriousness.” To this day, he believes the lab leak theory is the most credible
In his memoir, “Spike,” Farrar noted that emails were circulating among credible scientists “suggesting the virus looked almost engineered to infect human cells.” The topic so concerned him, he acquired a burner phone and instructed his contacts to use different phones and email accounts when discussing the matter
January 29, 2020, Scripps Research virologist Kristian Andersen discovered a research paper describing gain-of-function techniques used on coronaviruses at the WIV that could have given rise to SARS-CoV-2. According to Andersen, the study looked like a how-to manual for building the Wuhan coronavirus
Andersen and several other researchers who initially suspected a lab leak rapidly changed their minds, coincidentally mere days after the Chinese real estate company Evergrande made a large donation to Harvard Medical School
→ Video: COVERUP: Fauci, China, Harvard Suppressed Lab Leak | Breaking Points with Krystal and Saagar
Learning Deficit Due to Shutdowns Has Been a Global Disaster
Prior to the pandemic, 57% of 10-year-olds in low and middle-income countries could not read properly, but this has increased to an estimated 70%
The effects of the learning losses could be lifelong, leading to $21 trillion lost due to lower lifetime earnings
Existing education inequalities have only worsened due to the closures; learning losses in lower income countries are significantly worse than those in rich countries
Even under a “best-case” scenario, students made “little or no progress” during remote learning; students had a learning loss equivalent to one-fifth of a school year, and learning losses were up to 60% greater among students from less-educated homes
With children still reeling from the educational, physical and social-emotional effects of school closures, data now show that their suffering is in vain, because the closures did little to influence COVID-19
CANCEL CULTURE
Analysis: 3 U.S. Tech Giants Control over 70% of European Cloud Market
Amazon, Microsoft, and Google control over 70 percent of the European cloud market, giving three U.S. tech giants effective control over European websites’ ability to stay online.
The dominance of the three American companies comes from their massive growth, which has eclipsed that of local providers, according to data from market research firm Synergy Research Group.
The company’s chief analyst told the Register that the dominant companies have consolidated their grip on the market by investing sums into their service that competitors can’t match.
Via The Register:
The figures from Synergy Research Group show the cloud market in Europe is five times as big as it was in early 2017 with revenues reaching €10.4 billion (c $10.9 billion) in calendar Q2 2022.
During that half a decade, local service providers collectively grew turnover by 167 percent but despite this, their market share plunged from 27 percent to 13 percent as they were outgrown by US rivals.
In contrast, the big three sucked in 72 percent of enterprise spending on cloud in Q2. “The top three really are in a league of their own,” John Dinsdale, chief analyst at Synergy, told The Register.
The analyst explained, “They place huge financial bets, had a long-term view of investments and profitability, have maintained a focused determination to success, and have consistently achieved operational excellence. They have now achieved scale that other cannot match and every quarter they continue to invest amounts that others can’t match.”
PET NEWS
Pets of hurricane victims need help
The group caring for pets owned by people displaced during Hurricane Florence needs help.
Cynthia Thompson with the Pet Adoption and Welfare Society of Carteret, which has been overseeing the pet-friendly portion of the county emergency shelter, now operating at Fort Benjamin Park, said Thursday she needs volunteer dog walkers and people to help with other animal care needs.
“Right now, most of the animals here are owned by people who have lost everything,” she said. “The people are staying at the Leon Mann center (Leon Mann Jr. Enrichment Center in Morehead City), and they don’t have transportation to get here to walk their dogs. These dogs need to be walked at least twice a day.”
GOOD NEWS
Firefighter and His Sons Fix House for Woman in Her 90s After Life Alert Pendant’s False Alarm
A Washington firefighter came to the rescue when an elderly neighbor’s “life alert” pendant went off. Although it was a false alarm, it turned out she did need a helping hand.
Monroe resident Elsie, who’s in her 90s, was mowing her yard when, by accident, she set off her pendant, which she wears in case of an emergency.
According to King5, Snohomish Regional Fire & Rescue immediately showed up at Elsie’s 1939 property and realized that it was a false alarm.
However, after learning that Elsie mowed her own yard, firefighter Brandon Huber, who’d been dispatched that day, went above and beyond to heed the call.
“I have four sons, so I told her we would come and take care of her lawn,” Huber said.
As Brandon got to know Elsie and her “old house with withered paint and a long history,” he wanted to help out further.
“A larger and more visible calling pushed him to do more than just mow the lawn,” Snohomish Regional Fire & Rescue shared on Facebook. “The chipped paint and old wood shingles were in dire need of a makeover.”
With funding from Fire 7 Foundation, a nonprofit organization that provides support to the community during tough times through financial, educational, and emotional means, Huber bought the supplies he needed.
Enlisting the help of his four sons, and dedicating four days of his own time to pressure-washing and repainting the exterior of Elsie’s home, Huber completely transformed the place.
The house was finished in a fresh, crisp white paint with dark-blue trim. Elsie looked on with pride at her revamped home as Huber and his sons completed their handiwork.
“[The house] was in rough shape, mostly wood and almost no paint,” Huber said. “It needed some love.”
ICYMI
Transgender Army Doctor and Wife Tried to Give Military Health Records to Russia
The Justice Department on Thursday announced the indictment of the U.S. Army’s first transgender officer and his wife for trying to provide confidential health records to a person they believed was a Russian agent for Russia to exploit.
A federal grand jury charged Army Maj. Jamie Lee Henry, 39, and his wife, Anna Gabrielian, 36, of Rockville, Maryland, with eight counts of conspiracy and for the disclosure of individually identifiable health information (IIHI) in an effort to help Russia in the war against Ukraine.
Henry is an Army doctor who holds a Secret-level security clearance, while Gabrielian is an anesthesiologist who worked at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland.
During the time of the alleged conspiracy, Henry was a staff internist at Fort Bragg, which is home to the Army’s XVIII Airborne Corps, headquarters of the United States Army Special Operations Command, and the Womack Army Medical Center.
The indictment alleges that Henry and Gabrielian, beginning on August 17, 2022, tried to provide a person they believed to be a Russian agent the health records in order to prove their access to the personal records of troops and other patients and their willingness to provide it, as well as the potential of the information’s worth to the Russian government that could use it to exploit in its war against Ukraine.
The person they were meeting with was actually an FBI undercover agent. Gabrielian told the agent she had previously reached out to the Russian embassy by email and phone, offering Russia her and her husband’s assistance. During the meeting on August 17 Gabrielian told the agent she was motivated by patriotism toward Russia to provide any assistance she could to Russia, even if it meant being fired or going to jail.
Former Congressman Sentenced to Prison for Stuffing Pennsylvania Ballot Boxes
Despite declarations of safe and secure elections, history shows that past Pennsylvania elections were host to corruption.
For example, former U.S. Rep. Michael “Ozzie” Myers, a Pennsylvania Democrat, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to deprive voters of civil rights, bribery, obstruction of justice, falsification of voting records, conspiring to illegally vote in a federal election, and orchestrating schemes to fraudulently stuff ballot boxes for specific Democrat candidates in Pennsylvania elections held from 2014 to 2018.
Myers was sentenced Tuesday by U.S. District Judge Paul S. Diamond to 30 months in prison, three years supervised release, and ordered to pay $100,000 in fines, with $10,000 of that due immediately, according to a statement from U.S. Attorney Jacqueline C. Romero.
Directly after Tuesday’s Philadelphia hearing, Myers, 79, was taken into custody.
Myers served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1979 until 1980 when he was caught taking bribes in an FBI sting operation. That was part of an old, completed investigation.
Tuesday’s sentencing was a new matter in which Myers admitted that he bribed Domenick J. Demuro, a Democrat Judge of Elections for the 39th Ward, 36th Division in South Philadelphia, over several years to add votes for certain Democrat candidates.
Some candidates’ campaigns had hired Myers, and others were candidates that he favored. He admitted that he was paid consulting fees in cash or checks, then used portions of these funds to pay election officials to tamper with election results.
This included judicial seats and various federal, state, and local offices.
Fauci’s Net Worth Nearly Doubled During Pandemic, Financial Disclosure Forms Show
Dr. Anthony Fauci’s net worth almost doubled during the years spanning the COVID-19 pandemic, according to financial disclosure forms obtained through litigation by a nonprofit government watchdog.
“The Fauci household disclosed net worth increased from $7.6 million (Jan. 1, 2019) to over $12.6 million (Dec. 31, 2021),” according to OpenTheBooks.org (OTB) CEO and founder Adam Andrzejewski, writing on Substack, about the financial position of the director of the National Institutes for Health’s (NIH) National Institute for Allergies and Infectious Diseases (NIAID).
Fauci also is chief medical adviser to President Joe Biden, and held a similar position under former President Donald Trump from the outset of the pandemic in 2020.
In addition, he’s the highest-paid federal employee, earning more than $456,000 in 2021 in compensation. His federal salary increased to $480,000 in 2022, topping that of the president, vice president, and Supreme Court justices.
“During the ongoing pandemic year of 2021, the Fauci’s household income, perks and benefits, and unrealized investment gains totaled $2,832,876—including federal income and benefits of $903,497; outside royalties and travel perks totaling $919,205; and $910,174 in investment gains,” Andrzejewski wrote.
Fauci’s finances were further augmented by a $1 million award he received for the Dan David Prize at Tel Aviv University in Israel. Fauci kept more than $900,000 of the award, with the rest going to fund scholarships, according to his disclosure forms.
“Fauci also collected awards of $12,500 from the Eliot Richardson Prize in Public Service on July 31, 2021, and the Abelson Prize from the American Association for the Advancement of Science on Feb. 8, 2021,” Andrzejewski continued.
Fauci is heavily invested in the market, with the disclosure forms showing $910,174 through stock, bond, and money market interests during 2021. The Fauci portfolio gained $794,369 in 2020. The total value of Fauci’s investment account was $10,271,626 and his wife’s investments totaled another $2,405,887, as of Dec. 31, 2021.
“These funds were held in a mix of trust, retirement, and college education accounts. Fauci has an IRA worth $706,219 (up $67,700); a defined benefit brokerage account totaling $2,551,210 (up $147,688); and a revocable trust worth $7,014,197 (up $1,718,299).
“His wife’s revocable trust is worth $2,269,225 (up $306,406) and an IRA totaling $136,662 (up $16,385),” OTB reported.
THIS IS THE LAST CHANCE LINK TO WATCH THE EPOCH TIMES JANUARY 6TH DOCUMENTARY FOR FREE!: The Real Story of January 6 | Documentary
NOTE: By clicking the link, you will get an email invite to watch the presentation.
More Stories
Today’s News: April 25, 2024
Today’s News: April 24, 2024
Today’s News: April 23, 2024