SOme Posters vis-a-vis the WHO “Treaty”

CHECK OUT:    https://doortofreedom.org/posters-and-memes/  for more

Shareables and Printables!

Our wonderful graphics article Dove has customized this meme of Tedros squeezing our world  in the language and with the flag of as many countries we could.  If you would like your country included, please tell us how to say “Our world, not His” in your language and we will include it. Please contact us

Source: Dove from The World Doctors Alliance


Source: Sovereignty Coalition

from:    https://doortofreedom.org/posters-and-memes/

WHo is Knocking on Your Door?

REPORT: FBI Agents Captured on Video During Home Visit Admit They Spend ‘Every Day, All Day Long’ Interrogating Americans About Their Social Media Posts

Screenshot: Rolla Abdeljawad/Facebook

FBI agents have been recorded during a home visit to a Stillwater resident, admitting that scrutinizing Americans over their social media activities is a daily operation, Reason.com has confirmed.

Rolla Abdeljawad, an Oklahoma resident, encountered three FBI agents at her doorstep, inquiring about her Facebook posts.

Abdeljawad’s lawyer, Hassan Shibly, took to social media to post a video of the interaction. The video, which surfaced online on Wednesday, portrays a tense exchange.

In the video, Abdeljawad declines to speak with the agents and requests that they show their badges on camera, a request the agents did not fulfill. Abdeljawad later verified with local police that the individuals were indeed FBI agents.

Screenshot: Rolla Abdeljawad/Facebook

“Facebook gave us a couple of screenshots of your account,” one agent, donned in a gray shirt, informed Abdeljawad.

Challenging the agents, Abdeljawad questioned the principles of free speech, to which a second agent, clothed in a red shirt, responded reassuringly yet revealed the frequency of such interrogations.

“No, we totally do. That’s why we’re not here to arrest you or anything. We do this every day, all day long. It’s just an effort to keep everybody safe and make sure nobody has any ill will.”

Shibly expressed his concern, noting that this was the first instance he was aware of where Facebook’s parent company, Meta, might have preemptively reported posts to law enforcement.

The specific posts that drew the FBI’s attention are not clear, but Abdeljawad has recently expressed strong views on the conflict in Gaza, including inflammatory statements against Israel.

Abdeljawad’s Facebook timeline, which is public, has been filled with posts expressing her frustration with the situation in Gaza, using harsh language against Israel. Despite the nature of her posts, none explicitly called for violence.

Screenshot: Rolla Abdeljawad/Facebook

Shibly wrote on Twitter:

WATCH: FBI visit the home of an American Muslim Woman’s home to question her about her pro-Palestine social media posts after they were flagged by Meta’s Facebook!

What she did right:
1. Refuse to speak to them without a lawyer.
2. Refuse to let them in her house.
3. Record the interaction.

What she did wrong:
1. Exit her house. Do not let them in your house if they do not have a warrant but do not exit your house either.

You have the right never to speak to the FBI without a lawyer.

If the FBI contact you contact us at http://MuslimLegal.com for help.

WATCH:

 

Following the visit, Abdeljawad took to Facebook to suggest that the approach by the FBI seemed more like a “fishing expedition” than a specific investigation. She emphasized her role as a Muslim to protect creation and stand for what she believes is right.

“Rather, it seems like a fishing expedition,” she wrote. “I do not fear them. My only concern as, I told the cop is that, someone in my state will do something or that they would and then use my posts in a malicious attempt to ‘smear’ me. Just *remember, I am a Muslim, an obligated protector of creation. I enjoin what is good and forbid what is wrong,” Abdeljawad wrote.

In a statement to Fox News and Reason, FBI’s Oklahoma City office spokeswoman, Kayla McCleery, asserted the FBI’s commitment to protecting Americans and upholding the Constitution, clarifying that investigations do not stem solely from First Amendment-protected activities.

“Every day, the FBI engages with members of the public in furtherance of our mission, which is to protect the American people and uphold the Constitution of the United States. We can never open an investigation based solely on First Amendment protected activity. The FBI is committed to ensuring our activities are conducted with a valid law enforcement or national security purpose, and uphold the constitutional rights of all Americans.”

Meta’s policy allows for data to be shared with U.S. law enforcement under specific legal circumstances.

“Meta responds to government requests for data in accordance with applicable law and our terms of service. Each and every request we receive is carefully reviewed for legal sufficiency and we may reject or require greater specificity on requests that appear overly broad or vague. The charts below provide data on the number of requests we received, the number of users/accounts requested, and the rate we complied with all or some of the government’s request,” according to its website.

The Gateway Pundit previously reported that a leading opponent of the new China-owned corn mill in North Dakota received a home visit from local police and FBI agents after posting a paragraph from the Declaration of Independence on Facebook.

Here is what Jodi Carlson posted on Facebook that warranted a visit by the Stasi FBI.

“We have petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. When a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Depotism (oppressive absolute power), it is our right, OUR DUTY, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for our future Security.” (The word “their” (the people) replaced with “our”).”

On Friday, The Gateway Pundit also reported that the FBI visited a woman on February 22 and her family in Louisiana who had used social media to expose a man who allegedly ‘dumped her cousin’s body like trash’ and was released on probation.

“Basically the tweet about my cousins killer went viral. 8.3 million views. Elon Musk even put a ! Under it. The FBI agent went to my family in Louisiana. My family thought they were there to help since the monster only got probation after all he’s done. They were there about my tweet,” Kristin Martin told The Gateway Pundit.

“They wanted to see if I or anyone they know could have sent in a threat to judges. That was exactly the same reason they gave me for coming to my house,” she added.

from:    https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2024/03/report-fbi-agents-captured-video-during-home-visit/

Holding Victims Responsible for Crimes of Others

Tough on the VICTIMS of crime: St Louis Democrat mayor blames convenience store owners for crimes that happen on their property and vows to hold them ‘accountable’ for lawbreaking

  • St. Louis Mayor Tishaura Jones told the Black Mayors’ Coalition on Crime she plans to make convenience store owners more responsible for crimes on or near their properties 
  • The plans are inspired by those used in Atlanta, Georgia that makes nightclub owners more liable for crimes on their premises 
  • It comes as the city grapples with a spate of high profile attacks, including the assault on fifteen-year-old Kaylee Gain earlier this month.  

St. Louis Mayor Tishaura Jones has announced new plans to make convenience store owners more responsible for the crimes committed on or outside their property.

Mayor Jones, St Louis’ the first black female mayor, told leaders at the the Black Mayors’ Coalition on Crime in Memphis that St Louis needs to combat violent crime and theft around convenience stores.

‘We have a lot of violence around convenience stores and gas stations,’ Mayor Jones said on Thursday.

‘So how can we hold those business owners accountable and also bring down crime?’ she asked.

Adding: ‘Some of the things we’re already doing, we’re finding that other mayors are doing as well.’

Jones, who has been mayor since 2021, told the other Mayor’s ideas, the details of which are not yet clear, will be adopted from laws in Atlanta, Georgia that make nightclub owners more liable for crimes on or near their property.

St. Louis Mayor Tishaura Jones has announced new plans to make convenience store owners more responsible for the crimes committed on or outside their property

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St. Louis Mayor Tishaura Jones has announced new plans to make convenience store owners more responsible for the crimes committed on or outside their property

'We have a lot of violence around convenience stores and gas stations,' Mayor Jones told the Black Mayors' Coalition on Crime on Thursday

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‘We have a lot of violence around convenience stores and gas stations,’ Mayor Jones told the Black Mayors’ Coalition on Crime on Thursday

Robberies at Webster Groves gas station are possibly connected to others in metro, according to local police

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Robberies at Webster Groves gas station are possibly connected to others in metro, according to local police

In January a woman was shot dead in a Jennings convenience store after a struggle ensued, local news reported.

Earlier this month a man was shot at a QuikTrip store in south St. Louis, according to reports.

The suspect was shot dead and the store’s security guard was shot in the thigh in a struggle for his gun, according to local reports.

Attacks have also focused on gas stations, such as the Webster Groves gas station that police have raised as potentially connected to other violent robberies.

In 2023, St. Louis was ranked the third most dangerous city again behind Detroit and Michigan but also Baltimore.

‘The prevalence of firearms, coupled with limited gun control measures, further contributes to the overall crime rates in St. Louis,’ real estate Norada wrote of the city.

It comes after a spate of violent attacks in the city, including the recent attack on fifteen-year-old Kaylee Gain earlier this month.

Kaylee Gain's high school has refused to hand over records to the Missouri Attorney General after a vicious school fight left her fighting for her lifeIt comes after a spate of violent attacks in the city, including the recent attack on fifteen-year-old Kaylee Gain earlier this month.

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Kaylee Gain’s high school has refused to hand over records to the Missouri Attorney General after a vicious school fight left her fighting for her lifeIt comes after a spate of violent attacks in the city, including the recent attack on fifteen-year-old Kaylee Gain earlier this month.

Missouri AG blames ‘radical DEI programs’ for Kaylee Gain attack

Gain was attacked on March 8 by another teenage girl who slammed her head into the pavement.

The teen was left with a fractured skull, brain bleeding, brain swelling, and in a coma for two weeks following the attack.

Despite its high crime rate, stats did drop significantly in 2023 compared to the year before.

Shootings were down 24 percent from 2022, felony thefts were down 39 percent and shootings involving juveniles were down 47 percent, according to St Louis police.

The city also saw a drop of more than 40 homicides bringing killings to their lowest levels in more than a decade.

from:    https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13253823/St-Louis-Mayor-Tishaura-Jones-blames-store-owners-crimes.html

Are Open Borders Killing What Is/Was the USA?

(So what is “charity” and what is deception?)

This Is Only Phase 2 of Biden’s Migrant Border Invasion Plan, on the Way to Phase 4

Author JJ Carrell revealed the four phases of mass migration and replacement that begins with the first phase of ongoingly flooding the border. Phase two is that the people who have been paroled inside the US border have been categorized as ‘legal US residents’ who can now sponsor their family members to join them in the US. Each ‘legal resident’ can bring in four more people who may then bring in more people. The estimated 10 million migrants welcomed by the Biden administration will multiply by tens of millions more people. The rules have been changed so that financial sponsorship by the family is no longer required as NGOs like Catholic Charities may fill in as the financial sponsor. Other NGOs facilitating the invasion of America include the United Way, Jewish Family Services, Lutheran Family Services and hundreds of mom and pop organizations. They have been paid billions of dollars by the Biden administration.

Mr. Carrell dropped a bombshell about Social Security benefits.

Phase 3 is continual propaganda that the system is broken, setting the stage for phase four, which is blanket amnesty. Both Republicans and Democrats are complicit in mass migration. For example, House Speaker Mike Johnson has failed to address the border issue.

from:    https://needtoknow.news/2024/04/this-is-only-phase-2-of-bidens-migrant-border-invasion-plan-on-the-way-to-phase-4/

So, Who isCasting Your Vote???

Election disinformation takes a big leap with AI being used to deceive worldwide

From Bangladesh to Slovakia, AI-generated deepfakes have been undermining elections around the globe. Experts say their reach and sophistication is a sign of things to come in consequential elections later this year. (March 15)

LONDON (AP) — Artificial intelligence is supercharging the threat of election disinformation worldwide, making it easy for anyone with a smartphone and a devious imagination to create fake – but convincing – content aimed at fooling voters.

It marks a quantum leap from a few years ago, when creating phony photos, videos or audio clips required teams of people with time, technical skill and money. Now, using free and low-cost generative artificial intelligence services from companies like Google and OpenAI, anyone can create high-quality “deepfakes” with just a simple text prompt.

Experts warn AI and deepfakes will likely be worse in the coming elections.
Here’s how governments and organizations are responding to the threat.

AI-powered misinformation and disinformation is emerging as a risk as people in a slew of countries head to the polls. Read more on the 25 elections in 2024 that could change the world, and take a look at more of the AP’s global elections coverage.

A wave of AI deepfakes tied to elections in Europe and Asia has coursed through social media for months, serving as a warning for more than 50 countries heading to the polls this year.

“You don’t need to look far to see some people … being clearly confused as to whether something is real or not,” said Henry Ajder, a leading expert in generative AI based in Cambridge, England.

The question is no longer whether AI deepfakes could affect elections, but how influential they will be, said Ajder, who runs a consulting firm called Latent Space Advisory.

As the U.S. presidential race heats up, FBI Director Christopher Wray recently warned about the growing threat, saying generative AI makes it easy for “foreign adversaries to engage in malign influence.”

People are reflected in a window of a hotel at the Davos Promenade in Davos, Switzerland, Jan. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber, File)
People are reflected in a window of a hotel at the Davos Promenade in Davos, Switzerland, Jan. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber, File)

With AI deepfakes, a candidate’s image can be smeared, or softened. Voters can be steered toward or away from candidates — or even to avoid the polls altogether. But perhaps the greatest threat to democracy, experts say, is that a surge of AI deepfakes could erode the public’s trust in what they see and hear.

Some recent examples of AI deepfakes include:

— A video of Moldova’s pro-Western president throwing her support behind a political party friendly to Russia.

— Audio clips of Slovakia’s liberal party leader discussing vote rigging and raising the price of beer.

— A video of an opposition lawmaker in Bangladesh — a conservative Muslim majority nation — wearing a bikini.

 

The novelty and sophistication of the technology makes it hard to track who is behind AI deepfakes. Experts say governments and companies are not yet capable of stopping the deluge, nor are they moving fast enough to solve the problem.

As the technology improves, “definitive answers about a lot of the fake content are going to be hard to come by,” Ajder said.

ERODING TRUST

Some AI deepfakes aim to sow doubt about candidates’ allegiances.

In Moldova, an Eastern European country bordering Ukraine, pro-Western President Maia Sandu has been a frequent target. One AI deepfake that circulated shortly before local elections depicted her endorsing a Russian-friendly party and announcing plans to resign.

FILE - Moldova's President Maia Sandu, right, greets Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Bulboaca, Moldova, June 1, 2023. She has been a frequent target of online disinformation created with artificial intelligence. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda, File)
Moldova’s President Maia Sandu, right, greets Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Bulboaca, Moldova, June 1, 2023.(AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda, File)

Officials in Moldova believe the Russian government is behind the activity. With presidential elections this year, the deepfakes aim “to erode trust in our electoral process, candidates and institutions — but also to erode trust between people,” said Olga Rosca, an adviser to Sandu. The Russian government declined to comment for this story.

China has also been accused of weaponizing generative AI for political purposes.

In Taiwan, a self-ruled island that China claims as its own, an AI deepfake gained attention earlier this year by stirring concerns about U.S. interference in local politics.

The fake clip circulating on TikTok showed U.S. Rep. Rob Wittman, vice chairman of the U.S. House Armed Services Committee, promising stronger U.S. military support for Taiwan if the incumbent party’s candidates were elected in January.

FILE - Rep. Rob Wittman, R-Va., questions witnesses during a congressional hearing, on Capitol Hill, Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2023, in Washington. A fake clip circulating on TikTok showed Wittman, vice chairman of the U.S. House Armed Services Committee, promising stronger U.S. military support for Taiwan if the incumbent party's candidates were elected in January, 2024. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)
Rep. Rob Wittman, R-Va., questions witnesses during a congressional hearing, on Capitol Hill, Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2023, in Washington.(AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)

Wittman blamed the Chinese Communist Party for trying to meddle in Taiwanese politics, saying it uses TikTok — a Chinese-owned company — to spread “propaganda.”

A spokesperson for the Chinese foreign ministry, Wang Wenbin, said his government doesn’t comment on fake videos and that it opposes interference in other countries’ internal affairs. The Taiwan election, he stressed, “is a local affair of China.”

BLURRING REALITY

Audio-only deepfakes are especially hard to verify because, unlike photos and videos, they lack telltale signs of manipulated content.

In Slovakia, another country overshadowed by Russian influence, audio clips resembling the voice of the liberal party chief were shared widely on social media just days before parliamentary elections. The clips purportedly captured him talking about hiking beer prices and rigging the vote.

It’s understandable that voters might fall for the deception, Ajder said, because humans are “much more used to judging with our eyes than with our ears.”

In the U.S., robocalls impersonating U.S. President Joe Biden urged voters in New Hampshire to abstain from voting in January’s primary election. The calls were later traced to a political consultant who said he was trying to publicize the dangers of AI deepfakes.

FILE - Paul Carpenter describes AI software during an interview in New Orleans, Friday, Feb. 23, 2024. Carpenter says he was hired in January to use AI software to imitate President Joe Biden's voice to convince New Hampshire Democrat voters not to vote in the state's presidential primary. (AP Photo/Matthew Hinton)
Paul Carpenter describes AI software during an interview in New Orleans, Friday, Feb. 23, 2024. Carpenter says he was hired in January to use AI software to imitate President Joe Biden’s voice to convince New Hampshire Democrat voters not to vote in the state’s presidential primary. (AP Photo/Matthew Hinton, File)

In poorer countries, where media literacy lags, even low-quality AI fakes can be effective.

Such was the case last year in Bangladesh, where opposition lawmaker Rumeen Farhana — a vocal critic of the ruling party — was falsely depicted wearing a bikini. The viral video sparked outrage in the conservative, majority-Muslim nation.

“They trust whatever they see on Facebook,” Farhana said.

Rumeen Farhana, a politician from the main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) sits for a photograph during an interview at her residence in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Thursday, Feb. 15, 2024. Farhana, a vocal critic of the ruling party, was falsely depicted wearing a bikini in a video created using artificial intelligence. The viral video sparked outrage in the conservative, majority-Muslim nation. (AP Photo/Al-emrun Garjon)
Rumeen Farhana, a politician from the main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) sits for a photograph during an interview at her residence in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Thursday, Feb. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Al-emrun Garjon)

Experts are particularly concerned about upcoming elections in India, the world’s largest democracy and where social media platforms are breeding grounds for disinformation.

A CHALLENGE TO DEMOCRACY

Some political campaigns are using generative AI to bolster their candidate’s image.

In Indonesia, the team that ran the presidential campaign of Prabowo Subianto deployed a simple mobile app to build a deeper connection with supporters across the vast island nation. The app enabled voters to upload photos and make AI-generated images of themselves with Subianto.

As the types of AI deepfakes multiply, authorities around the world are scrambling to come up with guardrails.

Noudhy Valdryno, the digital coordinator for the campaign team of Indonesian presidential frontrunner Prabowo Subianto, shows the interface of a web application that allows supporters to upload photos to make AI-generated images of them with Subianto, in Jakarta, Indonesia, Wednesday, Feb. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)
Noudhy Valdryno, the digital coordinator for the campaign team of Indonesian presidential frontrunner Prabowo Subianto, shows the interface of a web application that allows supporters to upload photos to make AI-generated images of them with Subianto, in Jakarta, Indonesia, Wednesday, Feb. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)

The European Union already requires social media platforms to cut the risk of spreading disinformation or “election manipulation.” It will mandate special labeling of AI deepfakes starting next year, too late for the EU’s parliamentary elections in June. Still, the rest of the world is a lot further behind.

The world’s biggest tech companies recently — and voluntarily — signed a pact to prevent AI tools from disrupting elections. For example, the company that owns Instagram and Facebook has said it will start labeling deepfakes that appear on its platforms.

But deepfakes are harder to rein in on apps like the Telegram chat service, which did not sign the voluntary pact and uses encrypted chats that can be difficult to monitor.

Some experts worry that efforts to rein in AI deepfakes could have unintended consequences.

An advertising banner with a slogan about AI is fixed at a building at the Davos Promenade, alongside the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Jan. 18, 2024.  (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber, File)
An advertising banner with a slogan about AI is fixed at a building at the Davos Promenade, alongside the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Jan. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber, File)

Well-meaning governments or companies might trample on the sometimes “very thin” line between political commentary and an “illegitimate attempt to smear a candidate,” said Tim Harper, a senior policy analyst at the Center for Democracy and Technology in Washington.

Major generative AI services have rules to limit political disinformation. But experts say it remains too easy to outwit the platforms’ restrictions or use alternative services that don’t have the same safeguards.

Even without bad intentions, the rising use of AI is problematic. Many popular AI-powered chatbots are still spitting out false and misleading information that threatens to disenfranchise voters.

And software isn’t the only threat. Candidates could try to deceive voters by claiming that real events portraying them in an unfavorable light were manufactured by AI.

“A world in which everything is suspect — and so everyone gets to choose what they believe — is also a world that’s really challenging for a flourishing democracy,” said Lisa Reppell, a researcher at the International Foundation for Electoral Systems in Arlington, Virginia.

Swenson reported from New York. Associated Press writers Julhas Alam in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Krutika Pathi in New Delhi, Huizhong Wu in Bangkok, Edna Tarigan in Jakarta, Indonesia, Dake Kang in Beijing, and Stephen McGrath in Bucharest, Romania, contributed to this report.

from:    https://apnews.com/article/artificial-intelligence-elections-disinformation-chatgpt-bc283e7426402f0b4baa7df280a4c3fd

 

The Power of Astroturfing

How Astroturfing and Other Media Manipulation Compromise Your Ability to Get Truthful Information

Analysis by Dr. Joseph Mercola 

STORY AT-A-GLANCE

  • Ninety percent of news media are controlled by six corporations. As a result, the vast majority of what you read, see and hear is part of a carefully orchestrated narrative created and controlled by special interest groups
  • “Astroturf” is the effort on the part of large corporate special interests to surreptitiously sway public opinion by making it appear as though it’s a grassroots effort for or against a particular agenda
  • Wikipedia is astroturf’s dream come true. Many pages are controlled by anonymous Wikipedia editors on behalf of special interests who forbid and reverse edits that go against their agenda

Editor’s Note: This article is a reprint. It was originally published October 28, 2017.

Ninety percent of news media, be it television, radio, print or online, are controlled by six corporations. As a result, the vast majority of what you read, see and hear is part of a carefully orchestrated narrative created and controlled by special interest groups.

When you combine that with other astroturf and public manipulation schemes that hide the identity of these special interests, the end result is, to use investigative journalist Sharyl Attkisson’s term, a Truman-esque fictitious reality, where medical journals, doctors, media and presumably independent consumer groups all seem to be in agreement. The problem is it may all be false.

Attkisson is a five-time Emmy Award-winning anchor, producer and reporter whose television career spans more than three decades. In 2009, she blew the lid off the swine flu media hype, showing the hysteria was manufactured and completely unfounded. At the time, I interviewed her about these findings. I’ve included that fascinating interview below.

In 2014, she left CBS to pursue more independent venues of investigative journalism, and wrote “Stonewalled: My Fight for Truth Against the Forces of Obstruction, Intimidation, and Harassment in Obama’s Washington” — an exposé on what really goes on behind the media curtain.

Why Everyone Must Be Aware of Astroturfing

The featured video is a TEDx Talk Attkisson gave in 2015, in which she discusses the methods employed by special interest groups to manipulate and distort media messages. For example, astroturfing — false-front “grassroots movements” that are in fact funded by political parties or private industries — are now “more important to these interests than traditional lobbying of Congress,” she says. She explains the term “astroturf” thus:

“It’s a perversion of grassroots, as in fake grassroots. Astroturf is when political, corporate or other special interests disguise themselves and publish blogs, start Facebook and Twitter accounts, publish ads and letters to the editor, or simply post comments online, to try to fool you into thinking an independent or grassroots movement is speaking.

The whole point of astroturf is to try to [give] the impression there’s widespread support for or against an agenda when there’s not. Astroturf seeks to manipulate you into changing your opinion by making you feel as if you’re an outlier when you’re not …

Astroturfers seek to controversialize those who disagree with them. They attack news organizations that publish stories they don’t like, whistleblowers who tell the truth, politicians who dare to ask the tough questions and journalists who have the audacity to report on all of it.”

Wikipedia — Astroturf’s Dream Come True

If you’re like most, you probably rely on certain sources more than others when it comes to information. WebMD, for example, dominates for health information, Snopes for checking the latest rumors and Wikipedia for general facts, figures and details.

Attkisson has a great deal to say about Wikipedia, calling it “astroturf’s dream come true.” Wikipedia is advertised as a free encyclopedia, where information is added and edited by the public. Anyone can add to or edit any given Wikipedia page. Or so they say.

“The reality can’t be more different,” Attkisson says, explaining that many pages have been co-opted and are controlled by anonymous Wikipedia editors on behalf of special interests. “They forbid and reverse edits that go against their agenda,” she says. “They skew and delete information, in blatant violation of Wikipedia’s own established policies, with impunity.”

Even the smallest factual inaccuracies are impossible to correct on these agenda-driven pages. As just one example, in 2012, author Philip Roth tried to correct a factual error about the inspiration behind one of his book characters cited on a Wikipedia page. His correction was repeatedly reversed and, ultimately, he was told he was not considered a credible source!

Worse, a study1 comparing medical conditions described on Wikipedia with published research found that Wikipedia contradicted the medical literature an astounding 90% of the time. So, be aware — Wikipedia is NOT the place for accurate and reliable medical information.

Who’s Who and What’s What?

The extent to which information is manipulated is enormous. Let’s say you hear about a new drug for an ailment you have, or your doctor recommends it, and you decide to research it to be on the safe side. Ultimately, you conclude it is safe and effective because everywhere you look, the information seems to support this conclusion. You feel good knowing you’ve done your homework, and fill the prescription. What you don’t know is that:

Facebook and Twitter pages speaking highly of the drug are run by individuals on the payroll of the drug company
The Wikipedia page for the drug is monitored and controlled by a special-interest editor hired by the drug company
Google search engine results have been optimized, ensuring you’ll find all those positive sources while burying contradicting information
The nonprofit organization you stumbled across online that recommends the drug was secretly founded and funded by the drug company
The positive study you found while searching online was also financed by the drug company
The news articles reporting the positive findings of that study sound suspiciously alike for a reason — they’re reiterating information provided by the drug company’s PR department; hence, you will not find any contradictory information there either
Doctors promoting the drug and making derogatory comments about those who worry about side effects are actually paid consultants for the drug company
The medical lecture your own personal doctor attended, where he became convinced the drug is safe and efficacious, was also sponsored by the drug company

How to Identify Astroturf

Believe it or not, this is just the tip of the iceberg. The extent of the control and manipulation goes even deeper than this. Even the U.S. government, regulatory agencies and public health organizations are colluding with industry in a variety of different ways.

So, what can you do? How can you possibly decipher the truth when the truth is so well-hidden beneath layers of astroturf? As noted by Attkisson, recognizing the telltale signs of astroturf is key. And once you know what to look for, you’ll start to recognize it everywhere you look. Telltale signs and hallmarks of astroturf include the following:

  • Certain key message lines repeatedly crop up. For example, the line “talk to your doctor” is highly suggestive of a PR message for a drug, even if what you’re reading doesn’t look like an advertisement
  • Use of inflammatory and derogatory language. Keywords to look for include crank, quack, nutty, lies, paranoid, pseudo and conspiracy
  • Astroturfers will often claim to debunk “myths” that are not myths at all
  • They will attack people, personalities and organizations rather than address the facts or concerns in question
  • Astroturfers are skeptical of those exposing wrongdoing rather than the wrongdoers. As noted by Attkisson, rather than questioning authority, astroturfers question those who question authority

Astroturfing in Action

A perfect example of astroturfing occurred in 2015, when the American Council for Science and Health (ACSH) — a pro-GMO front group — attacked Dr. Mehmet Oz for reporting on the now scientifically established hazards of glyphosate.

Mainstream media swallowed and regurgitated the vicious propaganda without any critical thought whatsoever. Slate magazine publicized the attack with the headline “Letter from Prominent Doctors Implies Columbia Should Fire Dr. Oz for Being a Quack.”

The letter accuses Oz of repeatedly showing “disdain for science and for evidence-based medicine, as well as baseless and relentless opposition to the genetic engineering of food crops.” The letter was signed by Dr. Henry I. Miller and nine other “distinguished physicians.”

What the media failed to address is that Miller is a well-known shill for the GMO industry. In his capacity as its frontman, he was caught misrepresenting himself during the Anti-Prop 37 campaign in 2012, pretending to be a Stanford professor opposing GMO labeling, when in fact he is not a professor at Stanford.2 The TV ad had to be pulled off the air because of this misrepresentation.

Learn to Identify Shills and Front Groups

Miller also has a long history of defending toxic chemicals such as DDT (dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane), in addition to defending Big Tobacco. He’s even penned articles suggesting radioactive fallout might be beneficial for health, while claiming “Organic agriculture is to the environment what cigarette smoking is to human health” — apparently momentarily forgetting he’s defended the safety of cigarette smoking.3

Miller’s true colors were also revealed in August 2017, when he was fired by Forbes magazine for submitting articles ghostwritten by Monsanto. The evidence4 against Miller emerged during the court-ordered discovery process of a class-action lawsuit against Monsanto by people who claim they developed Non-Hodgkin lymphoma as a result of glyphosate exposure (the active ingredient in Monsanto’s Roundup herbicide, used by farmers and home gardeners alike).

The documents, more than 700 pages in all, were posted online by the law firm Baum Hedlund Aristei & Goldman (now known as Wisner Baum).5 Faced with evidence they’d published material under Miller’s name that was in fact ghostwritten by Monsanto, Forbes not only fired Miller but also removed all of his work from their site. Some of the other nine physicians that signed the letter against Oz are also less than distinguished. As noted by U.S. Right to Know:6

“One was stripped of his medical license in New York and sent to federal prison camp for Medicaid fraud. Yet Dr. Gilbert Ross plays up his M.D. credentials in his role as acting president of [ACSH]. Ross was joined on the Columbia letter by ACSH board member Dr. Jack Fisher.

So what is ACSH? Though some reporters treat it as an independent science source, the group has been heavily funded by oil, chemical and tobacco companies, and has a long history of making inaccurate statements about science that directly benefit those industries — for example, claiming that secondhand smoke isn’t linked to heart attacks [or that] fracking doesn’t pollute water …

These facts are relevant in stories about scientific integrity. The scientific accuracy and motivations of the accusers matter when they are publicly challenging the scientific accuracy and motivations of somebody they are trying to get fired. We urge reporters and editors to take a closer look at the sources selling them story ideas, and to act as better watchdogs for the public interest.”

In short, the attack on Oz was orchestrated not by “concerned physicians” but rather by industry shills whose job it is to attack anyone who embraces a more natural approach to health and/or raise damning questions that might hurt the industry’s bottom-line.

Corporate Conflicts of Interest Killed Investigative Journalism

I interviewed Attkisson about her book, “Stonewalled” and the downfall and deterioration of true investigative journalism in 2015. I’ve included that interview again for your convenience. It delves a lot further into the issues brought up in her 10-minute TEDx Talk.

For example, direct-to-consumer drug advertising has created a situation where drug companies in particular wield enormous power over media. The industry spends billions of dollars each year on advertising, and this financial windfall is typically enough for any media outlet to bend to its advertisers’ whims and desires.

Attkisson refers to this as “soft censorship.” It’s when a media outlet’s sponsors wield power at the corporate level over the types of stories and topics journalists are allowed to cover, and the slant they must take when doing so. It’s important to realize that you simply will not get the truth from the media on certain topics for this very reason.

My mission is to arm you with information that is not easily obtainable in the mainstream media about things that influence your health, for better or worse. All of my articles are carefully referenced and I rely on peer-reviewed published science and firsthand interviews with experts in various fields. My advice to you is to develop a keen eye for the hallmarks of astroturfing, and to dig deeper when faced with claims that “the science is settled.” More often than not, it’s anything but.

from:  https://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2024/03/29/astroturfing-media-manipulation.aspx?ui=f460707c057231d228aac22d51b97f2a8dcffa7b857ec065e5a5bfbcfab498ac&sd=20211017&cid_source=dnl&cid_medium=email&cid_content=art3HL&cid=20240329_HL2&foDate=true&mid=DM1549869&rid=2082323638

The First Amendment – Isn’t Thaty Its Purpose, Ketanji?????

Ketanji Brown Jackson ‘Concerned’ First Amendment Is ‘Hamstringing’ Government from Censorship

Justice Jackson said to the plaintiff, “My biggest concern is that your view has the First Amendment hamstringing the government in significant ways in the most important time periods.” She added, “You seem to be suggesting that duty cannot manifest itself in the government encouraging or even pressuring platforms to take down harmful information. So, can you help me? Because I’m really worried about that because you’ve got the First Amendment operating in an environment of threatening circumstances, from the government’s perspective, and you’re saying that the government can’t interact with the source of those problems.”

 

Commentator Charlie Kirk wrote: You CANNOT outsource censorship and call it constitutional. You CANNOT have the FBI harassing Facebook and not call it coercion. You CANNOT suspend the Constitution because you say COVID is a once in a lifetime event.

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Summary by JW Williams

The Republican attorneys general of Louisiana and Missouri filed suit in May 2022 against President Joe Biden and others alleging they were using the federal government’s power to suppress free speech on social media platforms during the 2020 election and the COVID-19 pandemic. The case, Murthy v. Missouri, is now being heard by the the Supreme Court .

Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson appeared to be perturbed that the government could not censor social media posts in “the most important time periods.” Here are some examples of government interference in free speech on social media that were taken from a ruling from a judge in Louisiana:

  1.  Two months after President Biden took office, his top digital adviser emailed officials at Facebook urging them to do more to limit the spread of “vaccine hesitancy” on the social media platform.
  2. At the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, officials held “weekly sync” meetings with Facebook, once emailing the company 16 “misinformation” posts.
  3. And in the summer of 2021, the surgeon general’s top aide repeatedly urged Google, Facebook and Twitter to do more to combat disinformation.

Justice Jackson said to the Louisiana Solicitor General Benjamin Aguiñaga:

“My biggest concern is that your view has the First Amendment hamstringing the government in significant ways in the most important time periods.’ She added, “You seem to be suggesting that that duty cannot manifest itself in the government encouraging or even pressuring platforms to take down harmful information. So, can you help me? Because I’m really worried about that because you’ve got the First Amendment operating in an environment of threatening circumstances, from the government’s perspective, and you’re saying that the government can’t interact with the source of those problems.”

Aguiñaga responded that his view was that the government should intervene in certain situations, but it has to do so by following the First Amendment.

Jackson said a “once-in-a-lifetime pandemic” or other emergencies would provide grounds for the government to censor social media posts that are misinformative.

Conservative Justice Alito said that “The government is treating social media platforms like their subordinates.”

Commentator Charlie Kirk wrote: You CANNOT outsource censorship and call it constitutional. You CANNOT have the FBI harassing Facebook and not call it coercion. You CANNOT suspend the Constitution because you say COVID is a once in a lifetime event.

Sources…

IJR:      https://ijr.com/justice-jackson-tells-gop-officials-view-first-amendment-hamstringing-government/

Washington Examiner:        https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/justice/2926698/ketanji-brown-jackson-concerned-first-amendment-is-hamstringing-government-from-censorship

from:    https://needtoknow.news/2024/03/ketanji-brown-jackson-concerned-first-amendment-is-hamstringing-government-from-censorship/

SOme Notes on Dementia

The Subtle Early Signals of Dementia in Someone You Love

Analysis by Dr. Joseph Mercola
early dementia sign

STORY AT-A-GLANCE

  • Before memory and thinking problems become obvious, people with dementia may display changes in mood and behavior
  • In the early stages of the disease, irritability, anxiety or depression may occur
  • Apathy is another common sign, although some people may display more blatant changes like suddenly becoming sexually promiscuous or developing the habit of snatching food off other people’s plates
  • Alzheimer’s disease is the result of poor mitochondrial function; to optimize your mitochondrial function, you need to limit your intake linoleic acid (LA) to 5 grams a day or less
  • To achieve this, you’ll need to eliminate all processed foods, fast foods and the majority of restaurant meals, which are frequently loaded with or prepared using seed oils high in LA

Worldwide, more than 55 million people are living with dementia, and each year nearly 10 million new cases occur.1 Dementia is not a disease in itself but rather a term used to describe a number of different brain illnesses that may affect your memory, thinking, behavior and ability to perform everyday activities. The most common type of dementia is Alzheimer’s disease, which accounts for up to 70% of cases.2

Many people associate dementia with memory loss — and this is a red flag — however, not all memory problems are due to Alzheimer’s (and some causes of dementia-like symptoms, including memory loss, can be reversed, such as those related to thyroid problems and vitamin deficiencies).3

If you’ve noticed yourself or a loved one becoming increasingly forgetful or experiencing changes in thinking abilities, you should see a health care provider right away. Oftentimes, however, the first symptoms are so subtle they may be easily missed — and they may manifest as changes in behavior and mood long before memory problems become apparent.

Fortunately, there are two crucial prevention strategies that remain largely underdiscussed yet are relatively simple to implement — reducing linoleic acid (LA) intake and limiting exposure to estrogen.

Pay Attention to Personality Changes — An Early Sign of Dementia

Before memory and thinking problems become obvious, people with dementia may display changes in mood and behavior, according to a team of neuropsychiatrists and Alzheimer’s experts, who say the latter symptoms may be among the earliest signs of dementia.

The team released a 34-question checklist they believe could help diagnosis a new condition called mild behavioral impairment (MBI).4 Similar to mild cognitive impairment (MCI), which is defined by a noticeable decline in cognitive abilities that does not yet interfere with most daily functions, MBI describes changes in behavior and mood that may occur prior to MCI and the cognitive changes associated with dementia.

The checklist is intended to identify patients at risk of dementia earlier, as according study author Dr. Zahinoor Ismail, a neuropsychiatrist at the University of Calgary, among people with MCI, those with mood and behavior changes will progress to full-blown dementia faster.5 Some have expressed concern that the checklist may lead to overdiagnosis or false diagnosis, putting some people through increased medical testing and worry unnecessarily.

In the case of MCI, for instance, not everyone diagnosed will go on to develop Alzheimer’s or other types of dementia. In fact, The New York Times reported, up to 20% of those with MCI later turn out to be cognitively normal.6

Still, others say keeping an eye out for unusual behavioral or personality changes can help people get help, at least symptom relief, faster. Sadly, there is currently no cure for Alzheimer’s disease and, as it progresses, the disease is devastating not only for those diagnosed but also their friends and family. Prevention remains the best option, and I detail steps that can help below.

Behavioral and Mood Changes to Watch Out For

Dementia manifests differently in everyone, which is why the most important changes to watch out for are those that are unusual for your loved one. A person may, for instance, stop doing something they’ve always loved to do, be it cooking a certain dish for your birthday or watching the evening news.

Apathy is another common sign, although some people may display more blatant changes like suddenly becoming sexually promiscuous or developing the habit of snatching food off other people’s plates.7 The Alzheimer’s Association noted:8

“Individuals living with Alzheimer’s or other dementia may experience mood and personality changes. They can become confused, suspicious, depressed, fearful or anxious. They may be easily upset at home, with friends or when out of their comfort zone.”

In the early stages of the disease, irritability, anxiety or depression may occur. In fact, a study published in the journal Neurology not only found that people who eventually developed dementia were twice as likely to develop depression earlier on in their lives, but they also tended to display mood changes in a consistent pattern.9 Time reported:10

“The symptoms appeared in consistent phases: first, irritability, depression and nighttime behavior changes; followed by anxiety, appetite changes, agitation and apathy. The final phase was elation, motor disturbances, hallucinations, delusions and disinhibition.”

In order for early mood and/or behavioral changes to be considered MBI, the change in behavior must persist for at least six months.

Signs of Mild Cognitive Impairment

In some people, MCI may follow the earliest changes in mood and behavior. MCI is a slight decline in cognitive abilities that increases your risk of developing more serious dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease, although it is by no means a guarantee. It’s estimated that up to 18% of people aged 60 and older are living with MCI.11

Simply misplacing your keys on occasion is not cause for alarm, however forgetting important information that you would have normally recalled, such as appointments, conversations or recent events, may be a sign. You may also have a harder time making sound decisions, figuring out the sequence of steps needed to complete a task or judging the time needed to do so.

If you’ve been diagnosed with MCI, be aware that some cases do not progress and may even improve. Regular exercise, proper diet — including reducing your intake of LA — and engaging in mentally and socially stimulating activities may help to boost your brainpower.

Dementia: When to Worry?

It can be difficult to gauge if a loved one is declining mentally. If you have suspicions but aren’t sure, try keeping a notebook to jot down instances that concern you. You may be able to identify a pattern of events that makes the picture clearer.

Agnes B. Juhasz, nurse, dementia care specialist and author of ‘The Dementia Whisperer: Scenes From the Frontline of Caring,’ suggested making note of anything out of ordinary for that particular person. She wrote in the [U.K.]’s Mirror news:12

“Naturally, there are a few typical signs and possible changes that are worth watching out for more closely. These include the level of forgetfulness; acute or permanent confusion about certain things; disorientation in time and place; significant changes in behavior and personality; decreased judgment; changes in speech or writing; and withdrawal from social interactions and activities.

But all these suggested signs ultimately lead us back to the essential, magical question we always have to ask before we can arrive at any further conclusions: ‘Is this abnormal for this individual, or is it part of who they have always been?’ When we notice that something is new and odd, that has never occurred in a person’s life before, as far as we have observed, that is the point when further help may be needed.”

Early Warning Signs of Alzheimer’s

While an absent-minded mistake, like putting a mug in the wrong cabinet, is not cause for alarm, feeling confused about day-to-day tasks is.

Losing interest in hobbies, repetitive behaviors (phrases, gestures or questions), mispronouncing words or stuttering can also be signs. And while occasional forgetfulness, like forgetting why you were walking into a room, is not typically reason to worry, more profound confusion, like the room itself feeling unfamiliar, may signal a problem.13

The Alzheimer’s Association also compiled differences between symptoms of dementia, including Alzheimer’s, and typical age-related changes:14

Signs of Alzheimer’s/dementia Typical age-related changes
Poor judgment and decision-making Making a bad decision once in a while
Inability to manage a budget Missing a monthly payment
Losing track of the date or the season Forgetting which day it is and remembering it later
Difficulty having a conversation Sometimes forgetting which word to use
Misplacing things and being unable to retrace steps to find them Losing things from time to time

Why Addressing Mitochondrial Dysfunction by Reducing LA Is Key

Work by the late Ray Peat, a biologist and “father” of bioenergetic medicine, suggests Alzheimer’s disease is the result of poor mitochondrial function, which results in reduced energy production.15,16

To optimize your mitochondrial function, you need to address your diet, as the foods you eat are the substrate from which cellular energy is produced. LA wreaks havoc with your cellular machinery, which is why it should be limited to 5 grams or less per day.

To achieve this, you’ll need to eliminate all processed foods, fast foods and the majority of restaurant meals, which are frequently loaded with or prepared using seed oils high in LA. Instead, prioritize whole and minimally processed foods.

In addition to limiting LA in your diet, carnosine, a dipeptide composed of two amino acids — beta-alanine and histidine — is a crucial aid for LA detoxification, as it binds to advanced lipoxidation endproducts (ALEs) that form from oxidized seed oils in your diet.

While your body will slowly eliminate stored LA over time, provided you reduce your intake, carnosine can help reduce the oxidative damage caused by LA while your body is cleaning itself out. I take liposomal carnosine every day before meals to help detoxify LA.

LA is highly susceptible to oxidation, and as the fat oxidizes it breaks down into harmful sub-components such as ALEs and oxidized LA metabolites (OXLAMs). These ALEs and OXLAMs are what cause most of the damage.

Carnosine binds to ALEs like a magnet and acts as a sacrificial sink. It’s basically a substitute target for these profoundly damaging molecules. In this way, carnosine allows your body to excrete the ALEs from your body before they damage your mitochondria, DNA or proteins.

As an added benefit, carnosine is protective against Alzheimer’s,17 due to its ability to scavenge 4-hydroxynonenal (4HNE), a biomarker of oxidative stress that may increase the harm caused by free radicals.

Elevated Serotonin Linked to Dementia

High serotonin levels are also linked to dementia.18 While often described as the “happy hormone,” serotonin, a chemical messenger in the brain, acts as an antimetabolite, hindering energy production in your mitochondria. A September 2023 study found that having low levels of serotonin transporter (SERT) is linked to problems with memory and thinking skills, which can eventually lead to dementia or Alzheimer’s disease.

SERT is like a “cleanup crew” in the brain, helping to remove excess serotonin. When there’s not enough SERT around to do its job, serotonin levels outside of brain cells can rise too high. This excess serotonin floating around can cause trouble and contribute to problems with memory and thinking.

Considering that high extracellular serotonin can contribute to dementia, you’d be wise to keep your serotonin level as low as possible. One way to do that is by increasing GABA, which is available as a supplement.

The Estrogen Connection

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is more common in women than men,19 and prolonged estrogen exposure is also linked to Alzheimer’s severity in women.20 As bioenergetic researcher Georgi Dinkov explained, “The study can be summarized with the simple statement that estrogen is detrimental while progesterone and testosterone are protective against AD.”21

Avoiding estrogen replacement therapy and minimizing your exposure to the estrogenic compounds found in hundreds of consumer products is therefore an important step to protecting your brain health.

Taking natural progesterone is also important, but be aware that most formulations are not effective as they are oral or transdermal. Ideally, pure progesterone powder should be dissolved in a high-quality vitamin E with MCT oil and rubbed on your gums. Typical doses are 25 to 50 milligrams once or twice a day.

In my view, what mature women really need are progesterone and pregnenolone, not estrogen. In practical terms, you’ll want to make sure your levels of progesterone and pregnenolone are within healthy limits (the levels you’d have in your 20s), which is around 30 mg a day.

More Tips to Prevent Alzheimer’s Disease

In addition to optimizing your mitochondrial function, lowering your intake of LA and avoiding things that raise your serotonin and estrogen, other helpful Alzheimer’s prevention strategies include:

Avoid gluten and casein (primarily wheat and pasteurized dairy, but not dairy fat, such as butter) — Research shows that your blood-brain barrier is negatively affected by gluten. Gluten also makes your gut more permeable, which allows proteins to get into your bloodstream, where they don’t belong. That then sensitizes your immune system and promotes inflammation and autoimmunity, both of which play a role in the development of Alzheimer’s.
Optimize your gut flora by regularly eating fermented foods or taking a high potency and high-quality probiotic supplement.
Make sure you’re getting enough animal-based omega-3 fats, such as krill oil. High intake of the omega-3 fats EPA and DHA help by preventing cell damage caused by Alzheimer’s disease, thereby slowing down its progression and lowering your risk of developing the disorder.
Optimize your vitamin D level with safe sun exposure — Strong links between low levels of vitamin D in Alzheimer’s patients and poor outcomes on cognitive tests have been revealed. In one 2023 study, vitamin D reduced dementia risk by 40%.
Keep your fasting insulin levels below 3.
Eat a nutritious diet, rich in folate — Vegetables, without question, are your best form of folate, and we should all eat plenty of fresh raw veggies every day. Avoid supplements like folic acid, which is the inferior synthetic version of folate.
Avoid and eliminate mercury and aluminum from your body — Dental amalgam fillings, which are 50% mercury by weight, are one of the major sources of heavy metal toxicity. Make sure you use a biological dentist to have your amalgams removed. Sources of aluminum include antiperspirants, nonstick cookware and vaccine adjuvants.
Make sure your iron isn’t elevated and donate blood if it is — Studies show that iron accumulations in the brain tend to concentrate in areas most affected by Alzheimer’s, namely the frontal cortex and hippocampus. Magnetic resonance imaging tests have also revealed elevated iron in brains affected by Alzheimer’s.
Exercise regularly — It’s been suggested that exercise can trigger a change in the way the amyloid precursor protein is metabolized,22 thus slowing down the onset and progression of Alzheimer’s. In one study, women with the highest cardiovascular fitness had an 88% lower risk of dementia than those with moderate fitness.
Eat blueberries and other antioxidant-rich foods — Wild blueberries, which have high anthocyanin and antioxidant content, are known to guard against neurological diseases.
Challenge your mind daily — Mental stimulation, especially learning something new, such as how to play an instrument or speak a new language, is associated with a decreased risk of Alzheimer’s.
Avoid anticholinergics and statin drugs — Drugs that block acetylcholine, a nervous system neurotransmitter, have been shown to increase your risk of dementia. These drugs include certain nighttime pain relievers, antihistamines, sleep aids, certain antidepressants, medications to control incontinence and certain narcotic pain relievers.

Statin drugs are particularly problematic because they suppress the synthesis of cholesterol, deplete your brain of CoQ10 and neurotransmitter precursors, and prevent adequate delivery of essential fatty acids and fat-soluble antioxidants to your brain by inhibiting the production of the indispensable carrier biomolecule known as low-density lipoprotein.

from:    https://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2024/03/26/early-dementia-sign.aspx?ui=f460707c057231d228aac22d51b97f2a8dcffa7b857ec065e5a5bfbcfab498ac&sd=20211017&cid_source=dnl&cid_medium=email&cid_content=art2ReadMore&cid=20240326&foDate=true&mid=DM1548476&rid=2079795932

 

Carbo-phobes, Take Note!

You Need Carbs to Build Muscle

Analysis by Ashley Armstrong 
carbs for muscle

STORY AT-A-GLANCE

  • Without smart exercise and strong metabolic rates, the slow loss of muscle mass starts at age 30. At age 50, muscle mass decreases at an annual rate of 1% to 2%. After age 60, this reduction increases to 3%. By age 75, some individuals have lost approximately half of their muscle mass
  • Carbs will help you build and maintain more muscle by providing the necessary energy for muscle growth and lowering stress hormones
  • A single strength training session will decrease muscle glycogen levels by 24% to 40%. One of the main reasons to consume carbs after your workout is to replenish these stores
  • Your muscles rebuild when you are in a rest and digest state, not in a state of fight or flight. Consuming carbs as part of your post-workout meal significantly decreases cortisol and helps you recover faster
  • Having more muscle will help you burn more fat at rest, boost your metabolic rate, improve your glucose utilization and insulin sensitivity, and reduce your risk of cardiovascular disease

The health benefits of having more muscle mass are now well established in the literature. But unfortunately, humans are really good at losing muscle as we age. (If you don’t use it, you lose it!)

And here are just three reasons why carbs will help you build and maintain more muscle. (And to those who think the body can make all the carb it needs through gluconeogenesis — I get it, I used to think that as well. But do you REALLY think that is optimal? This point is addressed in the article).

Without smart exercise and strong metabolic rates, the slow loss of muscle mass starts at age 301,2,3 At age 50, muscle mass decreases at an annual rate of 1% – 2%. After age 60, this reduction increases to 3%.4 By age 75, some individuals have lost approximately 50% of their muscle mass!5

Health Consequences of Muscle Loss

Why should we care? Well the health consequences of losing muscle include:

Higher insulin resistance6  The less muscle mass you have, the more insulin resistant you will be. For every 10% increase in skeletal muscle mass, there is an 11% decrease in insulin resistance.7 Building muscle is the best way to improve your insulin sensitivity
Lower metabolic rates8

Higher susceptibility to falls and getting injured as individuals with age-related muscle loss have a 58% higher risk of fractures9

Lower bone density10
Less independence and functionality to perform daily activities11
Increased rate of cognitive decline12
Higher mortality rate (adults with age-related muscle loss have a 41% higher mortality rate13)
Increased risk of cardiovascular diseases (some studies show age-related muscle loss comes with a 23% increased risk of cardiovascular diseases)

More muscle =

more fat burned at rest higher metabolic rates
improved body composition improved glucose utilization and insulin sensitivity
improved LDL cholesterol clearing reduced risk of cardiovascular disease
improved mental health increased bone mineral density
enhanced physical function

In other words, thriving, not surviving. But here is the good news — there IS something you can do about it. While humans are good at losing muscle, we are also really good at building muscle when we provide our muscles with the right stimulus to elicit a positive change (smart strength training) and support our bodies with the right tools. And here’s my case for why I think carbs are an important part of that “tool kit.”

carbs meme

1. Carbs Provide the Body Energy to Build Bigger Muscles

Increasing muscle mass involves adding more contractile units (sarcomeres) to your muscle — increasing muscle length and cross-sectional area. The act of building that muscle tissue after the workout requires rest and food, as the act of building muscle is an energy-intensive process.14 Building muscle requires energy — our body does not run on thin air.

Eating protein is of course important (almost a no brainer!), as it provides the body the building blocks (amino acids) for the muscle tissue. But just eating protein is like delivering logs to build a log cabin, without any employees to assemble the cabin. Rebuilding something requires TOOLS and ENERGY (carbs).

cabin assembly

2. Carbs Replenish Muscle Glycogen Levels

Glycogen is a storage form of carbs that is used for energy throughout the body, especially during your strength training sessions since fat is too slow of a fuel source for high power output. (So you use up a lot of these glycogen stores during your training session.)

A recent meta analysis discussed how a single strength workout will decrease muscle glycogen levels by 24% to 40%.15 And just 3 sets of 12 reps performed to muscular failure was shown to result in a 26.1% decrease in muscle glycogen levels.16 So one of the main reasons to consume carbs after your workout is to replenish these stores.

glycogen availability

One study showed that muscle breakdown more than doubled in a glycogen-depleted vs. a glycogen-loaded state.17 This means your body is more likely to spend energy to rebuild that muscle tissue when your stores are full. Muscle is an “expensive” tissue to have — meaning it requires MORE fuel and MORE nutrients for “maintenance and upkeep.”

Why would a body that is already struggling with chronic stress and poor energy production spend valuable (and limited) energy resources on building muscle? That body is just focused on surviving — and building muscle would mean it would need more energy and tools that it is already low in.

Your body is intelligent — it’s not going to “waste” energy on something it knows it can’t support. That’s like buying a new car but not being able to pay for monthly car payments. Full muscle glycogen stores are a signal of safety to your body — that there is enough energy, so it’s okay to spend some of it building that muscle tissue back up and ‘taking care of it’ over the long run.

3. Carbs Lower Stress Hormones

Smart exercise is a good stress that yes, elevates cortisol levels. But we should try to lower that cortisol peak ASAP after the workout. Our muscles rebuild when we are in a rest and digest state, not in a state of fight or flight. Consuming carbs as part of your post workout meal significantly decreases cortisol and helps you recover faster.

One study showed that the inclusion of carbs to a post workout meal decreased cortisol levels by 11% (relative to the cortisol levels measured during the exercise session). The no carb group had a peak cortisol increase of 105%.18

Carbs help suppress the exercise-induced cortisol release, so that you can recover faster, keep your hormones balanced, and maintain strong thyroid health and a robust metabolism.

“But our body can make all the carbs it needs” — this is a very common counter argument we receive, largely from men. That we don’t need to consume carbs since our body can make its own carbohydrates via a process called gluconeogenesis. We get it fellas, we used to be obsessed with this dogma, and ideology, too.

I will counter and say — well, technically our body can make all the fat it needs if we don’t consume dietary fat. But is that optimal? No. Carb restriction and strength training doesn’t make sense when you learn human physiology. Not consuming carbs may “work” — but at what cost? What processes and functions get down regulated to allow for this excessive gluconeogenesis?

Your body uses carbs during strength training, full stop. So either you eat some dietarily, or your body makes it. Relying on this pathway will down regulate metabolism and thyroid health over time — you will be simply surviving, not thriving. And being in a low metabolic state leads to more catabolism (breakdown of muscle tissue) — not what we want!

After 1.5 years of taking this approach, we finally ‘woke up’ that we were driving ourselves into the ground. We were in denial at the time, but our lifting numbers and muscle mass went in the opposite direction.

In Summary

One of the best things you can do for your health is to build, and hold on to, as much muscle as you can. So why wouldn’t you want to give your body the best possible chance to build and maintain muscle? (And thus, include carbohydrates in your diet.)

The best types of carbs are ones that you digest well, increase your body temperature (meaning they raise your metabolic rate), and carbs you enjoy! Often, these include ripe fruits and fruit juices, honey and maple syrup, white rice, well-cooked potatoes, and for some, sourdough bread.

Best types of carbs? How many carbs should I consume? How does dietary fat fit into this puzzle? These are all questions we address in-depth in our courses and free downloads.

My sister Sarah and I (the ’Strong Sistas’) run a health and wellness website — focused on providing you metabolism boosting nutrition and exercise information to help you cut through the noise of all the conflicting health information out there (that’s likely hindering energy production and lowering metabolic rates). We have been through all the diet fads and extremes out there — and all they did was lower our metabolisms in the long run.

We provide you with the educational tools so that you can have FOOD EDUCATION not FOOD FEAR. Because when you understand the three points I discussed above in this article (and understand human physiology and energy metabolism), you understand that carbs are not evil and are not the source of your problems, and instead understand that carbs help support your physiology and improve energy production.

from:    https://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2024/03/26/carbs-for-muscle.aspx?ui=f460707c057231d228aac22d51b97f2a8dcffa7b857ec065e5a5bfbcfab498ac&sd=20211017&cid_source=dnl&cid_medium=email&cid_content=art1HL&cid=20240326&foDate=true&mid=DM1548476&rid=2079795932

Dr. Mercola with Catherine Austin Fitts Dealing with Financial Control

The Great Taking

Analysis by Dr. Joseph Mercola
  • Central bankers and other globalists have carefully planned the coordinated takedown of the financial system using highly sophisticated strategies, including the manipulation of derivative markets. Whatever securities you believe you may own, you’re not the actual owner of, and when the derivative markets collapse, everything can be taken from you
  • While Webb’s work raises serious concerns, there are other more pressing issues that need our attention. Priority No. 1 is ensuring we have control over our financial transactions. We need to help state legislators to protect financial transaction freedom
  • North Dakota has a sovereign state bank, and the Florida State Legislature is getting ready to introduce legislation for state banking in the state of Florida. All states need to do this, as it’s one of the primary ways to protect the financial freedom of all citizens
  • Priority No. 2 is building and securing food freedom, and No. 3 is transparency and education. We need to educate people about the severity of what’s coming, so that we can, en masse, begin to make different choices

The video above features repeat guest Catherine Austin Fitts, a finance expert, and founder and president of the Solari Report. She’s one of the wisest persons out there when it comes to understanding finances and how to protect your wealth in the face of this global wealth transfer.

We also discuss the work of David Webb,1 a former hedge fund investor and a good friend of Austin Fitts. He has written a book called “The Great Taking,” available for free as a PDF from thegreattaking.com, as well as a documentary by the same name, available on CHD.TVRumble and YouTube.

Webb’s book and film detail how the Federal Reserve influences financial markets, and how its money creation has outpaced economic growth of the U.S., which is a huge red flag indicating that the velocity of money (the rate at which money is circulating through the economy) is collapsing. In short, a major financial depression is at hand, and when it all falls apart, we will lose everything.

A Financial Coup Is Underway

Webb reveals how central bankers and other globalists have, for at least five decades or more, carefully planned the coordinated takedown of the financial system using highly sophisticated strategies, including the manipulation of derivative markets.

Whatever securities you believe you may own, you’re not the actual owner of, and when the derivative markets collapse, everything can be taken from you. At the end of it all, you truly will “own nothing,” as predicted/promised by the World Economic Forum (WEF).

But there’s more. In her annual wrap-up, Austin Fitts reviews what she calls “The Many Great Takings,” because Webb only describes one of them. Wealth is also being stolen from us in dozens of other ways, and we need to understand them all if we are to protect ourselves with any amount of success.

“My focus is hugely on remedies, not problems,” Austin Fitts says, “and when it comes to remedies, you want to make sure you sequence your remedies against the enemy’s various tactics. So, sequencing is very, very important when it comes to remedies.

The important thing to understand about the great taking is that the World Economic Forum has told you what they’re planning: It’s 2030 and you have no assets. So the question is, exactly how are they going to strip you of your assets?

What David is talking about is stripping you of your securities, but you need to worry about far more than just your securities. You need to worry about your bank, which he touches on and does a very good job of describing some of the history around banking. You have to worry about your real estate. You have to really worry about your precious metals and other currency alternatives.

You have to worry about your business and your local investments and then yes, you have to worry about your securities. David is focused on just securities, which is why we did this section called ‘The Great Taking’ that goes through everything.”

Top Three Priorities

While Webb’s work may raise serious concerns, there are other more pressing issues that need our attention. Priority No. 1, according to Austin Fitts, is ensuring we have control over our financial transactions. Her focus for 2024 is therefore to help state legislators in the U.S. to work with banks and citizens within its jurisdiction to protect financial transaction freedom.

“That’s where pushback is critical,” she says. “If they can get financial transaction control then they can take everything, and I mean, everything, including your children …

If you dive in and look at the terms and conditions that some of these payment gateways are asking for now … you’re giving them permission to go into your bank account and take everything. It’s frightening.

So, the No. 1 thing to remedy against is financial transaction control. If you go to Solari, we have something called a financial transaction freedom memo. Print it out and start looking at all the things you can do to protect yourself from somebody controlling your financial transactions.

If they get that, The Great Taking is on. They take everything — real estate, securities, everything. So first and foremost, don’t worry about your securities. Worry about your banking and your transactions.

The second Great Taking is … food and health. The push to control the food system is on because to control financial transactions, they also need to control food because, if you can get your food and energy outside the banking system, you can survive without their banking system. This is why we cannot allow a 100% digital financial system.

The third Great Taking I’m concerned about is the real estate, because we see an extraordinary move being done to take control of the land, the real estate, including farmland, which is very much related to the food.

There are all sorts of games that can be played with the banking system to default people on their mortgages, and of course, interest rates and inflation are part and parcel of that.”

As noted by Austin Fitts, the process of reducing the homeownership rate has been going on for decades. It’s related to monetary policy, because inflation has doubled the average payment on the median-price home in America over the last four or five years alone. So, the younger generation is being completely wiped out and cannot afford to buy homes.

It’s also related to another Great Taking, which is the fraudulent inducement of student loans. Most of the big banks are paying close to zero percent for their capital, while students with loans are paying 5% to 9%, and those with credit card debt are paying 17%. “It’s an extraordinary differential in the cost of capital that’s literally engineered into the system in a very unfair way,” she says.

A System to Rob Us of Our Security Assets

Austin Fitts goes on to review Webb’s background, and how he came to the discoveries he made. In summary, financial regulators have created a way, through the custodian system, of robbing 100% of the security assets as a senior creditor, most likely through a default of derivatives.

Austin Fitts is not overly concerned about this, though, because while Webb believes a legal pathway has been created through the Uniform Commercial Code (UCC), Austin Fitts and her experts don’t think it’ll stick. “We are still looking for a UCC expert who can figure this out,” she says.

What Webb has proven, however, is that there has been an extraordinary effort by the financial regulators to assert control of ALL collateral. Austin Fitts believes this was done to keep the financial bubble going.

“The reason I’m not worried about a grab of the securities in the near future is because I think the way you grab assets is by getting financial transaction control to the banking system,” she says. “Once you have that, you can do everything. You can take 100% of the assets, including securities. So, I think financial transaction control is coming faster.

I think in terms of sequencing, a grab of all the securities is not near. What David would say is, if they get themselves in a corner, they have to do it. My feeling is they have so many ways out of a corner, it’s not necessary. What they’re going to do is what I’ve seen them doing, which is pushing for financial transaction control.

But here’s what’s great about David’s research. No one goes through the bother of doing what they’ve done if there’s integrity in the system. I think David has proven, yet again, that the financial system is lacking integrity and is engineered to benefit a few at the expense of the many.

The other thing I thought was very good about his book was, he describes the game in terms of insiders and outsiders to the banking system through the Great Depression — how your bank could fold; you lose your deposits, but you’re still liable for your mortgage.

And of course, that’s how you get people’s real estate. You abrogate your income obligations to them, but then you hold them accountable for their debts.”

There’s No Safe Harbor for Anyone

It’s telling that Webb started this journey because he was trying to figure out how to protect his own family’s wealth only to, in the end, realize there is no safe harbor, not even for a financial insider like himself. The system is completely rigged from every angle. The sober realization is that there’s no getting away from this Great Taking.

We must face it head on, and do the work necessary to change the system so that it protects everyone. Part of that work is to make our political representatives understand what is happening, and that it is in their own self-interest to protect financial freedom.

Many of them are extraordinarily wealthy, and they too stand to lose everything if they don’t take action. They’re not insulated from this Great Taking. Like Webb discovered, there’s no safe harbor for them either. Webb’s contention is that the situation is salvageable, but we do need some kind of reset.

Just not The Great Reset the globalists have planned. One possibility would be to implement a small tax on digital transactions, like a fraction of 1%. The revenues generated from that transactional fee could fund the government, doing away with income taxes, provided we don’t have to engage in international wars.

Top Three Financial Drains

According to Austin Fitts, the top three things that are draining our wealth are:

  1. Tyranny
  2. The use of environmentally damaging processes like industrial farming instead of regenerative farming, the hardware required for the control grid and the electromagnetic field radiation that goes with it
  3. The control of innovation, which prevents cost savings

All three of these are alterable. We can eliminate these financial drains, but we can’t start there. First, we need to secure our financial transaction freedom, because everything basically hinges on that. If we lose that, we’ve already lost everything else.

Three Basic Action Items

Again, be sure to download Solari’s financial transaction freedom memo. It details the problems, and the solutions. “Do what you’re comfortable doing,” Austin Fitts says.

“One is using cash. And when you use cash, start talking with local businesses and find ways of interacting locally that will give you more local resilience. And of course, the big one is food, because I don’t know a way of getting food that is safe, other than knowing where it’s coming from and knowing the people who are producing it …

The third thing you can do is to bring transparency, and this is really important. If you go to Solari, we’ve put together a list of short videos on CBDCs and financial transaction freedom. The first one is the one-minute video of the head of the BIS basically saying we can make the rules centrally and enforce them centrally with CBDCs.

The second one is Neel Kashkari, head of the Minneapolis Fed, one of the 12 Fed banks, saying ‘I can see why the Chinese would want this because it gives you complete surveillance and control. But why would Americans ever let this happen?’ If it’s so bad that one of the Fed presidents is telling you you don’t want it, that’s very helpful.

Then we have Bo Li [deputy managing director of the] IMF talking about the programmability of money, so if they decide you can only eat bugs and no pizza, your money will only buy bugs. And then the last one is Richard Werner talking about a top central banker telling him that CBDCs, ultimately, will be a chip that they want to put in your hand.

We need to tell people what’s going on and help them understand how serious this is, because it’s hard for many to fathom that somebody would want that kind of complete control. With AI and software, you can deliver that kind of complete control.

With a very short video, one minute or less, people get it. And that’s the point at which you can turn to your state legislators and your state banking association and say, ‘OK, what are you guys going to do to make sure I don’t end up like the Tennessee truckers?’

What’s very interesting … the states have the power to assert complete sovereignty over the money and the cash flows within their area, and to protect them. Now, they haven’t done it. And one of the reasons they haven’t done it is the Treasury and the central banks have been very good at making it financially attractive to buy into the federal system.

[Eventually], it’s going to be more important to be sovereign and free than to get another $2 billion in education — an education that requires you to teach your kids how to be sex slaves.

So, one of the things you can do bring transparency, but start working with your bankers, with your State Bankers Association, your state legislators, and encourage them to take the steps. And if you look at the Financial Transaction Freedom memo, we list all the different things that a federal legislator can do.”

Why We Need Sovereign State Banks

North Dakota already has a sovereign state bank, and the Florida State Legislature is getting ready to introduce legislation for state banking in the state of Florida. Tennessee is looking at ways to create independent payment systems, and is in the process of starting a Bullion Depository and authorizing their treasurer to start buying gold and silver.

These are just some of the strategies that can, and need, to be implemented by all states. As noted by Austin Fitts, “The only way I can protect my individual sovereignty is if my state protects my financial sovereignty.” And states can do that by implementing sovereign state banks that are not tied to the central banking system.

“If you have a sovereign state bank, what that means is, your citizens are paying taxes into your accounts, and you have the ability, working with the state banks and credit unions and financial institutions, to keep the transactions going so that the Treasury or the central bank can’t lock you down or shut you down.

I mean, that is amazing. If you also have a bullion depository, then you’ve got gold and silver reserves and that makes it easier for other people in the state to have a depository they can trust, and that means they can start doing transactions with gold and silver, particularly if you take the sales tax off.

Tennessee has taken the sales tax off golden and silver. And there’s a big squabble now — several states have put in bills making gold and silver legal tender, but do it in a way where the Feds can’t charge capital gains, so that you can use gold and silver as currencies locally. It’s a great way to start a local currency.”

A Building Wealth Reset

In conclusion, what we need to do, first and foremost, is to regain and safeguard our control of our financial transactions. Next, we need what Austin Fitts refers to as a “building wealth reset,” a reset of the financial system that allows us to build both living equity (health) and financial equity.

And we can do that. While it may seem as though we’re on a speed train headed for a brick wall, and that we have no way to get off, that may simply be an illusion. We probably have far more choice than we think.

“During my litigation [against the government], I had many different attorneys, and they would surround me and say, ‘You have to do this, you have no choice,’” Austin Fitts says.

“And I would say ‘I refuse. I’m not going to do that.’ That’s a choice. And then, what would happen? Suddenly, an option would open up that wasn’t there before. In other words, my refusal to go down the pathway that I had no choice created a new choice.”

Remember that as you move forward. Refusing to be part of the system may seem impossible, but the very act of making the choice to refuse may be the very thing that opens up brand new possibilities and options. Certainly, there are paths to victory, beginning with getting state leadership to get onboard with sovereign state banking.

from:    https://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2024/03/24/david-webb-the-great-taking.aspx?ui=f460707c057231d228aac22d51b97f2a8dcffa7b857ec065e5a5bfbcfab498ac&sd=20211017&cid_source=dnl&cid_medium=email&cid_content=art2HL&cid=20240324_HL2&foDate=true&mid=DM1547304&rid=2077843189