Eleanor J. Bader - Why Is Autism So Drastically on the Rise? An Environmental Horror Story

If horror is your genre, environmental writer Brita Belli’s The Autism Puzzle, is the book for you. Her terrifying look at the chemicals we eat, drink and breathe is guaranteed to make your hair stand on end.

We should thank her for it.

Statistics released earlier this spring by the Centers for Disease Control revealed that one in 88 U.S. born toddlers has an autism spectral disorder—from the less severe Asperger’s Syndrome to the so-called classical form of the ailment. Worse, it’s not just a North American phenomenon; Belli also reports a 57 percent spike in Asia and Europe.

The question is why. Perhaps, some posit, medical professionals have simply become better diagnosticians and people previously labeled eccentric or developmentally disabled were in fact, autistic. Or, perhaps there’s a genetic culprit since ASD typically runs in families. Belli gives credence to both theories, but ultimately concludes that there is more to the puzzle. “If the rise in autism numbers were only due to improved diagnosis and awareness of autism among the medical community—or if the roots of the epidemic were primarily genetic—professionals would have seen an increase in adult or adolescent patients who had not been diagnosed or who had been misdiagnosed in the past,” she writes.

Read More:

http://www.alternet.org/story/155119/why_is_autism_so_drastically_on_the_rise_an_environmental_horror_story

WOMEN'S PRAYER GROUP: "GIVE THEM BREAST CANCER, IN JESUS' NAME!"

The latest salvo in the War on Women has been sadly and ironically perpetrated by an anonymous "womens prayer circle" sending a deplorable piece of hate mail to Military Religious Freedom Foundation (MRFF) President and Founder, Michael L. "Mikey" Weinstein.

The following is the shocking crux of this hate message.  Please note that spelling and grammar mistakes are presented as originally received: 

"But [we pray] not against you Mickey. We know by your internet site and your book who it is to be. Now for our prayer, we pray that the women who work in your MFRR and the women in your family will befall fast moving breast cancer which can not everbe cured."

Read More: http://www.militaryreligiousfreedom.org/2012/04/we-pray-christ-jesus-to-stop-you/

Paul Craig Roberts - How Liberty Was Lost

When did things begin going wrong in America?

"From the beginning," answer some. English colonists, themselves under the thumb of a king, exterminated American Indians and stole their lands, as did late 18th and 19th century Americans. Over the course of three centuries, the native inhabitants of America were dispossessed, just as Israelis have been driving Palestinians off their lands since 1948. Demonization always plays a role. The Indians were savages and the Palestinians are terrorists. Any country that can control the explanation can get away with evil.

I agree that there is a lot of evil in every country and civilization. In the struggle between good and evil, religion has at times been on the side of evil. However, the notion of moral progress cannot so easily be thrown out. Consider, for example, slavery. In the 1800s, slavery still existed in countries that proclaimed equal rights. Even free women did not have equal rights. Today no Western country would openly tolerate the ownership of humans or the transfer of a woman's property upon her marriage to her husband.

Read More:

http://www.opednews.com/articles/How-Liberty-Was-Lost-by-Paul-Craig-Roberts-120423-229.html

Robert Reich - The lesson for Obama of Europe's failed austerity

So far, President Obama's election strategy can best be summed up as: "We're on the right track, my economic policies are working, we still have a long way to go, but stick with me and you'll be fine."

This won't be enough to win him the election. The US recovery is too anaemic, and the chance of an economic stall between now and election day far too high. Even now, Mitt Romney's empty "I'll do it better" refrain is attracting as many voters as Obama's "we're on the right track." Each is gathering 46% of voter support, according to the latest New York Times/CBS News poll.

Only 33% of the American public thinks the economy is improving, while 39% say they're still falling behind financially – an 11-point increase from 2008. Nearly two thirds are concerned about paying for housing, and 23% of Americans with mortgages say they're underwater. If the economy stalls, Romney's empty promise will look even better. And I'd put the odds of a stall at 50:50.

Europe's forced austerity is pushing the continent into recession. Spain is already in one, and much of the rest of Europe is on the way. Luckily, the United States hasn't yet fallen into the austerity trap – America's fiscal policy is still wisely expansionary – but it's not sufficient to overcome a pull-back by American consumers.

Because most Americans' real pay continues to drop, they're going deeper into debt and tapping into their savings. Inevitably, they'll have to cut their spending. Without sufficient government spending to make up the difference, total demand will shrink, causing employers to pare hiring. March's disappointing jobs report could mark the beginning.

Read More:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/cifamerica/2012/apr/23/lesson-obama-europe-failed-austerity

Juan Cole - How America Went Rogue: What We All Need to Know About Our Government's Shadow Wars

Covert operations are nothing new in American history, but it could be argued that during the past decade they have moved from being a relatively minor arrow in the national security quiver to being the cutting edge of American power. Drone strikes, electronic surveillance and stealth engagements by military units such as the Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC), as well as dependence on private corporations, mercenary armies and terrorist groups, are now arguably more common as tools of US foreign policy than conventional warfare or diplomacy. But these tools lend themselves to rogue operations that create peril for the United States when they blow back on us. And they often make the United States deeply unpopular.

Shadow power has even become an issue in the presidential campaign. Newt Gingrich advocates ramped-up “covert operations” inside Iran. President Obama replied to Mitt Romney’s charge that he is an “appeaser” by suggesting that his critics “ask bin Laden” about that.

Obama often speaks of the “tide of war receding,” but that phrase refers only to conventional war. In Afghanistan, where the administration hopes to roll up conventional fighting by the end of 2013, it is making plans for long-term operations by special forces through units such as JSOC. It is unclear what legal framework will be constructed for their activities, other than a wink and a nod from President Hamid Karzai.

Read More:

http://www.alternet.org/world/155000/how_america_went_rogue%3A_what_we_all_need_to_know_about_our_government's_shadow_wars?page=entire

Millions of People Across the Sahel Will Be Left Hungry in the Coming Months unless funding shortage is addressed

A huge gap in funding for aid projects aimed at preventing the deepening food crisis in the Sahel is threatening to leave millions of people hungry in the coming months, a coalition of aid agencies has warned today.

Action Against Hunger, Oxfam, Save the Children and World Vision are aiming to provide emergency assistance to nearly 6 million people across the region but say they have so far been able to secure funding for less than a third of this essential work. Nearly US$250 million is needed by all four agencies, but only $52 million has been raised so far.

Action Against Hunger plans to reach 1 million but so far has only managed to raise a third of what it needs. Equally Oxfam has only raised a third of what it needs to reach 1.2 million people. Save the Children which has plans to help 2.5 million people has only managed to raise 15 per cent of its budget and World Vision plans to help 1.1 million people are only 20 per cent funded.

Read More:

http://www.commondreams.org/newswire/2012/04/23-2

Jonathan Benson - 2,000-year old Chinese herbal remedy could be used to treat autoimmune disorders, Harvard scientists find

Chang shan is a root extract of a specific type of Himalayan hydrangea plant, also known as hortensia, that has long been used in traditional Chinese medicine to treat malaria and other maladies. And a new investigation conducted by researchers from Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), the Harvard School of Dental Medicine (HSDM), and elsewhere has revealed that this powerful natural medicine is also useful in treating autoimmune disorders.

In an effort to better understand the therapeutic benefits of chang shan, the team evaluated its active components and observed that one component in particular, halofuginone (HF), blocks the development of T helper 17 (Th17) cells. Th17 cells are highly inflammatory cells that appear to play a primary role in the development of autoimmune disorders such as multiple sclerosis, psoriasis, juvenile diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis and Crohn's disease.

Building upon previous research that identified how HF activates the body's amino acid response (AAR) pathway, the team was able to identify that HF specifically targets and blocks an enzyme known as tRNA synthetase EPRS, which is responsible for incorporating proline, an amino acid, into cells. This blockage essentially tells the AAR not to activate the inflammatory immune responses associated with autoimmune disorders.

"HF prevents the autoimmune response without dampening immunity altogether," said Malcolm Whitman, a professor of developmental biology at HSDM, and senior author of the study, which was published in the journal Nature Chemical Biology. "This compound could inspire novel therapeutic approaches to a variety of autoimmune disorders."

Read More:

http://www.naturalnews.com/z035661_Chinese_medicine_autoimmune_disorders_herbs.html

Common Environmental Contaminant, Cadmium, Linked to Rapid Breast Cancer Cell Growth

Studies by researchers at Dominican University of California show that breast cancer cells become increasingly aggressive the longer they are exposed to small concentrations of cadmium, a heavy metal commonly found in cosmetics, food, water and air particles. The study by Maggie Louie, associate professor of biochemistry, shows exposure to cadmium for prolonged periods of time can cause the progression of breast cancer to become more aggressive. Her findings were presented April 23, at the annual meeting of the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, held in conjunction with the Experimental Biology 2012 conference in San Diego.

Breast cancer results from the abnormal growth of the cells in the mammary gland. The normal growth of mammary gland epithelial cells is modulated by the circulating levels of estrogen, a hormone produced by the ovaries. The activity of estrogen is stimulated by the estrogen receptor (ER). Heavy metals such as cadmium can act as endocrine disruptors and mimic estrogen, thereby disrupting the hormone dependent pathways. While other studies have shown links between acute cadmium exposure and activation of the ER, Louie's study is one of few to focus on chronic cadmium exposure. "The relationship between cancer and chronic exposures at low levels is important to understand because most people are not exposed to high levels of heavy metals, unless they work in manufacturing plants that deal with such metals," Louie said.

She continued: "Unfortunately, cadmium is all around us -- it is in our food, our water, our makeup and our air. Understanding the role that cadmium plays in the progression of breast cancer is extremely important in order to find better ways to prevent the disease from advancing. Ninety percent of cancer deaths are associated with the cancer spreading to other parts of the body. If we can prevent the tumor from spreading, we have a better chance of treating cancer."

Read More:

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/04/120423184203.htm

Rady Ananda - Another Way To Kill US Farmers...

Monsanto’s Food and Drug Administration can’t close down small dairies and private food clubs fast enough, bursting on the scene with guns drawn as if the criminalized right to contract for natural foods we’ve consumed for millennia deserves SWAT attention.

Now, Obama has the Dept. of Justice going after small farmers under the post-911 "Bank Secrecy Act" which makes it a crime to deposit less than $10,000 when you earned more than that. "The level we deposited was what it was and it was about the same every week," Randy Sowers told Frederick News. The Sowers own and run South Mountain Creamery in Middletown, Maryland.

Admittedly, when the Sowers earned over $10,000 in February, and learned they’d have to fill out paperwork at the bank for such large deposits, they simply rolled the deposits over to keep them below the none-of-your-f@$!ng-business amount, rather than waste time on bureaucratic red tape aimed at flagging terrorism or other illegal activities.

Read More:

http://foodfreedomgroup.com/2012/04/23/obama-seizes-farmers-money/

S.D. Wells - Enjoy the Hunger Games? We're all playing the Nutrition Games in real life

Ready, set, go! You have just been released into the wild, a survive-by-any-means world, where nearly all food and medicine is toxic, doctors and dentists prescribe cancer causing medication and radiation, you have no rights to speak adversely about your government, and you can be imprisoned with no rights to a lawyer or phone call, for simply being "suspected" of terrorist acts. Go now, fend for yourself, don't ask questions, and try not to end up in a hospital, where you'll be force fed more toxins and most likely won't get out alive.

That's right, rather than heading to the movie theatre to sit back with your popcorn, candy and a soda to "virtually" engage in the not-so-far-away, post-apocalyptic, dystopian future of America (around the year 2080), just head to the local grocery store and start haphazardly grabbing items off the shelves, then go home, turn on the boob tube, eat your food, watch the news, and "hope" it all gets better.

Welcome to the Jungle 

Welcome to the jungle, we've got "fun and games," where food is full of toxins disguised with natural names. But today in America, instead of having your skull cracked by a "kill-or-be-killed" teenager, and then having your brain devoured by poisonous creatures, you get your skull sawed open by a surgeon, while your brain and internal organs are eaten alive slowly by chemotherapy and radiation, and your only weapons consist of organic food and organic supplements, which may soon be illegal, or converted to GMO, but still labeled as organic.

Read More:

http://www.naturalnews.com/035659_Hunger_Games_nutrition_life.html