Portland Voters Reject Water Fluoridation for the Fourth Time
Late Tuesday night over 60 percent of Portland area voters rejected a proposal to begin fluoridating the city’s water supply.
Photo: AP/Don Ryan
by Derrick Broze
Intellihub.com
May 24, 2013
Mayor Charlie Hales expressed his disappointment in a statement. “The measure lost despite my own ‘yes’ vote.That’s sure disappointing, but I accept the will of the voters.”
Portland voters first turned down fluoridation when the process began in the 1950′s, and again during the 1960′s. It was briefly approved in 1978, however that plan was overturned two years later, before any fluoride was ever added to the water.
After rumors of backroom deals between the City Council and fluoridation supporters emerged, clean water activists sprung to action. In response to last years city council vote to begin fluoridating water serving 900,000 citizens, protestors organized efforts to bring the issue to the public for a vote. After gathering over 40,000 signatures the measure was brought forth.
The issue also wound up politicizing a statewide health report that showed falling cavity and tooth decay rates in the state over the past five years. One of the report’s authors said she felt pressure by Upstream Health, the group spearheading fluoridation efforts, to present the findings in a certain way.
Oregon Live covered the details of the report:
“The percentage of children who already had a cavity fell from 64 to 52 statewide, according to the survey. That represents a drop of nearly one-fifth.
The percentage of children with untreated decay also declined from 36 to 20 statewide, the survey found. That’s down by nearly half.
And the other major measure, rampant decay — which is defined as seven treated or untreated cavities — fell from 20 percent to 14 percent statewide. That’s down by about one-third. “
With this latest rejection Portland becomes the largest city in the United States that does not add fluoride to the water. Speaking to the Portland Tribune, Kim Kaminski, leader of Clean Water Portland said, “At a very fundamental level, people understand that we don’t want more chemicals in our water.”
This year marks the 68th anniversary of fluoridation – the first U.S. city to adjust the fluoride levels in its water supply was Grand Rapids, Mich. on January 25, 1945, according to the American Dental Association.
Despite the fact that most mainstream health organizations, including the American Medical Association, endorse fluoridation over 200 communities have rejected the practice in recent years. Opponents of fluoridation in Portland worry by adding fluoride to the water it will ruin the city’s famously pristine water supply, as well as violate an individuals civil liberties, by forced medicating through the water.
Portlands stance against water fluoridation has become an attacking point for many publications around the country. Accusations of being anti-science, or a conspiracy theorist abound for those opposing the controversial practice.
Despite a recent Salon article that claims the Fluoride Free movement is “Without a study to stand on” there are a number of studies that show a variety of health concerns . The article also states, “The (fluoride) ion occurs naturally in ground water in varying levels, some that are in fact too high.” While this claim is true it is also misleading.
When a city chooses to add “fluoride” to the water supply they are actually adding the toxic substance hydrofluorosilic acid. Hydrofluorosilic acid is a by-product of phosphate mining, and if not for cities purchasing the substance for millions of dollars, it would have to be disposed of at a hefty cost to the producer.
The history books are filled with examples of medical and scientific practices that were seen as safe at one point only to be demonized later. The early critics of any common practice are often ridiculed until new evidence creates a shift in understanding and future practices. When it comes to water fluoridation we are dealing with a similar situation.
For more information on the dangers of water fluoridation and how you can get involved please check out the Fluoride Action Network. (www.fluoridealert.org)
sources:
^http://portlandtribune.com/pt/9-news/153165-inspired-water-fight-sends-message
Student Experiment Finds Plants Won’t Grow Near Wi-Fi Router
via Zen Gardner
Before It’s News
May 23, 2013
Ninth-graders design science experiment to test the effect of cellphone radiation on plants. The results may surprise you.
Photo courtesy of Kim Horsevad, teacher at Hjallerup Skole in Denmark.
How to Clean Your Liver with 5 Natural Liver-Cleansing Tips
by Elizabeth Renter
Natural Society
May 21, 2013
Your liver is like the maid of your body, cleaning up all the toxins you put into it, and therefore keeping all internal systems running smoothly. The modern diet, environmental pollutants, and our increasing dependence on toxic personal care products have put our livers on serious overtime. For this reason, it’s important to know how to clean your liver thoroughly and effectively – oh, and naturally.
Your liver works to cleanse the blood and remove toxic substances that we’ve eaten, inhaled, or rubbed on our bodies. When it is overworked—as it is in many modern adults—or when you are under a significant amount of physical or even mental stress, your liver can struggle to keep up.
“The thousands of enzyme systems that are responsible for virtually every body activity are constructed in the liver,” explains Dr. Karl Maret, M.D. “The proper functioning of the eyes, the heart, the brain, the gonads, the joints, and the kidneys are all dependent on good liver activity. If the liver is impaired from constructing even one of the thousands of enzyme systems the body requires, there is an impairment in overall body function and a resultant greater metabolic stress on the individual.”
How to Clean Your Liver – No Products Required
So, what can you do about it? Well, you could try a quality liver detox supplement, or you could use some items found at your local health food store, your grocery store, or even some that are already in your kitchen. Here is how to clean your liver with 5 common food items.
- 1. Warm Lemon Water – Warm lemon water is a great way to detox your liver every single morning. This isn’t lemonade, so don’t add sugar or anything else. Just purified water and a healthy dose of fresh lemon juice. Some experts, like author A.F. Beddoe who wrote the book Biological Ionization as Applied to Human Nutrition, also believe that the liver produces more enzymes in response to water with lemon than to any other food.
- 2. Garlic – Add some garlic to your cooking or thinly slice a clove into your next salad. Garlic contains sulfur compounds that can help activate enzymes in the liver. It contains allicin and selenium, which are both good for liver protection.
- 3. Avocados – As if you need another reason to add avocados to your diet, a Japanese study found that avocados contain compounds that can protect the liver from damage. When compared with 21 other fruits, avocados had the most promise in protecting the liver from galactosamine, a “powerful” toxin that has been shown to produce a liver damage much like human viral hepatitis.
- 4. Cilantro – This versatile herb can be added to just about any dish, including salads or smoothies. This herb can help remove heavy metals from the body, something your liver could be struggling with right now.
- 5. Turmeric – Another powerful spice with a long list of benefits, turmeric is said to not only protect the liver from damage, but also encourage regeneration of liver cells. In addition, it increases natural bile production and aids in keeping the body toxin-free.
Cleansing your liver is crucial, so don’t hesitate to incorporate these liver-cleansing solutions right now. For more on how to clean your liver, check out these 4 natural liver cleansing foods outlined by Anthony Gucciardi.
VIDEO — Pro-Syrian protesters rally in Ukraine
Press TV
May 23, 2013
They are holding Syrian and Ukrainian flags, which symbolize solidarity between the two nations.
This peaceful gathering in Ukraine’s capital Kiev speaks against terrorism in Syria, which protesters say, is sponsored by some Arab and Western governments.
Ukraine has been supporting the Syrian government since the unrest began in March 2011 in the Arab nation. These people say they feel free to protest here as Ukraine is against any foreign military intervention, especially if it claims thousands of lives.
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U.S. Senate Committee Votes in Favor of Arming Mercenaries in Syria
nsnbc international
May 22, 2013
Widening of Syria War into a Regional War with Global Implications becoming Inevitable.
Christof Lehmann (nsnbc),- The U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations has passed legislation that, if signed by U.S. President Obama, approves of officially supplying weapons to what the committee describes as “The Syrian Opposition”.
According to international law the bill implies, that the U.S.A. officially becomes a conflicting party. The official approval of weapons deliveries and other aid to “the opposition” is arguably changing its status to that of a mercenary corps.
The Senate´s decision has significantly increased the likelihood of the development of a regional war with global implications and has, if it is signed by President Obama, for the foreseeable future undermined attempts to settle the war by political means.
The bipartisan U.S. Senate´s Foreign Relations Committee voted 15 – 3 in favor of the bill that would allow U.S. politicians to officially arm the terrorist organizations, which the USA has been directly and indirectly financing, arming and otherwise supporting since the genesis of the conflict in 2011.
If signed by President Obama, the U.S.A. would technically become a directly involved party to the war. Arguably, the so-called opposition would receive the legal status of being a US-sponsored mercenary corps. In other words, the legal status would concur with its de facto status.
While some analysts state, that the decision would not imply significant changes on the ground because the USA has sponsored terrorists in Syria since the onset of the crisis, others predict that the new legislation implies a significant increase of arms shipments, a significant increase in recruitment efforts, a substantial increase of funding, and an inevitable widening of the war into Lebanon and Iraq.
The legislation calls to “provide defense articles, defense services, and military training” directly to the “opposition” on the ground in Syria who “have been properly and fully vetted and share common values and interests with the United States”.
The legislation officially endorses an illegal military strategy on Syria, which a US Training Circular for Special Forces and “Foreign Students” designates as being official US military doctrine. The Training Circular, TC-18-01 explicitly states, that the US military, for the foreseeable future, would primarily be involved in unconventional warfare.
The subversion of foreign nations, as described in the TC-01 is a de-facto outline of the political and military strategy which the USA has used against the Syrian Arab Republic since 2011. The full document has previously been disclosed on nsnbc.
It is especially the last part of the sentence, “vetted and share common values and interests with the United States”, that would also officially transform the United States into a party that is directly involved in the war by recruiting, financing and arming mercenaries.
Belhadj – The Enemy Image
According to reliable Syrian statistics, which repeatedly have been sent to the office of U.N. Secretary Ban Kyi-moon, more than 80 per cent of the persons involved in combat operations against the Syrian military forces and the Syrian Civil Defense Forces are foreign fighters.
Since the US-backed coup d´etat in Libya in 2011, Abdelhakim Belhadj, who has a long history of cooperation with the British Foreign Intelligence Service MI6, Mossad and NATO Intelligence, and who according to former Spanish Prime Minister Aznar is the main responsible person for the 2004 Madrid Train Bombings that killed dozens, Abdelhakim Belhadj also functions as official Tripoli Military Governor. The largest so far documented arms shipment, including SAM-7 surface to air missiles was shipped from Libya through Turkey and into Syria. It is safe to conclude that the greatest part of arms shipments and deployment of recruits from Libya to Syria as well as to Mali is being organized through the Belhadj network.
Belhadj, Tripoli Military Governor and Syrian Tripoli Brigade Commander in Chief
With the main body of Syria recruits being recruited through a network that is in liaison with NATO, NATO is by implication, also becoming directly involved in the Syria War if the bill is passed. In fact, some international lawyers argue that NATO´s legal status already is that of a party to the conflict due to the fact that Turkey is directly involved.
The legal implications are mind-boggling and bound to significantly worsen the crisis between Russia and the USA, the crisis between Russia and the EU, and the crisis between some EU member states, first and foremost Germany and the USA.
Most experts on US – Israeli foreign relations agree that the Israeli lobby in the USA, which has a significant influence over the majority of members of Congress, has been lobbying strongly in support of the bill. Over the course of the last month reports of direct Israeli involvement in the war have significantly increased.
Already in 2011 Israel was arming the so-called Syrian opposition through third parties in Lebanon. Most prominently among them, the Saudi-Lebanese national and chairman of the “Movement for the Future Party” Saad Hariri, and the leader of the Lebanese Druze community and chairman of the Lebanese Progressive Socialist Party Walid Jumblatt. Jumblatt is known for having facilitated shipments of weapons and equipment from Israel´s Raphael Industries since 2011.
One of the few Senators who have voted against the bill was Senator Rand Paul who stated ” You will be funding today the allies of al-Qaeda…. It is an irony you cannot overcome”. Critics of Rand Paul however state that his nay-vote was cheap since it was well known that the majority would vote in favor of the bill. Others criticize Paul for being representative of double standards by not clearly stating that al-Qaeda and “The Opposition” are euphemisms for a network of NATO mercenaries who can be used as friend or foe, terrorist of freedom fighters, all and alone depending on utility.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry is currently visiting Jordan to meet representatives from 11 nations. Part of the agenda will be discussions between Kerry and Russian representatives about the so-called U.S.-Russian roadmap to end the Syria crisis.
The chances for ending the war in Syrian by political means however, are becoming increasingly slim. According to some analysts, the crisis is developing a propensity toward a deterioration into a Sarajevo-like situation, where the events begin determining the decisions of the policy makers, rather than the policy makers being the ones who determine the development of the events. The odds are clearly stacked against a political resolution and overwhelmingly for a widening of the war into Lebanon and Iraq.
Russia has repeatedly warned that the material support of the terrorists in Syria violates international law, and Russian officials have warned that the passing of the legislation is one more, and a most serious violation of international law.
The Russian position always was and remains the position, that only direct talks between the Syrian government and the opposition can solve the crisis and that the arming of terrorists sabotages ongoing attempts to solve the crisis and the ongoing political reform process in Syria.
In March, the Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov stated, that “International law does not permit the supply of arms to non-governmental actors and our point of view is that it is a violation of international law” .
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About the Author
Xbox One by default features camera that works in the dark and microphone you can’t turn off
by Madison Ruppert
Editor of End the Lie
May 23, 2013
By default, the upcoming Xbox One from Microsoft will feature an always-on microphone and camera that works in the dark, both of which are constantly connected to the internet and can’t be turned off.
The creepiness is only compounded when one realizes that Microsoft helps develop massive surveillance systems like the Domain Awareness System used in New York City. Microsoft has also been questioned about the privacy and security of Skype and criticized for censoring Windows Live Messenger chats.
Putting a product like this by Microsoft – a company that backed privacy-crushing legislation in the past – is only asking for trouble.
The new Kinect 2.0 will be bundled with every Xbox One and according to Extreme Tech, the Xbox One will not work if the Kinect isn’t plugged in.
That might sound quite nonsensical, but it was confirmed by Xbox’s UK marketing director.
“Xbox’s UK marketing director Harvey Eagle has said that the console will not function without Kinect connected,” Keza MacDonald wrote for IGN.
“Kinect does require to be connected to Xbox One in all cases, yes,” Harvey Eagle told IGN after a Microsoft-hosted event in London on May 21, 2013.
This was also confirmed by Corporate VP of Microsoft Studios Phil Spencer when he told Joystiq, “Kinect has to be connected to Xbox One.”
It gets even creepier when we learn that the new Kinect is capable of examining your facial features and identifying you, even if you don’t have the controller in hand. Perhaps even worse, it can estimate your heart rate.
“By examining your face’s skin color and transparency, the Kinect and Xbox One are able to estimate your current heart rate,” according to Joystiq.
While some users may think the Kinect will be awesome, others will be troubled by the fact that it remains on even when the Xbox One itself is turned off.
This fact is revealed when one realizes that one of the “great addition[s]” of the new Kinect is that it has “the ability to turn on the console just by saying ‘Xbox On,’” according to iDigital Times.
Obviously the device must remain on even when the Xbox itself is off in order for this feature to work.
Furthermore, the 1080p HD camera on the Kinect uses active infrared technology, thus eliminating any need light to accurately sense motion.
That wouldn’t necessarily be all that worrisome if Microsoft was vigilant in protecting user privacy. Unfortunately, Microsoft states in their Xbox Live terms of service that users should not expect any level or privacy.
Some of the statements in the terms of service that make this type of technology troubling include:
“[W]e may access or disclose information about you, including the content of your communications, in order to: (a) comply with the law or respond to lawful requests or legal process; (b) protect the rights or property of Microsoft or our customers, including the enforcement of our agreements or policies governing your use of the Service; or (c) act on a good faith belief that such access or disclosure is necessary to protect the personal safety of Microsoft employees, customers, or the public.”
Not to mention the explicit statement:
“You should not expect any level of privacy concerning your use of the live communication features (for example, voice chat, video and communications in live-hosted gameplay sessions) offered through the Service. These communications may be monitored; however, we cannot monitor the entire Service and make no attempt to do so. You understand that these communications can be recorded and used by others , and communications in live-hosted gameplay sessions may be broadcast to others.”
While it’s obviously quite obvious that the in-game communication is not private (since you’re talking to other human beings), the terms do not limit the lack of privacy to only those types of communications.
Instead, it says, “for example,” leaving the possibility that the information captured by the always-on Kinect would fall under similar terms.
Unfortunately when it comes to corporations like Microsoft, we can’t assume the best and think that all communications captured by Kinect will be treated as private and protected.
Furthermore, we must realize that this type of technology would be a prime target for hackers.
Microsoft says that privacy is a “top priority” and that “Kinect for Xbox 360 was designed and built with strong privacy protections in place and the new Kinect will continue this commitment.”
Yet as Extreme Tech points out, “we know from experience, though, no system is invulnerable to the manifold attack vectors exploited by malware authors. The Xbox and Xbox 360 were chipped/modded/rooted, and it’s fairly safe to assume that the Xbox One will also suffer the same fate.”
To make matters even worse, in 2012 Microsoft filed for a patent related to their Kinect system that uses “camera-based system that would monitor the number of viewers in a room and check to see if the number of occupants exceeded a certain threshold set by the content provider.”
“If there are too many warm bodies present, the device owner would be prompted to purchase a license for a greater number of viewers,” Extreme Tech explained in an article.
Concerned? You have some very legitimate reasons to be. You will probably want to keep these in mind when considering the purchase of an Xbox One.
UPDATE: While Extreme Tech says that it will constantly be connected to the Internet, Kotaku writes, “Microsoft is also being sketchy about whether or not the platform will be always-online, something that has been rumored for quite some time now.”
I’d love to hear your opinion, take a look at your story tips and even your original writing if you would like to get it published. Please email me at Admin@EndtheLie.com
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VIDEO — Syrian army continues mop-up operation in Qusayr
Press TV
May 23, 2013
These Syrian soldiers are entering the unknown, walking into the edge of the northern quarter of Qusair city, this unit is carrying out a limited mission as part of the second stage of the Syrian military operation in Al-Qusair.
The second phase involves a variety of tactics to minimize human losses among Syrian soldiers according a Syrian military source. The Syrian command doesn’t want to push everything it has into the battle right now so while some attack, others wait.
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