Steven Gaal Posted April 29, 2015 Author Share Posted April 29, 2015 (edited) British Court Throws Out Conviction of Autism/Vaccine MD: Andrew Wakefield’s Co-Author Completely Exonerated Autism Action Network In a stunning reversal, world renowned pediatric gastroenterologist Prof. John Walker-Smith won his appeal against the United Kingdom’s General Medical Council regulatory board that had ruled against both him and Andrew Wakefield for their roles in the 1998 Lancet MMR paper, which raised questions about a link to autism. The complete victory means that Walker-Smith has been returned to the status of a fully licensed physician in the UK, although he had already retired in 2001 — six years before the GMC trial even began. Justice John Mitting ruled on the appeal by Walker-Smith, saying that the GMC “panel’s determination cannot stand. I therefore quash it.” He said that its conclusions were based on “inadequate and superficial reasoning and, in a number of instances, a wrong conclusion.” The verdict restores Walker-Smith’s name to the medical register and his reputation to the medical community. This conclusion is not surprising, as the GMC trial had no actual complainants, no harm came to the children who were studied, and parents supported Walker-Smith and Wakefield through the trial, reporting that their children had medically benefited from the treatment they received at the Royal Free Hospital. While John Walker-Smith received funding to appeal the GMC decision from his insurance carrier, his co-author Andrew Wakefield did not — and was therefore unable to mount an appeal in the high court. This year, however, Dr. Wakefield, who now conducts his research in the US, has filed a defamation lawsuit against Brian Deer, Fiona Godlee and the British Medical Journal for falsely accusing him of “fraud.” The suit is currently underway in Texas, where Wakefield now lives. The ruling today bodes well for Dr. Wakefield’s suit against Deer, on whose reporting the entire GMC hearing was based. In 1998 the Lancet published a case series on twelve children receiving treatment for bowel dysfunction at the Royal Free Hospital in London. The paper called for further study of a possible association between bowel disease and developmental delay, including cases of autism. It also noted that eight of the children’s gastrointestinal and autistic symptoms began shortly after they received the MMR vaccination. The verdict today raises questions about whether or not the Lancet should have retracted the paper after the GMC decision, as the reasons for its retraction have now been contradicted by the judge’s decision. The thirteen original co-authors of the 1998 Lancet case series were members of the Royal Free’s Inflammatory Bowel Disease Study Group. In 2004, under pressure from the British medical establishment, ten of the co-authors signed a letter retracting an interpretation of the paper that it proved that vaccines caused autism, which the paper never actually claimed in the first place. John Walker-Smith, Andrew Wakefield and Dr. Simon Murch were subsequently brought up on misconduct charges before the GMC. The proceedings resulted in Walker-Smith and Wakefield being found guilty and being “struck off” the medical register, while Dr. Murch retained his status as a physician. Wakefield was then vilified by corporate media and by bloggers eager to repeat scandal and engage in industry protectionism, rather than investigate the complicated facts of the story. Today, almost 14 years after the paper was published, the high court determined that John Walker-Smith was innocent of the wrongdoing alleged by the GMC. Judge Mitting reported that the GMC, “on the basis of sensible instructions, does not invite me to remit it to a fresh Fitness to Practice panel for redetermination. The end result is that the finding of serious professional misconduct and the sanction of erasure are both quashed.” British parents from the group CryShame, which includes parents of the Lancet 12, issued a statement saying that they “welcome with immense relief the end of the eight year ordeal of Prof John Walker-Smith and the quashing of all substantive charges against him in the High Court, and wish him their heartfelt congratulations at finally clearing his name.” “Though justice has finally prevailed for Prof. Walker-Smith, the damage done to him and his colleagues has been incalculable,” said Mark Blaxill, chairman of the Canary Party. “The UK government must investigate the corruption in the GMC, which has severely damaged the reputations of good, honest doctors. Most of all, it’s outrageous that Dr. Andrew Wakefield has been vilified by government officials, vaccine manufacturers and physician organizations, and that the media has accepted these unfounded accusations uncritically.” “It’s time that we started treating responsible parents as reliable witnesses to serious adverse reactions to medical procedures such as vaccination,” said Jennifer Larson, president of the Canary Party. “The work that Walker-Smith and his colleagues at the Royal Free Hospital did with the Lancet 12 was medically necessary and above reproach. No patient complained, and the charges against the Royal Free team came only from a freelance journalist writing for a Rupert Murdoch newspaper. Meanwhile, the findings reported in the Lancet paper have been replicated in numerous scientific publications and reported by thousands of parents all over the world.” “It is quite obvious to me that James Murdoch, Brian Deer and GlaxoSmithKline orchestrated the smear attack on Dr. Andrew Wakefield,” said Ginger Taylor, executive director of the Canary Party. “A judge has now ruled that the GMC hearings were a farce. Parents are waiting for journalists to find their spine and start some honest reporting on the character assassination of doctors that is blocking medical treatments for vaccine injured children, and the role that GSK and Merck may be playing to protect their profits on the MMR vaccine. The Canary Party honors and stands by doctors of integrity like Prof. Walker-Smith, who continue to fight and defend their hard-won reputations for going the extra mile to investigate and improve the chronic, difficult-to-treat cases that now permeate our society.” Source: Autism Action Network Vaccine EpidemicHow Corporate Greed, Biased Science, and Coercive Government Threaten Our Human Rights, Our Health, and Our Childrenby Louise Kuo Habakus and Mary Holland J.D. FREE Shipping Available!More Info Edited April 29, 2015 by Steven Gaal Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Evan Burton Posted April 30, 2015 Share Posted April 30, 2015 You have been misled, Steven. Let's see what the judge actually said: At a press conference, which Professor Walker-Smith did not attend, convened to accompany publication, Dr. Wakefield stated publicly the view which he had previously expressed privately to Professor Walker-Smith that he could no longer support the giving of MMR vaccine. The joint view of Professor Walker-Smith and Dr. Murch, stated in a letter to Dr. Wakefield on 21st January 1998, was that it was inappropriate to emphasize the role of MMR vaccine in publicity about the paper and that they supported government policy concerning MMR until more firm evidence was available for them to see for themselves. They published a press release to coincide with publication stating their support for “present public health policy concerning MMR”. Dr. Wakefield’s statement and subsequent publicity had a predictable adverse effect upon the take up of MMR vaccine of great concern to those responsible for public health. There is now no respectable body of opinion which supports his hypothesis, that MMR vaccine and autism/enterocolitis are causally linked. http://www.bailii.org/ew/cases/EWHC/Admin/2012/503.html http://scienceblogs.com/insolence/2012/03/08/andy-wakefield-exonerated-because-john-w/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steven Gaal Posted April 30, 2015 Author Share Posted April 30, 2015 (edited) U.S. Media Blackout: Italian Courts Rule Vaccines Cause ... healthimpactnews.com/.../u-s-media-blackout-italian-courts-rule-vaccines... Jan 9, 2015 - Rimini: 2012 – Italian Court Rules MMR Vaccine Caused Autism ... As in the Milan case, the Ministry of Health's compensation program had ... ===================================================================================================== U.S. Media Blackout: Italian Courts Rule Vaccines Cause Autismcourt-judge Recent Italian Court Decisions on Vaccines and Autism ]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]] by Mary Holland J.D.Age of Autism On September 23, 2014, an Italian court in Milan award compensation to a boy for vaccine-induced autism. (See the Italian document here.) A childhood vaccine against six childhood diseases caused the boy’s permanent autism and brain damage. While the Italian press has devoted considerable attention to this decision and its public health implications, the U.S. press has been silent. Italy’s National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program Like the U.S., Italy has a national vaccine injury compensation program to give some financial support to those people who are injured by compulsory and recommended vaccinations. The Italian infant plaintiff received three doses of GlaxoSmithKline’s Infanrix Hexa, a hexavalent vaccine administered in the first year of life. These doses occurred from March to October 2006. The vaccine is to protect children from polio, diphtheria, tetanus, hepatitis B, pertussis and Haemophilus influenza type B. In addition to these antigens, however, the vaccine then contained thimerosal, the mercury-containing preservative, aluminum, an adjuvant, as well as other toxic ingredients. The child regressed into autism shortly after receiving the three doses. When the parents presented their claim for compensation first to the Ministry of Health, as they were required to do, the Ministry rejected it. Therefore, the family sued the Ministry in a court of general jurisdiction, an option which does not exist in the same form in the U.S. Court Decision: Mercury and Aluminum in Vaccine Caused Autism Based on expert medical testimony, the court concluded that the child more likely than not suffered autism and brain damage because of the neurotoxic mercury, aluminum and his particular susceptibility from a genetic mutation. The Court also noted that Infanrix Hexa contained thimerosal, now banned in Italy because of its neurotoxicity, “in concentrations greatly exceeding the maximum recommended levels for infants weighing only a few kilograms.” Presiding Judge Nicola Di Leo considered another piece of damning evidence: a 1271-page confidential GlaxoSmithKline report (now available on the Internet). This industry document provided ample evidence of adverse events from the vaccine, including five known cases of autism resulting from the vaccine’s administration during its clinical trials (see table at page 626, excerpt below). table at page 626 = see link http://healthimpactnews.com/2015/u-s-media-blackout-italian-courts-rule-vaccines-cause-autism/ ]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]] Italian Government, Not Vaccine Maker, Pays for Vaccine Damages As in many other developed countries, government, not industry, compensates families in the event of vaccine injury. Thus GSK’s apparent lack of concern for the vaccine’s adverse effects is notable and perhaps not surprising. In the final assessment, the report states that: “[t]he benefit/risk profile of Infanrix hexa continues to be favourable,” despite GSK’s acknowledgement that the vaccine causes side effects including “anaemia haemolytic autoimmune,thrombocytopenia, thrombocytopenic purpura, autoimmune thrombocytopenia, idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura, haemolytic anemia, cyanosis, injection site nodule, abcess and injection site abscess, Kawasaki’s disease, important neurological events (including encephalitis and encephalopathy), Henoch-Schonlein purpura, petechiae, purpura, haematochezia, allergic reactions (including anaphylactic and anaphylactoid reactions),” and death (see page 9). The Milan decision is sober, informed and well-reasoned. The Ministry of Health has stated that it has appealed the Court’s decision, but that appeal will likely take several years, and its outcome is uncertain. Rimini: 2012 – Italian Court Rules MMR Vaccine Caused Autism Gavel and Flag of Italy Two years earlier, on May 23, 2012, Judge Lucio Ardigo of an Italian court in Rimini presided over a similar judgment, finding that a different vaccine, the Measles-Mumps-Rubella vaccine (MMR), had caused a child’s autism. As in the Milan case, the Ministry of Health’s compensation program had denied compensation to the family, yet after a presentation of medical evidence, a court granted compensation. There, too, the Italian press covered the story; the U.S. press did not. In that case, a 15-month old boy received his MMR vaccine on March 26, 2004. He then immediately developed bowel and eating problems and received an autism diagnosis with cognitive delay within a year. The court found that the boy had “been damaged by irreversible complications due to vaccination (with trivalent MMR).” The decision flew in the face of the conventional mainstream medical wisdom that an MMR-autism link has been “debunked.” Italian Court Decisions Break New Ground in Debate Over Vaccines and Autism Both these Italian court decisions break new ground in the roiling debate over vaccines and autism. These courts, like all courts, are intended to function as impartial, unbiased decision makers. The courts’ decisions are striking because they not only find a vaccine-autism causal link, but they also overrule the decisions of Italy’s Ministry of Health. And taken together, the court decisions found that both the MMR and a hexavalent thimerosal- and aluminum-containing vaccine can trigger autism. Italian Court Rulings Contradict Special U.S. Vaccine Court These court decisions flatly contradict the decisions from the so-called U.S. vaccine court, the Court of Federal Claim’s Vaccine Injury Compensation Program. There, from 2007 to 2010, in the Omnibus Autism Proceeding, three decision makers, called Special Masters, found that vaccines did not cause autism in any of the six test cases, and one Special Master even went so far as to compare the theory of vaccine-induced autism to Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland. The Italian court decisions contrast starkly with these U.S. cases based on similar claims. ================================================================ Read the full story at Age of Autism. About the Author Mary Holland is Research Scholar and Director of the Graduate Legal Skills Program at NYU Law School. She has published articles on vaccine law and policy, and is the co-editor of Vaccine Epidemic: How Corporate Greed, Biased Science and Coercive Government Threaten Our Human Rights, Our Health and Our Children (Skyhorse Publishing, 2012). ))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))) ))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))) ))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))) ))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))) Vaccines cause autism, says confidential document from corrupt drug company Thursday, April 23, 2015 by: Jennifer Lilley ==========================================================(NaturalNews) While the debate rages on about whether or not vaccines cause autism, a confidential document has surfaced that makes clear what science has led Natural News readers to believe: Yes, vaccines are linked to autism. The document,[PDF] which runs over 1,000 pages, is from the fraudulent and corrupt GlaxoSmithKline. Several hundred pages in, it's revealed that vaccines are tied to autism. It's blatantly outlined in a chart, along with a long list of other conditions caused by vaccines, including "motor development delay," "tremor" and "altered state of consciousness." Autism is listed in this chart as a nervous system and mental impairment disorder associated with receiving GSK's Infanrix hexa vaccine.(1) Signed by Dr. Felix Arellano, the Vice President and Head of Biological Safety and Pharmacovigilance of GlaxoSmithKline Biologicals, the document's introduction states: This summary bridging report integrates the information presented in the two Combined Diphtheria, Tetanus and Acellular Pertussis, Hepatitis B enhanced Inactivated Poliomyelitis and Haemophilus influenzae type B vaccine (Infanrix™ hexa) periodic safety update reports (PSURs) covering the two year period from 23 October 2009 to 22 October 2011.(1) Vaccine is "favourable," despite long list of health conditionsThe document suggests that, although there are several adverse health effects associated with vaccine, the risk is not deemed to be problematic: The Company will continue to monitor cases of anaemia haemolytic autoimmune, thrombocytopenia, thrombocytopenic purpura, autoimmune thrombocytopenia, idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura, haemolytic anemia, cyanosis, injection site nodule, abcess and injection site abscess, Kawasaki's disease, important neurological events (including encephalitis and encephalopathy), Henoch-Schonlein purpura, petechiae, purpura, haematochezia, allergic reactions (including anaphylactic and anaphylactoid reactions) cases of lack of effectiveness as well as fatal cases.(1) Yet, despite the long list of health problems mentioned, the document maintains, "The benefit/risk profile of Infanrix hexa continues to be favourable."(1) In 2014, Infanrix was ruled by an Italian court to be responsible for a young Milan boy developing autism shortly after receiving the GlaxoSmithKline vaccine. As such, the decision was to award the boy for his vaccine-induced autism.(2) The child received a series of Infanrix hexa injections in 2006, a vaccine designed to protect children from polio, tetanus, hepatitis B, diphtheria, pertussis and Haemophilus influenzae type B. Instead of being protected, his health declined: He developed autism. Medical experts in the Italian Court pointed to the confidential document, suggesting that the boy likely developed the condition due to the variety of antigens and thimerosal (a mercury-containing preservative now banned in Italy due to its neurotoxicity) and a host of other toxic ingredients that were in the vaccine at the time.(2) Of Infanrix hexa's thimerosal, the Court noted that it was "in concentrations greatly exceeding the maximum recommended levels for infants weighing only a few kilograms."(2) Despite irrefutable proof that vaccines cause autism, court appeals are in the worksInterestingly, in 2012, the Italian courts made a judgement in a similar situation in which they ruled that the MMR (measles, mumps and rubella) vaccine caused a child's autism. Just like the Infanrix hexa ruling, however, this finding has not set well with the Ministry of Health; they initially denied compensation to the family. Ultimately, the court granted compensation. Still, in the case of the young boy who was given the Infanrix hexa vaccine, the Ministry of Health has appealed, a process that's expected to take several years to sort out.(2) Such rulings should be applauded, although it's disturbing 1) that appeals have ensued, and 2) that the United States has yet to come close to such court decisions. This document -- straight from the horse's mouth, GlaxoSmithKline themselves -- blatantly shows that vaccines are linked to autism and other conditions. What more is there to question, when the proof exists before our very eyes? ============================= Sources: (1) https://autismoevaccini.files.wordpress.com[PDF] (2) http://www.ageofautism.com Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/049458_autism_Infanrix_vaccine_GlaxoSmithKline.html#ixzz3YkvedsR9 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 Government vaccine compensation payouts prove autism link Vaccines cause autism: Supporting evidence Autism now costs U.S. over $236 billion per year MMR vaccines cause 340% increased risk of autism in African American infants Mercury pollution linked to 283% increased risk of autism in children; flu shots still contain mercury Researching genetics as a cause of autism - An expensive attempt to marginalize vaccine causation CDC whistleblower exposes massive autism cover-up perpetrated by government agency Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/049458_autism_Infanrix_vaccine_GlaxoSmithKline.html#ixzz3Ykwt3AjO Edited April 30, 2015 by Steven Gaal Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Evan Burton Posted April 30, 2015 Share Posted April 30, 2015 Yep - let just ignore inconvenient facts, shall we? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steven Gaal Posted April 30, 2015 Author Share Posted April 30, 2015 (edited) Mercury pollution linked to 283% increased risk of autism in children; flu shots still contain mercury Wednesday, April 09, 2014 by: Ethan A. Huff, staff writer == http://www.naturalnews.com/044649_mercury_pollution_autism_flu_shots.html == Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/044649_mercury_pollution_autism_flu_shots.html#ixzz3YnqyC0aH ========================================= (NaturalNews) Heavy metal poisoning appears to be a primary driver of autism, according to a new study published in the journal PLOS Computational Biology. Researchers from the University of Chicago found that environmental pollution, and particularly mercury and mercury-containing compounds, may be responsible for increasing a child's risk of developing an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) by nearly threefold. Data collected from health insurance claims filed by 100 million people in the U.S. over the course of many years revealed a strong correlation between ASD and mothers' exposure to environmental pollution. According to the research, children born to parents exposed to high levels of pollution are about 1 percent more likely to be born with birth defects. But these same children are also about 283 percent more likely than other children to develop autism. Pregnant women living in the top 20 percent of the most polluted areas evaluated were found to be twice as likely as women in the least polluted areas to birth a child with autism. Similarly, women directly exposed to the highest levels of mercury chemicals were determined to be about 50 percent more likely to have a child who develops autism. It is believed, based on these findings, that children exposed to chemicals during their most intense developmental stages experience major physiological changes that affect their brain development. Tiny molecules from plasticizer chemicals, prescription drugs, environmental pesticides and heavy metals such as mercury interfere with normal childhood development, leading to symptoms that qualify on the autism spectrum. "Essentially what happens is during pregnancy there are certain sensitive periods where the fetus is very vulnerable to a range of small molecules," says Audrey Rzhetsky, lead author of the study from the University of Chicago. "Some of these small molecules essentially alter normal development. It's not really well known why, but it's an experimental observation." Mercury causes autism, and many vaccines still contain mercuryThose most affected by chemical pollution are young boys, according to the study, whose reproductive systems are most hampered from exposure. This disparity between the sexes is also seen with autism, which affects boys at a much higher rate than girls, further supporting the notion of a causal link between mercury exposure and ASD. "Autism appears to be strongly correlated with rate of congenital malformations of the genitals in males across the country," adds Rzhetsky. "This gives an indicator of environmental load and the effect is surprisingly strong." Scientifically speaking, these findings also apply to vaccines, many of which still contain mercury derivatives in the form of thimerosal -- in the past, many more vaccines than today contained added mercury. Injecting this toxic heavy metal directly into the muscle tissue of babies, bypassing their innate immune system, most definitely puts them at an increased risk of developing ASD. "[M]ercury, including and especially ethylmercury in vaccines, caused the environmental, manmade, iatrogenic autism epidemic," wrote Dan Olmsted from Age of Autism following the publishing of an earlier Harvard University study that came to similar conclusions about mercury exposure and autism. Researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health observed elevated risks of autism associated with exposure to air pollution containing mercury compounds, which is typically released from diesel trucks and coal-fired power plants. The first of its kind to investigate a possible link between mercury exposure and autism, the Harvard study furthers the case against mercury-containing vaccines. "A large body of research has concluded autism is a type of genetic damage that is caused by mercury exposure," reads a research paper on the subject written by Mark Reman Hamilton, Esq., as posted in the comment section at Age of Autism. "Besides autism, many types of neurological problems are caused by mercury. The long list includes: depression, anxiety, attention deficit disorder (ADD) and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)." ]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]] Sources for this article include: http://www.dailymail.co.uk http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org http://www.ageofautism.com http://science.naturalnews.com http://science.naturalnews.com Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/044649_mercury_pollution_autism_flu_shots.html#ixzz3YnrBuhXm ]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]] Vaccines cause autism: Supporting evidence http://www.naturalnews.com/027178_autism_vaccines.html 000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 http://www.texasgopvote.com/sites/default/files/1513326_10201456396359204_325539440_n.jpg Edited April 30, 2015 by Steven Gaal Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Evan Burton Posted April 30, 2015 Share Posted April 30, 2015 That's the way to go, Steven: use big font size and colours. It shows you are more credible; after all, who needs facts when you can shout... right? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steven Gaal Posted April 30, 2015 Author Share Posted April 30, 2015 That's the way to go, Steven: use big font size and colours. It shows you are more credible; after all, who needs facts when you can shout... right? // Burton ======================================== "[M]ercury, including and especially ethylmercury in vaccines, caused the environmental, manmade, iatrogenic autism epidemic," wrote Dan Olmsted from Age of Autism following the publishing of an earlier Harvard University study that came to similar conclusions about mercury exposure and autism. Researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health observed elevated risks of autism associated with exposure to air pollution containing mercury compounds, which is typically released from diesel trucks and coal-fired power plants. The first of its kind to investigate a possible link between mercury exposure and autism, the Harvard study furthers the case against mercury-containing vaccines. "A large body of research has concluded autism is a type of genetic damage that is caused by mercury exposure," reads a research paper on the subject written by Mark Reman Hamilton, Esq., as posted in the comment section at Age of Autism. "Besides autism, many types of neurological problems are caused by mercury. The long list includes: depression, anxiety, attention deficit disorder (ADD) and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)." ]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]] Sources for this article include: http://www.dailymail.co.uk http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org http://www.ageofautism.com http://science.naturalnews.com http://science.naturalnews.com ]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]] You don't have facts counter to : MERCURY STILL IN VACCINES , MERCURY CAUSES AUTISM. SOURCE (see above) Harvard School of Public Health . There is no higher establishment source than Harvard School of Public Health. ================================================================================= big fonts ?? Color ...golly Im hoping someone will pay notice and not cause a child to become mentally disabled. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Salt and Light…15nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. 16"Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Evan Burton Posted May 1, 2015 Share Posted May 1, 2015 Come on, Steven. You quoted a piece and claim it vindicates Wakefield and thus proves a link between vaccines and autism. The facts are that one of the authors was exonerated whilst still showing that the intent was that all evidence still showed that there was NO link between MMR and autism. Your credibility suffers badly when you try to say otherwise. And quoting your bible does not change the fact some of your posts could do with a review: http://www.tailfeathersnetwork.com/netiquette.php Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steven Gaal Posted May 1, 2015 Author Share Posted May 1, 2015 (edited) BURTON And quoting your bible skeptics blog does not change the fact some of your posts could do with a review: (GAAL) ]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]] What the News Isn’t Saying About Vaccine-Autism Studies ================================================== http://sharylattkisson.com/what-the-news-isnt-saying-about-vaccine-autism-studies/ A new study this week found no link between vaccines and autism. It instantly made headlines on TV news and popular media everywhere. Many billed it as the final word, “once again,” disproving the notion that vaccines could have anything to do with autism. What you didn’t learn on the news was that the study was from a consulting firm that lists major vaccine makers among its clients: The Lewin Group. That potential conflict of interest was not disclosed in the paper published in The New England Journal of Medicine; the study authors simply declare “The Lewin Group operates with editorial independence.” (As an aside, according to OpenSecrets.org, The Lewin Group’s parent company, UnitedHealth Group, is a key government partner in Obamacare. Its subsidiary QSSI was given the contract to build the federal government’s HealthCare.gov website. One of its top executives and his family are top Obama donors.) Conflicts of interest alone do not invalidate a study. But they serve as important context in the relentless effort by pharmaceutical interests and their government partners to discredit the many scientists and studies that have found possible vaccine-autism links. ====== Many Studies Suggest Possible Vaccine-Autism Links === When the popular press, bloggers and medical pundits uncritically promote a study like The Lewin Group’s, it must confound researchers like Lucija Tomljenovic, Catherine DeSoto, Robert Hitlan, Christopher Shaw, Helen Ratajczak, Boyd Haley, Carolyn Gallagher, Melody Goodman, M.I. Kawashti, O.R. Amin, N.G. Rowehy, T. Minami, Laura Hewitson, Brian Lopresti, Carol Stott, Scott Mason, Jaime Tomko, Bernard Rimland, Woody McGinnis, K. Shandley and D.W. Austin. They are just a few of the many scientists whose peer-reviewed, published works have found possible links between vaccines and autism. But unlike The Lewin Group’s study, their research has not been endorsed and promoted by the government and, therefore, has not been widely reported in the media. In fact, news reports, blogs and “medical experts” routinely claim no such studies exist. To be clear: no study to date conclusively proves or disproves a causal link between vaccines and autism and—despite the misreporting—none has claimed to do so. Each typically finds either (a) no association or ( a possible association on a narrow vaccine-autism question. Taken as a whole, the research on both sides serves as a body of evidence. == The Astroturf Propaganda Campaign == It’s theoretically possible that all of the studies supporting a possible link between vaccines and autism are wrong. And, if the propagandists are to be believed, each of the researchers is an incompetent crank, quack, nut or fraud (and, of course, “anti-vaccine” for daring to dabble in research that attempts to solve the autism puzzle and leads to vaccine safety issues). The scientists and their research are “controversial,” simply because the propagandists declare them to be. The disparaged scientists include well-published neurologists, pharmacists, epidemiologists, immunologists, PhD’s, chemists and microbiologists from places like Boston Children’s Hospital, Horizon Molecular Medicine at Georgia State University, University of British Columbia, City College of New York, Columbia University, Stony Brook University Medical Center, University of Northern Iowa, University of Michigan, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Arkansas Children’s Hospital Research Institute, Al Azhar University of Cairo, Kinki University in Japan, the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Swinburne University of Technology in Australia, Institute of Psychiatry and Neurology in Poland, Department of Child Health Care, Children’s Hospital of Fudan University in China, Utah State University and many more. Their work is, at best, ignored by the media; at worst, viciously attacked by the predictable flock of self-appointed expert “science” bloggers who often title their blogs with the word “science” or “skeptics” to confer an air of legitimacy. This astroturf movement, in my opinion, includes but is not limited to: LeftBrainRightBrain, ScienceBlogs, NeuroSkeptic, ScienceBasedMedicine, LizDitz, ScienceBasedMedicine, CrooksandLiars, RespectfulInsolence, HealthNewsReview, SkepticalRaptor, Skepticblog, Skeptics.com, Wired, BrianDeer, SethMnookin, Orac, Every Child by Two, the vaccine industry supported American Academy of Pediatrics, and the government/corporate funded American Council on Science and Health (once called “Voodoo Science, Twisted Consumerism” by the watchdog Center for Science in the Public Interest). This circle operates with the moral support of the vaccine industry and its government partners, citing one another’s flawed critiques as supposed proof that each study has been “debunked,” though the studies continue to appear in peer-reviewed, published journals and in the government’s own National Institutes of Health library. “Weak,” “too small,” “haphazard,” “not replicated,” “junk science,” “flawed,” “unrelated,” declare the propagandists, without exception. Just as attackers spent years challenging any study that linked tobacco to lung cancer. They know that reporters who don’t do their homework will conduct an Internet search, run across the blogs with science-y sounding names, and uncritically accept their word as if it’s fact and prevailing thought. CDC claims “no link” between vaccines and autism == A Small Sampling Many of the studies have common themes regarding a subset of susceptible children with immunity issues who, when faced with various vaccine challenges, end up with brain damage described as autism. “Permanent brain damage” is an acknowledged, rare side effect of vaccines; there’s no dispute in that arena. The question is whether the specific form of autism brain injury after vaccination is in any way related to vaccination. ====== So what are a few of these published studies supporting a possible link between vaccines and autism? ===== As far back as 1998, a serology study by the College of Pharmacy at University of Michigan supported the hypothesis that an autoimmune response from the live measles virus in MMR vaccine “may play a causal role in autism.” (Nothing to see here, say the critics, that study is old.) In 2002, a Utah State University study found that “an inappropriate antibody response to MMR [vaccine], specifically the measles component thereof, might be related to pathogenesis of autism.” (“Flawed and non-replicable,” insist the propagandists.) Also in 2002, the Autism Research Institute in San Diego looked at a combination of vaccine factors. Scientists found the mercury preservative thimerosal used in some vaccines (such as flu shots) could depress a baby’s immunity. That could make him susceptible to chronic measles infection of the gut when he gets MMR vaccine, which contains live measles virus. (The bloggers say it’s an old study, and that other studies contradict it.) In 2006, a team of microbiologists in Cairo, Egypt concluded, “deficient immune response to measles, mumps and rubella vaccine antigens might be associated with autism, as a leading cause or a resulting event.” A 2007 study found statistically significant evidence suggesting that boys who got the triple series Hepatitis B vaccine when it contained thimerosal were “more susceptible to developmental disability” than unvaccinated boys. Similarly, a 5-year study of 79,000 children by the same institution found boys given Hepatitis B vaccine at birth had a three times increased risk for autism than boys vaccinated later or not at all. Nonwhite boys were at greatest risk. (“Weak study,” say the critics.) A 2009 study in The Journal of Child Neurology found a major flaw in a widely-cited study that claimed no link between thimerosal in vaccines and autism. Their analysis found that “the original p value was in error and that a significant relation does exist between the blood levels of mercury and diagnosis of an autism spectrum disorder.” The researchers noted, “Like the link between aspirin and heart attack, even a small effect can have major health implications. If there is any link between autism and mercury, it is absolutely crucial that the first reports of the question are not falsely stating that no link occurs.”(Critics: the study is not to be believed.) FDA list of thimerosal-containing vaccines A 2010 rat study by the Polish Academy of Sciences suggested “likely involvement” of thimerosal in vaccines (such as flu shots) “in neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism.” (The critics dismiss rat studies.) In 2010, a pilot study in Acta Neurobiologiae Experimentalis found that infant monkeys given the 1990’s recommended pediatric vaccine regimen showed important brain changes warranting “additional research into the potential impact of an interaction between the MMR and thimerosal-containing vaccines on brain structure and function.” A study from Japan’s Kinki University in 2010 supported “the possible biological plausibility for how low-dose exposure to mercury from thimerosal-containing vaccines may be associated with autism.” A 2011 study from Australia’s Swinburne University supported the hypothesis that sensitivity to mercury, such as thimerosal in flu shots, may be a genetic risk factor for autism. (Critics call the study “strange” with “logical hurdles.”) A Journal of Immunotoxicology review in 2011 by a former pharmaceutical company senior scientist concluded autism could result from more than one cause including encephalitis (brain damage) following vaccination. (Critics say she reviewed “debunked and fringe” science.) In 2011, City University of New York correlated autism prevalence with increased childhood vaccine uptake. “Although mercury has been removed from many vaccines, other culprits may link vaccines to autism,” said the study’s lead author. (To critics, it’s “junk science.”) A University of British Columbia study in 2011 that found “the correlation between Aluminum [an adjuvant] in vaccines and [autism] may be causal.” (More “junk science,” say the propagandists.) A 2011 rat study out of Warsaw, Poland found thimerosal in vaccines given at a young age could contribute to neurodevelopmental disorders. (Proves nothing, say critics.) A Chinese study in 2012 suggested that febrile seizures (an acknowledged side effect of some vaccines) and family history of neuropsychiatric disorders correlate with autistic regression. A 2012 study from the Neurochemistry Research Marie Curie Chairs Program in Poland found that newborn exposure to vaccines with thimerosal (such as flu shots) might cause gluten-related brain injuries. In 2013, neurosurgeons at the Methodist Neurological Institute found that children with mild mitochondrial defect may be highly susceptible to toxins like the vaccine preservative thimerosal found in vaccines such as flu shots. (“Too small” of a study, say the critics.) Then, there’s a 2004 Columbia University study presented at the Institute of Medicine. It found that mice predisposed for genetic autoimmune disorder developed autistic-like behavior after receiving mercury-containing vaccines. (Critics say that’s not proof, and the work was not replicable.) There’s Dr. William Thompson, the current CDC senior scientist who has come forward with an extraordinary statement to say that he and his agency have engaged in long term efforts to obscure a study’s significant link between vaccines and autism, heightened in African Americans boys. (The CDC says the data changes made were for legitimate reasons.) There’s the current CDC immunization safety director who acknowledged to me that it’s possible vaccines may rarely trigger autism in children who are biologically or genetically susceptible to vaccine injury. There’s the case of Hannah Poling, in which the government secretly admitted multiple vaccines given in one day triggered her brain injuries, including autism, then paid a multi-million dollar settlement, and had the case sealed from the prying public eyes under a confidentiality order. There was the former head of the National Institutes of Health, Dr. Bernadine Healy, who stoked her peers’ ire by publicly stating that the vaccine-autism link was not a “myth” as so many tried to claim. She disclosed that her colleagues at the Institute of Medicine did not wish to investigate the possible link because they feared the impact it would have on the vaccination program. There’s former CDC researcher Poul Thorsen, whose studies dispelled a vaccine autism link. He’s now a “most wanted fugitive” after being charged with 13 counts of wire fraud and nine counts of money laundering for allegedly using CDC grants of tax dollars to buy a house and cars for himself. And there are the former scientists from Merck, maker of the MMR vaccine in question, who have turned into whistleblowers and accuse their company of committing vaccine fraud. ]]]]]]] Read: CDC Vaccine Information Statements (LINK at site) The Spin = If you want to review research and evidence on the other side, a simple Internet search will easily turn up everything you want to know. Those studies always seem to get covered in the news. They somehow turn up first in Google search results, along with the reports and blogs disparaging all opposing science and news reporting. You might run across a February article in the New York Times. It treated the vaccine autism theory as if it comes down to a disagreement between emotionally fragile parents of autistic children and real research: “faith” and “feeling” versus hard science. “Some parents feel certain that vaccines can lead to autism,” stated the article, and “the vaccine-autism link has continued to be accepted on faith by some.” You might run across this network news story that uses Dr. Paul Offit as an expert on vaccine safety. He’s introduced as “director of the Vaccine Education Center at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia” and he “denies a connection with vaccination and autism.” Somehow, it goes unreported that Offit has made millions (he won’t disclose exactly how much) inventing a vaccine for Merck, which makes the MMR vaccine in question. Offit’s rotavirus vaccine has, itself, been the subject of safety concerns. And his employment at Children’s Hospital has been funded in part by $1.5 million given by Merck. In addition, he got caught giving false and disparaging information regarding a report I did exposing his financial ties to the pharmaceutical industry he so vigorously defends. His false statements were corrected by the publication that originally reported them. And Offit and his book publisher settled a libel accusation by a vaccine safety advocate who accused Offit of fabricating a disparaging conversation in his book: Autism’s False Prophets. Offit agreed to apologize, correct the book and make a donation to an autism charity. But to the news: none of that matters. Offit is simply presented as an unbiased expert. = The supposedly best medical experts in the world who deny vaccines have anything to do with autism remain at an utter loss to explain this generation’s epidemic. To declare the science “settled” and the debate “over” is to defy the plain fact that many scientists worldwide are still sorting through it, and millions of people are still debating it. The body of evidence on both sides is open to interpretation. People have every right to disbelieve the studies on one side. But it is disingenuous to pretend they do not exist. ======= =SharylAttkisson.com vaccine reporting see site for links below CDC recommended vaccine schedules Vaccine court injury and claim statistics Edited May 1, 2015 by Steven Gaal Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steven Gaal Posted May 1, 2015 Author Share Posted May 1, 2015 (edited) Monsanto Secretly Gave Money to Farmer Caught Contaminating Organic Farms with GMOs Now admits to paying for GMO farmer’s legal defense ========================================================= Christina Sarich by Christina SarichPosted on April 30, 2015 ======================= http://naturalsociety.com/monsanto-secretly-contributes-money-mo-farmer-organic-crops/ ===========================================Natural Society reported on organic farmer Steve Marsh’s dilemma with GMO cross pollination of his organic farms a while back, but some shocking news has recently bubbled to the surface about Monsanto’s involvement. One of the secrets of monopolizing Monsanto is that it contributed big bucks to the defense of the Australian farmer whose GMO canola crop infected Steve Marsh’s organic fields. If you aren’t privy, a ruling by the Supreme Court of Western Australia had no sympathy for Steve Marsh’s plight, and sided in favor of Michael Baxter and Monsanto. “An organic farmer in Western Australia lost his bid to claim damages from a neighbour after genetically modified (GMO) canola seed heads blew on to his property, causing him to lose his licence as an organic grower.” Not only did Steve Marsh lose his organic certification, but he was going against another farmer who he thought someone came up with AUD 800,000 in legal fees on his own. To add insult to injury, the judge even ordered Marsh to pay the GM farmer AUD 800,000. So Marsh not only lost his organic farm, and lost his case, but he then had to pay his neighbor for contaminating his crops with his GM seed. When Marsh appealed the decision, the court ordered Baxter to disclose any financial arrangements with Monsanto and the Pastoralists and Graziers Association, of which Baxter is a member. His lawyer denied that Baxter has received any questionable payments from either entity. Only after a court order did Monsanto reveal that it had provided assistance towards Baxter’s legal defense, refusing to disclose exactly how much the corporation contributed. Of the AUD 800,000 that Baxter magically came up with to win over Marsh in court, how much do you think Monsanto provided? More information will be reported as it becomes available. One thing is for certain though, Monsanto and its dirty secrets will always be exposed. About Christina Sarich:Christina Sarich is a humanitarian and freelance writer helping you to Wake up Your Sleepy Little Head, and See the Big Picture. Her blog is Yoga for the New World. Her latest see link for below links Other Popular Stories:1.Australian Supreme Court Rules Against Organic Farmer in GMO Contamination Case2.Organic Farmer Steve Marsh to Appeal GMO Contamination Court Decision in Australia3.Farmers Fight World’s First Landmark GMO Cross-Pollination/Contamination Case4.Monsanto Caught Pushing GMOs on Independent African Farmers5.Court of Appeals Sides with Monsanto over Organic Farmers6.Monsanto Sues Farmers for 16 Straight Years over GMOs, NEVER Loses Read more: http://naturalsociety.com/monsanto-secretly-contributes-money-mo-farmer-organic-crops/#ixzz3Yuk9eNYT Edited May 1, 2015 by Steven Gaal Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steven Gaal Posted May 4, 2015 Author Share Posted May 4, 2015 (edited) PRO VAXXERS = TAKE NOTE THAT TO DO SOMETHING, EVEN WHEN IT IS OBVIOUS TO PROMOTE HEALTH VIA GOVERMENT, BECOMES A HARD THING TO DO. = BECAUSE MONEY TALKS AND PUBLIC HEALTH WALKS !!!!!!!!! = JUST BECAUSE ITS GOVERNMENT POLICY DOES NOT MEAN IT IS PRO HEALTH !!!!!!! ==== FROM THE NY TIMES (IS THAT A LOON SOURCE ??) ]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]] Energy & Environment The Uphill Battle to Better Regulate Formaldehyde = By ERIC LIPTON and RACHEL ABRAMSMAY 3, 2015 = http://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/04/business/energy-environment/the-uphill-battle-to-better-regulate-formaldehyde.html?ref=business&_r=1 ((see link for Diagrams , DOC or PHOTO)) WASHINGTON — A decade after emergency trailers meant to shelter Hurricane Katrina victims instead caused burning eyes, sore throats and other more serious ailments, the Environmental Protection Agency is on the verge of regulating the culprit: formaldehyde, a chemical that can be found in commonplace things like clothes and furniture. But an unusual assortment of players, including furniture makers, the Chinese government, Republicans from states with a large base of furniture manufacturing and even some Democrats who championed early regulatory efforts, have questioned the E.P.A. proposal. The sustained opposition has held sway, as the agency is now preparing to ease key testing requirements before it releases the landmark federal health standard. Formaldehyde is a known carcinogen that can also cause respiratory ailments like asthma, but the potential of long-term exposure to cause cancers like myeloid leukemia is less well understood. The E.P.A.’s decision would be the first time that the federal government has regulated formaldehyde inside most American homes. “The stakes are high for public health,” said Tom Neltner, senior adviser for regulatory affairs at the National Center for Healthy Housing, who has closely monitored the debate over the rules. “What we can’t have here is an outcome that fails to confront the health threat we all know exists.” The proposal would not ban formaldehyde — commonly used as an ingredient in wood glue in furniture and flooring — but it would impose rules that prevent dangerous levels of the chemical’s vapors from those products, and would set testing standards to ensure that products sold in the United States comply with those limits. The debate has sharpened in the face of growing concern about the safety of formaldehyde-treated flooring imported from Asia, especially China. What is certain is that a lot of money is at stake: American companies sell billions of dollars’ worth of wood products each year that contain formaldehyde, and some argue that the proposed regulation would impose unfair costs and restrictions. Determined to block the agency’s rule as proposed, these industry players have turned to the White House, members of Congress and top E.P.A. officials, pressing them to roll back the testing requirements in particular, calling them redundant and too expensive. “There are potentially over a million manufacturing jobs that will be impacted if the proposed rule is finalized without changes,” wrote Bill Perdue, the chief lobbyist at the American Home Furnishings Alliance, a leading critic of the testing requirements in the proposed regulation, in one letter to the E.P.A. Industry opposition helped create an odd alignment of forces working to thwart the rule. The White House moved to strike out key aspects of the proposal. Subsequent appeals for more changes were voiced by players as varied as Senator Barbara Boxer, Democrat of California, and Senator Roger Wicker, Republican of Mississippi, as well as furniture industry lobbyists. Continue reading the main story Hurricane Katrina in 2005 helped ignite the public debate over formaldehyde, after the deadly storm destroyed or damaged hundreds of thousands of homes along the Gulf of Mexico, forcing families into temporary trailers provided by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The displaced storm victims quickly began reporting respiratory problems, burning eyes and other issues, and tests then confirmed high levels of formaldehyde fumes leaking into the air inside the trailers, which in many cases had been hastily constructed. Public health advocates petitioned the E.P.A. to issue limits on formaldehyde in building materials and furniture used in homes, given that limits already existed for exposure in workplaces. But three years after the storm, only California had issued such limits. Industry groups like the American Chemistry Council have repeatedly challenged the science linking formaldehyde to cancer, a position championed by David Vitter, the Republican senator from Louisiana, who is a major recipient of chemical industry campaign contributions, and whom environmental groups have mockingly nicknamed “Senator Formaldehyde.” ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- DIAGRAM below SEE LINK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Formaldehyde in Laminate Flooring In laminate flooring, formaldehyde is used as a bonding agent in the fiberboard (or other composite wood) core layer and may also be used in glues that bind layers together. Concerns were raised in March when certain laminate flooring imported from China was reported to contain levels of formaldehyde far exceeding the limit permitted by California. ============================================== Typical laminate flooring CLEAR FINISH LAYER Often made of melamine resin PATTERN LAYER Paper printed to resemble wood, ((SEE LINK DIAGRAM)) or a thin wood veneer GLUE Layers may be bound using formaldehyde-based glues CORE LAYER Fiberboard or other composite, formed using formaldehyde-based adhesives BASE LAYER Moisture-resistant vapor barrier == What is formaldehyde? Formaldehyde is a common chemical used in many industrial and household products as an adhesive, bonding agent or preservative. It is classified as a volatile organic compound. The term volatile means that, at room temperature, formaldehyde will vaporize, or become a gas. Products made with formaldehyde tend to release this gas into the air. If breathed in large quantities, it may cause health problems. WHERE IT IS COMMONLY FOUND POTENTIAL HEALTH RISKS Pressed-wood and composite wood products Wallpaper and paints Spray foam insulation used in construction Commercial wood floor finishes Crease-resistant fabrics In cigarette smoke, or in the fumes from combustion of other materials, including wood, oil and gasoline. ======================================================================================= Exposure to formaldehyde in sufficient amounts may cause eye, throat or skin irritation, allergic reactions, and respiratory problems like coughing, wheezing or asthma. Long-term exposure to high levels has been associated with cancer in humans and laboratory animals. Exposure to formaldehyde may affect some people more severely than others. === Sources: Consumer Product Safety Commission; Minnesota Department of Health By The New York Times =By 2010, public health advocates and some industry groups secured bipartisan support in Congress for legislation that ordered the E.P.A. to issue federal rules that largely mirrored California’s restrictions. At the time, concerns were rising over the growing number of lower-priced furniture imports from Asia that might include contaminated products, while also hurting sales of American-made products. Maneuvering began almost immediately after the E.P.A. prepared draft rules to formally enact the new standards. White House records show at least five meetings in mid-2012 with industry executives — kitchen cabinet makers, chemical manufacturers, furniture trade associations and their lobbyists, like Brock R. Landry, of the Venable law firm. These parties, along with Senator Vitter’s office, appealed to top administration officials, asking them to intervene to roll back the E.P.A. proposal. The White House Office of Management and Budget, which reviews major federal regulations before they are adopted, apparently agreed. After the White House review, the E.P.A. “redlined” many of the estimates of the monetary benefits that would be gained by reductions in related health ailments, like asthma and fertility issues, documents reviewed by The New York Times show. As a result, the estimated benefit of the proposed rule dropped to $48 million a year, from as much as $278 million a year. The much-reduced amount deeply weakened the agency’s justification for the sometimes costly new testing that would be required under the new rules, a federal official involved in the effort said. “It’s a redlining blood bath,” said Lisa Heinzerling, a Georgetown University Law School professor and a former E.P.A. official, using the Washington phrase to describe when language is stricken from a proposed rule. “Almost the entire discussion of these potential benefits was excised.” Continue reading the main story Senator Vitter’s staff was pleased. “That’s a huge difference,” said Luke Bolar, a spokesman for Mr. Vitter, of the reduced estimated financial benefits, saying the change was “clearly highlighting more mismanagement” at the E.P.A. ==== The review’s outcome galvanized opponents in the furniture industry. They then targeted a provision that mandated new testing of laminated wood, a cheaper alternative to hardwood. (The California standard on which the law was based did not require such testing.) But E.P.A. scientists had concluded that these laminate products — millions of which are sold annually in the United States — posed a particular risk. They said that when thin layers of wood, also known as laminate or veneer, are added to furniture or flooring in the final stages of manufacturing, the resulting product can generate dangerous levels of fumes from often-used formaldehyde-based glues. Industry executives, outraged by what they considered an unnecessary and financially burdensome level of testing, turned every lever within reach to get the requirement removed. It would be particularly onerous, they argued, for small manufacturers that would have to repeatedly interrupt their work to do expensive new testing. The E.P.A. estimated that the expanded requirements for laminate products would cost the furniture industry tens of millions of dollars annually, while the industry said that the proposed rule over all would cost its 7,000 American manufacturing facilities over $200 million each year. “A lot of people don’t seem to appreciate what a lot of these requirements do to a small operation,” said Dick Titus, executive vice president of the Kitchen Cabinet Manufacturers Association, whose members are predominantly small businesses. “A 10-person shop, for example, just really isn’t equipped to handle that type of thing. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Big industry players also weighed in. Executives from companies including La-Z-Boy, Hooker Furniture and Ashley Furniture all flew to Washington for a series of meetings with the offices of lawmakers including House Speaker John Boehner, Republican of Ohio, and about a dozen other lawmakers, asking several of them to sign a letter prepared by the industry to press the E.P.A. to back down, according to an industry report describing the lobbying visit. Within a matter of weeks, two letters — using nearly identical language — were sent by House and Senate lawmakers to the E.P.A. — with the industry group forwarding copies of the letters to the agency as well, and then posting them on its website. The industry lobbyists also held their own meeting at E.P.A. headquarters, and they urged Jim Jones, who oversaw the rule-making process as the assistant administrator for the agency’s Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention, to visit a North Carolina furniture manufacturing plant. According to the trade group, Mr. Jones told them that the visit had “helped the agency shift its thinking” about the rules and how laminated products should be treated. ==== The resistance was particularly intense from lawmakers like Mr. Wicker of Mississippi, whose state is home to major manufacturing plants owned by Ashley Furniture Industries, the world’s largest furniture maker, and who is one of the biggest recipients in Congress of donations from the industry’s trade association. Asked if the political support played a role, a spokesman for Mr. Wicker replied: “Thousands of Mississippians depend on the furniture manufacturing industry for their livelihoods. Senator Wicker is committed to defending all Mississippians from government overreach.” Individual companies like Ikea also intervened, as did the Chinese government, which claimed that the new rule would create a “great barrier” to the import of Chinese products because of higher costs. Perhaps the most surprising objection came from Senator Boxer, of California, a longtime environmental advocate, whose office questioned why the E.P.A.’s rule went further than her home state’s in seeking testing on laminated products. “We did not advocate an outcome, other than safety,” her office said in a statement about why the senator raised concerns. “We said ‘Take a look to see if you have it right.’ ” Safety advocates say that tighter restrictions — like the ones Ms. Boxer and Mr. Wicker, along with Representative Doris Matsui, a California Democrat, have questioned — are necessary, particularly for products coming from China, where items as varied as toys and Christmas lights have been found to violate American safety standards. While Mr. Neltner, the environmental advocate who has been most involved in the review process, has been open to compromise, he has pressed the E.P.A. not to back down entirely, and to maintain a requirement that laminators verify that their products are safe. An episode of CBS’s “60 Minutes” in March brought attention to the issue when it accused Lumber Liquidators, the discount flooring retailer, of selling laminate products with dangerous levels of formaldehyde. The company has disputed the show’s findings and test methods, maintaining that its products are safe. “People think that just because Congress passed the legislation five years ago, the problem has been fixed,” said Becky Gillette, who then lived in coastal Mississippi, in the area hit by Hurricane Katrina, and was among the first to notice a pattern of complaints from people living in the trailers. “Real people’s faces and names come up in front of me when I think of the thousands of people who could get sick if this rule is not done right.” An aide to Ms. Matsui rejected any suggestion that she was bending to industry pressure.== “From the beginning the public health has been our No. 1 concern,” said Kyle J. Victor, an aide to Ms. Matsui. But further changes to the rule are likely, agency officials concede, as they say they are searching for a way to reduce the cost of complying with any final rule while maintaining public health goals. The question is just how radically the agency will revamp the testing requirement for laminated products — if it keeps it at all. “It’s not a secret to anybody that is the most challenging issue,” said Mr. Jones, the E.P.A. official overseeing the process, adding that the health consequences from formaldehyde are real. “We have to reduce those exposures so that people can live healthy lives and not have to worry about being in their homes.” ######################################################################################################################## ######################################################################################################################## A version of this article appears in print on May 4, 2015, on page A1 of the New York edition with the headline: U.S. to Put Curbs on Formaldehyde. Edited May 4, 2015 by Steven Gaal Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steven Gaal Posted May 6, 2015 Author Share Posted May 6, 2015 2015 articles University drops action against cancer researcher in face of massive support for his work on 02 May 2015. University dean who called for sanctions against Dr Medardo Avila Vazquez reported to have signed deal with Monsanto The National University of Cordoba, Argentina has dropped the administrative sanctions it had planned against a doctor who conducted cancer research in the town of Monte Maiz in the face of huge popular and scientific support for his work. Dr Medardo Avila Vazquez and his team conducted a survey that found that the incidence of cancer in Monte Maiz was three times the provincial and national average, correlating with exposure to pesticides in the area. The main crops grown are GM soy and maize. The administrative sanctions against Dr Vazquez were requested by Juan Marcelo Conrero, the dean of the Faculty of Agriculture. The university had said it did not support the research that Dr Vazquez and his team conducted because did not match the project that it authorised. But according to an article on the news website La Mañana de Cordoba, “The truth is that the order sanctioning Dr Medardo Avila Vazquez did not gain support.” Dr Vazquez, in contrast, “received the support of social, labour, student and political organisations that designated themselves as ‘committed to the life and health of our people and to responding to a social and environmental emergency’.“ Scientists also expressed their support for Dr Vazquez, as did the Argentine national political party Unidad Popular. Unidad Popular reported on its website that Juan Marcelo Conrero, the university dean who initiated the action against the doctor, had only last year signed agreements between the university and Monsanto. The Health Secretary of Monte Maiz, Hugo Bettiol, commented on the University of Cordoba’s moves against Dr Vazquez, “There are many economic interests. We are a soybean country with lots of money at stake, and there are many pressures." He added: "I think that the study that Dr Medardo Avila Vazquez conducted did have scientific backing; we must not undermine his work." Report: Claire Robinson News sources (Spanish): http://www.lmcordoba.com.ar/nota/202860_marcha-atras-de-la-sancion-a-vila-vazquez-por-investigacion-sobre-cancerhttp://corrienteup.org/2015/04/solidaridad-de-up-con-el-doctor-medardo-avila-vazquez/ Dr Vazquez’s team’s study is here (Spanish): http://www.reduas.com.ar/wp-content/uploads/downloads/2015/03/%C3%BAltimoMMM.pdf Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steven Gaal Posted May 8, 2015 Author Share Posted May 8, 2015 (edited) Union of 30,000 Doctors in Latin America Wants Monsanto Banned 05/08/2015 HEALTH & WELLNESS, WORLD NEWS http://govtslaves.info/union-of-30000-doctors-in-latin-america-wants-monsanto-banned/ (John Vibes) It was announced this week that over 30,000 doctors and health experts throughout Latin America are demanding that Monsanto’s products be banned. One of the primary cases that these doctors are bringing against Monsanto is the recent confirmation that their main herbicide RoundUp is actually responsible for causing cancer. “In our country glyphosate is applied on more than 28 million hectares. Each year, the soil is sprayed with more than 320 million liters, which means that 13 million people are at risk of being affected, according to the Physicians Network of Sprayed Peoples (RMPF),” Argentina’s union of medical professionals, Fesprosa said in a statement. The Fesprosa union is comprised of over 30,000 medical health professionals, most of whom wish to enact the ban on Monsanto products, and specifically the chemical glyphosate, the active chemical in RoundUp. “We believe the precautionary principle should be applied, and that we should stop accumulating studies and take decisions that could come too late. We advocate a ban on glyphosate which should take effect in the short term with restrictions on purchasing, spraying and packaging,” Javier Souza, coordinator of Latin American pesticide action network said. “We cannot allow the business interests of a North American multinational to be more important than the health of the people of our region. Governments should promote the technology and practices of organic farming to protect growers, consumers and the environment,” Franco Segesso, coordinator of the campaign at Greenpeace Andino said. As we reported earlier this year, Monsanto is continuing to lose profits into the second quarter of 2015, shedding an exceptional 15% profit amid falling GMO seed sales — even more than most experts projected. Edited May 8, 2015 by Steven Gaal Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steven Gaal Posted May 12, 2015 Author Share Posted May 12, 2015 GMO Bermuda Bans Monsanto’s Roundup From the Island By Staff | May 12, 2015 http://thephaser.com/2015/05/bermuda-bans-monsantos-roundup-from-the-island/ - See more at: http://thephaser.com/2015/05/bermuda-bans-monsantos-roundup-from-the-island/#sthash.dn6yVCeL.dpuf Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steven Gaal Posted May 16, 2015 Author Share Posted May 16, 2015 The Risks and Rise of Physician-Assisted Suicide https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rUutvRxZbv8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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