Monday 08-31-15

Facebook has secretly been spying on your medical internet searches

Academics and scientists researching privacy on the Internet have found it difficult to actually define the parameters of their research and, specifically, what exactly constitutes "privacy" and "privacy violations."

As this this study notes, for example, the study of online privacy is a popular field of research, but the term "privacy" nevertheless "remains poorly defined," and "a word that changes according to location, context, and culture."

In addition, the study's authors went onto note that as "technologies and services proliferate, the line between on- and offline is increasingly blurred," making study of Internet privacy difficult.

But not impossible.

Researchers identified three factors that would provide for adequate measure of online privacy: "[O]ne that is inherently sensitive in nature, applies to the majority of users, and readily lends itself to analysis." And the one area where these three elements converge, they conclude, is health privacy.

Third parties are getting key health data from you

In their study the authors found that 91 percent of Internet pages containing health-related information relay the URL to third parties, "often unbeknownst to the user," and in 70 percent of cases, the URL "contains sensitive information such as 'HIV' or 'cancer' which is sufficient to tip off these third parties that you have been searching for information related to a specific disease." That, according to Tim Libert, of the Annenberg School of Communication at the University of Pennsylvania, author of the study, which shows how dismissive Internet surfers tend to be when it comes to their health privacy online.

As reported by Blacklisted News, citing the study:

It doesn't matter whether you search for health-related topics using Google or supposed privacy-focused search engines like DuckDuckGo, Facebook is still likely to find out about it. That's because websites like the CDC's HIV information page contains "share" and "like" buttons for Facebook, and that's all it takes to let the social media site know that you've visited the page, even if you never click either of those buttons. Sites like WebMD share information with as many as 34 different domains.

Now, just because you conducted a search for a disease or a condition or ailment or even a natural cure and actually visited the site, that doesn't mean the so-called "invisible Web" can automatically identify you by name and address. However, the search does signify your interest in the health-related topic via the particular search query, and that means that as you visit other sites, especially on social media, you are likely to become inundated with targeted advertisements. That obviously means that social media sites using your health queries (and concerns) in an attempt to derive revenue from you.

Continue to read about how Facebook tramples all over our privacy at Facebook.FETCH.news

Privacy endangered in the Information Age

Sometimes receiving targeted ads might seem cool and even handy; they help you remember what you were searching for at one point and may even remind you that you still haven't bought something you truly are interested in buying. But as other researchers have noted, we don't necessarily know what else our information is being utilized for.

"This is particularly frightening if you consider that Experian –one of the websites found to share health searches with third-parties – makes most of its money not by advertising, but by gathering personal data for credit reports, for example, and selling that information to clients," reports Blacklisted News. "According to SciLogs, it makes sense that if Experian knows you're looking at pages concerning a particular disease, the company will store the information in a personal data file about you."

The Information Age, as I have observed, is a two-edged sword, in that we are afforded incredible resources, technology and opportunity. But the problem is the Fourth Amendment's privacy protections have all but been abandoned; it's almost as if that particular provision of the Constitution no longer exists except as an anachronism.

Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, is uniquely aware of this, which is why he created Good Gopher, the world's first privacy-protecting search engine that bans corporate propaganda and government disinfo. In today's increasing Web-connected world, any defense of privacy should be embraced.

Sources:

Blacklistednews.com

CACM.acm.org

MedicalChoice.news
http://www.naturalnews.com/050948_facebook_health_privacy_4th_amendment.html#ixzz3kEy8hs5t

I guess a nap will help strave off a dirt nap.

A nap a day could save your life, research suggests

Research suggests a daily nap could reduce blood pressure and stave off heart attacks

It is the news that nap afficionados have been waiting for.

A mid-day snooze doesn’t just have the power to revive – it could reduce blood pressure and prevent a future heart attack.

Research involving almost 400 middle-aged men and women found that those who had a nap at noon later had lower blood pressure than those who stayed awake through the day.

The findings, presented at the European Society of Cardiology annual conference in London, showed pressure was lower both when awake and later, during their night time sleep.

The small difference – of around 5 per cent – was enough to have a significant impact on rates of heart attack, researchers said.

Far smaller reductions have been found to reduce the chance of cardiovascular events by 10 per cent, the cardiologists said.
Researchers from Asklepieion Voula General Hospital in Athens, assessed 200 men and 186 women, with an average age of 61, and high blood pressure, some of whom took regular naps.
The study found that those who snoozed at noon had blood pressure measurements on average five per cent lower than those who did not nap.
Longer naps of up to an hour achieved the best results, the study found.
Dr Manolis Kallistratos, lead researcher, and cardiologist from the hospital, suggested modern lifestyles should borrow some habits form the past.
“Two influential UK Prime Ministers were supporters of the midday nap. Winston Churchill said that we must sleep sometime between lunch and dinner while Margaret Thatcher didn’t want to be disturbed at around 3:00 pm,” he said.
“According to our study they were right because midday naps seem to lower blood pressure levels and may probably also decrease the number of required antihypertensive medications.”
The heart expert said most working people found it difficult to squeeze in a nap.
  Photo: ALAMY
“Μidday sleep is a habit that nowadays is almost a privileged due to a nine to five working culture and intense daily routine” he said.
The research found that overall, the average systolic blood pressure readings of the regular nappers were four per cent lower than the non-nappers when they were awake (5 mmHg) and 6 per cent lower while they slept at night (7 mmHg).
When hearts are healthy, blood pressure should drop at night.
The study found that those who achieved a significant drop in pressure when sleeping, had on average 17 minutes more mid-day sleep than those for whom findings remained constant.
Other measures of heart health were also superior among the group who had regular day time sleeps.
The nappers had pulse wave velocity levels” 11 per cent lower than those who stayed awake, while their left atrium diameters – which expand with age – were smaller in the napping group.
“These findings suggest that midday sleepers have less damage from high blood pressure in their arteries and heart,” said Dr Kallistratos.
The study adjusted for other factors that could influence blood pressure - such as age, gender, body mass index, smoking status, salt, alcohol, exercise and coffee drinking.
Dr Kallistratos said: “Our study shows that not only is midday sleep associated with lower blood pressure, but longer sleeps are even more beneficial.
“Midday sleepers had greater dips in blood pressure while sleeping at night which is associated with better health outcomes.
“We also found that hypertensive patients who slept at noon were under fewer antihypertensive medications compared to those who didn’t sleep midday.”
* Drinking four or more cups of coffee a day can increase the risk of heart attacks among those who already have high blood pressure, research suggests.
A 12 year study of men and women aged between 18 and 45 who had slightly raised but untreated blood pressure, found heavy coffee drinking was associated with a four-fold rise in cardiac events, including heart attacks.
Dr Lucio Mos, a cardiologist at hospital of San Daniele del Friuli in Udine, Italy, who led the study, said: “Our study shows that coffee use is linearly associated with increased risk of cardiovascular events in young adults with mild hypertension.”

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/health/news/11831863/A-nap-a-day-could-save-your-life-research-suggests.html

Sunday 08-30-15

Prayer helps

B.C. nurse sets own broken legs while trapped in car after crash on Hwy 16

WATCH: A Prince George woman is telling a remarkable story of survival after a car accident that left her at the bottom of a cliff. John Hua has her story.
Stacie Reis had made the drive between Prince George and her hometown of Kitimat countless times without incident, but that all changed last month.
The 27-year-old’s car went off the road, careening 40 feet down an embankment.
Once she got her bearings inside the flipped car, Reis’ training as a neo-natal nurse kicked in.

 

“I noticed my feet were real broken,” she said. “They were twisted to the side. My little nurse brain was like, you’ve got to straighten those up because you’re going to…lose your blood supply and then you’re going to lose your legs. I just prayed for a while and so I then picked them up and I moved them. It was really painful but I did it.”
Friends and family desperately searched for her along Highway 16 while she waited, broken and alone.
“It was a scary feeling because she was gone, she was just missing as if she disappeared from the face of the Earth,” said mother Sharon Reis.
She remained missing for 14 long hours, before friends eventually found her.
Once at the hospital, doctors told Reis the extent of her injuries: a broken sternum, ribs, and pelvis plus contusions to her heart and lungs.
As for her broken legs, doctors said the fact that she set them herself after the crash “probably played a big part in saving them.”
Reis is now on the long road to recovery, but her positive attitude has inspired friends, family and co-workers.
“I can’t imagine being hurt like that and how she has a positive look every day that she’s healing,” said co-worker Coleen Rae.
While it will be about a year before Reis walks again, the thought of getting back to the job that saved her life keeps her smiling.
“Being a patient definitely has influenced what kind of nurse I’m going to be. I think I’ll be an even better nurse when I go back.”

http://globalnews.ca/news/2172906/nurse-sets-her-own-broken-legs-after-car-crash-between-prince-george-and-kitimat/

Critics Of Bible Silenced Once Again: Archaeological Discoveries Prove Old Testament To Be Accurate


This article originally appeared here.
For many years, the critics of the Old Testament continued to argue that Moses invented the stories found in Genesis. The critics contended that the ancient people of the Old Testament times were too primitive to record documents with precise details.

In doing so, these critics basically claimed that there was no verification that the people and cities mentioned in the oldest of Biblical accounts ever really existed.
The discovery of the Ebla archive in northern Syria in the 1970′s confirmed that the Biblical records concerning the Patriarchs are spot on. It was during the excavations in northern Syria that the excavating found a large library inside a royal archive room. This library had tablets dating from 2400 -2300 BC.
The excavating team discovered almost 15,000 ancient tablets and fragments which when joined together accounted for about 2,500 tablets. Amazingly, these tablets confirmed that personal and location titles in the Biblical Patriarchal accounts are authentic. These tablets are known as the Ebla Tablets.
For a long period of time, the critics of the Old Testament used to argue that the name ‘Canaan’ was used wrongly in the early chapters of the Bible. They claimed the name Canaan was never used at that specific time in history. They further accused that the name was inserted in the Old Testament afterwards, while the earliest books of The Holy Bible were not written in the times that are described.
However, with the discovery of the tablets from the northern Syria, the word the word “Canaan” does appear, contrary to the claims of the critics. The tablets proved that the term was actually used in ancient Syria during the time in which the Old Testament was written.
Additionally, the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah were also thought to be pure fiction by Bible critics. These cities are also identified in the Ebla tablets, in addition to the city of Haran. Haran is described in Genesis as the city of Abram’s father, Terah. Previous to this discovery, ‘scholars’ suspected the actual presence of the ancient city.
In addition to this, countless other archaeological findings confirm the Biblical records to be real and accurate. Some of these findings are listed below:

• The campaign into Israel by Pharaoh Shishak (1 Kings 14:25-26) is recorded on the walls of the Temple of Amun in Thebes, Egypt.
• The revolt of Moab against Israel (2 Kings 1:1; 3:4-27) is recorded on the Mesha Inscription.
• The fall of Samaria (2 Kings 17:3-6, 24; 18:9-11) to Sargon II, king of Assyria, is recorded on his palace walls.
• The defeat of Ashdod by Sargon II (Isaiah 20:1) is recorded on his palace walls.
• The campaign of the Assyrian king Sennacherib against Judah (2 Kings 18:13-16) is recorded on the Taylor Prism.
• The siege of Lachish by Sennacherib (2 Kings 18:14, 17) is recorded on the Lachish reliefs.
• The assassination of Sennacherib by his own sons (2 Kings 19:37) is recorded in the annals of his son Esarhaddon.
• The fall of Nineveh as predicted by the prophets Nahum and Zephaniah (2 Kings 2:13-15) is recorded on the Tablet of Nabopolasar.
• The fall of Jerusalem to Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon (2 Kings 24:10-14) is recorded in the Babylonian Chronicles.
• The captivity of Jehoiachin, king of Judah, in Babylon (2 Kings 24:15-16) is recorded on the Babylonian Ration Records.
• The fall of Babylon to the Medes and Persians (Daniel 5:30-31) is recorded on the Cyrus Cylinder.
• The freeing of captives in Babylon by Cyrus the Great (Ezra 1:1-4; 6:3-4) is recorded on the Cyrus Cylinder.

http://bravemag.com/bible-critics-silenced/

Saturday 8-29-15

A pint of water before meals is the secret to losing weight, scientists claim

A new study by the University of Birmingham revealed that obese adults who 'pre-loaded- with 500ml of plain tap water lost an average of 9.5lbs in 12 weeks

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/pint-water-before-meals-secret-6324889

Utah man dies from plague in 4th fatal case in US this year

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — A Utah man in his 70s has died after contracting the plague, bringing to four the number of deaths from the disease reported in the United States this year, health officials said Thursday.
Officials are still trying to determine how the Utah person contracted the disease, but believe it might have been spread by a flea or contact with a dead animal, according to the state Department of Health.
"That's the most common way to get it," said JoDee Baker, an epidemiologist with the agency. "That's probably what happened, but we're still doing an investigation into that."
Plague is a rare disease that is carried by rodents and spread by fleas. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says 11 other cases have been reported in six states since April 1. The other three people who died were ages 16, 52 and 79.

(AP) This Aug. 6, 2015, photo, shows prairie dogs, in southern Utah. Utah health...Full Image

Anywhere between one and 17 cases of the illness have been reported each year in the U.S. since 2000, according to the CDC. Deaths are rare, with no more than two a year having been recorded over the past 15 years.
However, Mead said four deaths so far this year is not necessarily a cause for alarm.
"Yes, it's twice as many, but when you're dealing with small numbers, you have that kind of variation," he said Thursday.
Patients in a few of the 11 other cases this year came down with the plague after visiting Yosemite National Park in California.
The last human case of plague in Utah was in 2009, but state Health Department spokeswoman Charla Haley said no deaths from plague have been recorded in the state in at least 35 years.
Haley said the latest patient got the disease in Utah, possibly after being in rural areas and near campgrounds. The person was hospitalized about five days after coming down with symptoms, and died in mid-August at the University of Utah's Hospital.
State health officials declined to release the patient's age, gender or hometown, saying the person's family wanted to keep those details private. However, Mead confirmed the Utah case involved a man in his 70s.
Health officials checked with family members who may have been exposed to the person, but Baker said the incubation period has passed and no family members or anyone else reported symptoms.
Plague is naturally occurring in Utah rodents and is often seen in prairie dog populations, the Department of Health said. Wildlife and health officials confirmed in July that an outbreak of bubonic plague killed 60 to 80 prairie dogs in an eastern Utah colony.
Annette Roug, a veterinarian with Utah's Division of Wildlife Resources, said Thursday state investigators found prairie dog burrows near the person's property but no sign that animals were still living there.
Roug said if wildlife officials find prairie dog burrows in the area, they may treat them with insecticide to kill fleas that carry the disease. She declined to say where the affected area is in Utah.
Human cases of plague often occur in areas where wild rodent populations are near campsites and homes. Transmission between people is rare.
Baker said anyone going to rural areas or campgrounds can protect themselves by wearing insect repellent; thoroughly cooking any wild game and sanitizing knives and preparation tools; wearing gloves when handling or skinning wild animals; and ensuring pets are wearing flea collars.

http://apnews.myway.com/article/20150827/us-plague-death-utah-79ccf3e144.html

U.S. commuters spend about 42 hours a year stuck in traffic jams

Reuters/Reuters - A heavy traffic jam on New York's 2nd Avenue builds up during the United Nations General Assembly in New York on September 26, 2013. REUTERs

SAN ANTONIO (Reuters) - A strong economy and cheap gas have put more motorists on U.S. roads, leading to the worst-ever traffic congestion and forcing the average urban commuter to waste about 42 hours a year stuck in traffic jams, a report released on Wednesday said.
The Texas Transportation Institute report estimates U.S. highway congestion costs $160 billion a year, including from lost productivity, gas burned while idling in traffic and additional wear and tear on vehicles.
"The higher congestion levels are clearly the downside of increased economic activity," said Bill Eisele, senior researcher for the TTI, which put together the annual Urban Mobility Scorecard along with traffic tracking company INRIX. TTI is part of Texas A&M University.
Eisele said Americans drove a record number of miles in the last 12 months, surpassing the previous peak set in 2007, before the start of the massive economic downturn.
"Congestion is mirroring the national trend," he said.
In 1982, motorists spent an average of 16 hours a year sitting in traffic jams, by 2010, that time had grown to 38 hours, TTI said. 
Tim Lomax, a report co-author, said Washington, D.C., has the worst gridlock in the country, with commuters wasting 82 hours a year stuck in traffic, nearly twice the national average. 
The other most congestion-plagued cities include Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York and San Jose. 
Six of the country's 10 most congested stretches of highway are in metro Los Angeles, with two each in Chicago and New York City. The "worst" highway in the country is US 101 in the San Fernando Valley area of Los Angeles. 
During the rush hour, it can take 91 minutes to travel 26 miles (42 km) on the 101, at an average speed of 17 mph (27 kph), it said.
"Our growing traffic problem is too massive for any one entity to handle," Lomax said. 
"Businesses can give their employees more flexibility in where, when and how they work, individual workers can adjust their commuting patterns, and we can have better thinking when it comes to long-term land use planning."
Eisele said big-city level traffic congestion is trickling down to smaller metro areas.

"Nationwide, the average travel delay per commuter is more than twice what it was in 1982," he said. "For cities of less than 500,000 people, the problem is four times worse than in 1982."

https://ca.news.yahoo.com/u-commuters-spend-42-hours-stuck-traffic-jams-040942901.html

Friday 08-28-15

US reports unusual spike in human plague cases

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View photo

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said that having 11 cases of plague in just the past four months is unusual (AFP Photo/Kevin C. Cox)

                                                      Miami (AFP) - An unusually high number of cases of human plague have been recorded by US health authorities since April -- 11 in all, with three of them fatal, officials said Tuesday.

"It is unclear why the number of cases in 2015 is higher than usual," the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.
The CDC said that having 11 cases in just the past four months is unusual.
"During 2001–2012, the annual number of human plague cases reported in the United States ranged from one to 17," the agency said in a statement.
The median number of annual plague cases across the past decade has been three.
Plague is a rare and dangerous disease that is caused by a bacterium, known as Yersinia pestis, that circulates in wild rodents and their fleas.
People can get the plague if they are bitten by an infected flea, or if they come in close contact with an infected person or animal, including cats and dogs, health authorities said.
This year's cases originated in the western United States, with four cases in Colorado and two each in Arizona, New Mexico and California. Another infection took place in Oregon.
One of the California infections was of a resident of the southeastern state of Georgia, who later returned to their home state.
"The two cases in Georgia and California residents have been linked to exposures at or near Yosemite National Park in the southern Sierra Nevada Mountains of California," the CDC said.
Three patients contracting the plague have died -- aged 16, 52 and 79 -- and nine of the 11 infected have been males.
The CDC urged doctors to consider a diagnosis of plague if they see patients with fever, abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting, especially if they have recently visited the western United States or are residents of the region.
People who spend time outdoors in areas where plague is endemic "should wear long pants when possible and use insect repellent on clothing and skin," as well as "avoid direct contact with ill or dead animals and never feed squirrels, chipmunks, or other rodents."

Bubonic plague is the most common type of plague and accounts for 80 percent of cases today. It is also the form of plague known as the Black Death because it killed 50 million people in Europe in the 14th century.

Death rates from the plague used to reach as high as 93 percent, but in the modern era antibiotics have lowered the fatality rate to around 16 percent, the CDC said.

Last month, a girl from the Los Angeles area who visited Yosemite in mid-July tested positive for the plague, but was treated and has since recovered.

Some campgrounds in the national park, the US's third-most visited, have been temporarily closed and fumigated after several dead squirrels were found to be carrying the plague.

http://news.yahoo.com/us-reports-unusual-spike-human-plague-cases-192215826.html


For the Last Time, You Don't Need to Drink 8 Glasses of Water a Day

Drink eight cups of water a day! It’s like being sure to eat five servings of fruits and veggies a day, or get eight hours of sleep — it’s a statistic so central to leading a healthy life that we don’t question it any more. But here’s the thing: It’s not actually backed by science. And what’s more — forcing yourself to drink up, even when you’re not thirsty, could do more harm than good.

In a New York Times article published today (Aug. 24), Aaron Carroll, MD, urges readers to forget about aiming for 64 ounces and instead listen to their bodies. He’s debunked the eight-cups-a-day myth over and over, to no avail. Others have spoken out against it as well — the recommendation is “thoroughly debunked nonsense,” one doctor wrote in the British Medical Journal in 2011.

Why are we so convinced that eight cups of water a day is necessary? It’s partly due to misinformed doctors and experts, Carroll suggests, and partly due to how much we want to believe that drinking more water is a cure-all. Think back to the last celebrity profile you read — chances are, they credited their glowing complexion and trim figure to, you guessed it, drinking loads of water. Pick up a diet book and it’s likely there as well — think you’re hungry? You’re probably just thirsty. Drink water! Another commonly circulated, easy-to-believe myth: If you’re thirsty, you’re already dehydrated — Carroll says there’s “no science behind this at all.” In extreme cases, drinking too much water can lead to seizures or other serious issues.

Most people, get enough hydration from the foods they eat and the beverages they drink over the course of a day, Carroll tells Yahoo News news and finance anchor Bianna Golodryga. “There’s water in vegetables, there’s water in fruits, there’s water in almost every beverage that we drink. There’s no rational need, and no scientific need, for [64 ounces of] pure water in a day.”

That said, there are circumstances under which people may legitimately be dehydrated. It’s mostly caused by diarrhea, vomiting, or other inabilities to keep liquids down, and is signaled by a dry mouth, extreme thirst, and low blood pressure. If you suspect you may be dehydrated, contact a doctor.

But for regular, run-of-the-mill hydration, Carroll says there’s no magic number of glasses of water you should drink per day — just trust your body. “When you’re thirsty, you’re way far away from dehydration,” he says. “Just drink when you’re thirsty.”

 

https://www.yahoo.com/health/everything-you-know-about-hydration-is-probably-127493199097.html

Thursday 08-27-15

Hope they win

GUN RIGHTS GROUPS SUE SEATTLE OVER ILL-CONCIEVED TAX SCHEME

BELLEVUE, WA – The nation’s three leading firearms organizations joined forces today to sue the City of Seattle over adoption of a retail sales tax on guns and ammunition in what they allege is a clear violation of Washington State’s 33-year-old state preemption law that does not allow cities, counties or political subdivisions to enact laws relating to firearms not authorized by state law.
The Second Amendment Foundation, National Rifle Association and National Shooting Sports Foundation, joined by two of the city’s firearms retailers – Outdoor Emporium and Precise Shooter LLC – and two private citizens, filed their lawsuit in King County Superior Court. Named as defendants are Mayor Ed Murray, the city’s Department of Finance and Administrative Services, and that department’s director, Glen Lee.
“We’ve been down this path before with Seattle when we sued them and won, knocking out their attempt to ban guns in city park facilities,” said SAF founder and Executive Vice President Alan Gottlieb. “The city does not seem to understand that no matter how they wrap this package, it’s still a gun control law and it violates Washington’s long-standing preemption statute.”
“Once again, anti-gun activists in Seattle have chosen to violate the Washington State Constitution and trample upon the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding citizens,” said Chris Cox, executive director of NRA’s Institute for Legislative Action. “They tried to enact similar regulations back in 2009 and lost. It’s a shame to see such a waste of public resources on issues the courts have already ruled to be unconstitutional.”
“NSSF has no alternative but to be an active party in this lawsuit against the City of Seattle’s attempt to interfere in the lawful commerce in firearms and ammunition on the grounds that it violates Washington State’s preemption statute that blocks cities from regulating the sale of firearms on their own.” said Lawrence G. Keane, NSSF Senior Vice President and General Counsel. “The Seattle ordinance is nothing but a ‘poll tax’ on the Second Amendment and an effort to drive Seattle’s firearms retailers out of business.”
This legal action is an historic first, marking the first time that SAF, NRA and NSSF have collaborated on a lawsuit. SAF and NRA have joined forces previously in lawsuits against New Orleans, San Francisco and Seattle, the latter overturning an attempt by then-Mayor Greg Nickels and his successor, Mike McGinn, to prohibit legally-carried firearms in city park facilities. However, this is the first time NSSF has been on board.
“No municipality can be permitted to set itself apart as a city-state, in defiance of existing law, especially for the purpose of financially penalizing law-abiding gun owners for problems they did not create and crimes they didn’t commit,” he added. “Just as we did in 2009, we cautioned the city against adopting this tax and our concerns were ignored for the sake of political grandstanding. The law is very clear. Cities in Washington cannot set up their own gun laws, and we expect the courts to agree.”
You can read the full complaint here.

http://www.saf.org/?p=7320


So what else is new?

Citizens Must Defend Themselves as Cities Descend into Lawlessness

If only there was a constitutional amendment for that…

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Following the riots of this spring, Baltimore has found itself a city on the edge. In fact, Baltimore has now surpassed New York City in homicides for the year.
Justin Fenton of the Baltimore Sun:

Baltimore has surpassed New York City in homicides
Baltimore has surpassed New York City for homicides this year.
A New York Police spokeswoman said the city had seen 208 homicides as of Wednesday. Baltimore recorded its 213th homicide Wednesday night.
It’s a seemingly impossible milestone — New York has more than 8.4 million people, Baltimore just 620,000.
New York peaked with 2,245 homicides in 1990, but that number has been tumbling and hit a historic low in 2014, with 328.
Baltimore saw a peak of 353 killings in1993, and recorded 211 homicides in 2014.
Baltimore surpasses the number of murders for all of last year, with more than four months to go. The dubious distinction comes as the mayor faces growing public criticism. Mike Hellgren reports.
Adjusted for population, Baltimore’s murder rate through Aug. 19 is 34 per 100,000 people, while New York’s is so far this year 2.5 per 100,000. If New York had Baltimore’s murder rate, it would have seen 2,874 killings already this year.

Another article by the same writer assigns blame to the riots for the situation:

“Ever since that riot, everything has gone downhill,” said Wesley Wilson, 48, as he looked on at the crime scene. He passes through the area every day to visit his neighborhood bar, he said, adding that it is typically a quiet area.

City crime has surged since the April riots that followed the death of 25-year-old Freddie Gray, who sustained a spinal injury while in police custody.

Here’s a short segment on a recent homicide from ABC 2 in Baltimore. You can see from the reportage that this has become routine:

People should be able to defend themselves in such situations. Detroit has faced similar crime problems, but recently, the city has been responding by arming citizens.
Perry Chiaramonte of FOX News reports:

Packing heat in Detroit: Motown residents answer police chief’s call to arms
In a city plagued by chronic unemployment and crime and guarded by a dwindling police force, residents of Detroit are increasingly taking protection of themselves, their families and property into their own hands. Those who do so responsibly have the blessing and backing of Detroit Police Chief James Craig.
“When you look at the city of Detroit, we’re kind of leading the way in terms of urban areas with law-abiding citizens carrying guns,” Craig said recently.
The chief’s call to arms, which first came in December, 2013, has been answered by thousands of men and women tired of being victims and eager to reclaim their beleaguered city. In 2014, some new 1,169 handgun permits were issued, while 8,102 guns were registered with Detroit’s police department – many to prior permit holders who bought new firearms. So for in 2015, nearly 500 permits have issued by the department and more than 5,000 guns have been registered.

The initiative is working, too:

“Home invasions have gone down,” he said. “A huge reason was that there was a huge spate of homeowners using their guns against intruders. More people have guns and it’s making burglars cautious.”
The firearms instructor said women are driving growth in his business.

 http://legalinsurrection.com/2015/08/citizens-must-defend-themselves-as-cities-descend-into-lawlessness/

'If the internet goes down, half the planet will come to a standstill': why 'preppers' will be the last ones standing

These days the world is a scary place to live in.
If there's not an asteroid on its way to obliterate us or terrorists plotting our imminent downfall, there's the dangers of giant online data hacks or complete economic collapse.
But when the end does arrive, there are a few people who aren't just able to cope with the apocalypse - they've been actively preparing for it.
These people call themselves 'preppers' or 'survivalists' and they belong to a vast underground community. When the ATMs stop running or the internet goes down, they'll be the ones that make it out alive.
"Its a huge community, especially in the States. But in the UK it's becoming more and more recognised," explained Steve Hart, the man behind the UK's top prepping website: ukpreppersguide.co.uk.

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"Prepping itself is just another form of insurance. People have life, car or pet insurance for the "what ifs" - this is just looking at a "what if" from a slightly different perspective.
"What if a serious earthquake hits? Or a tsunami or a volcano or even a bio-terrorism attack," said Steve, whose website racks up around 100,000 hits a month.
Admittedly, those situations are a little unlikely - but 59-year-old Steve sets us straight pretty quickly.
"What if the government starts acting up? That's the number one fear among most preppers: economic collapse.
"The next thing you know the whole world is plummeting down to a position you can't get out of."

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And technology?

Steve Hart's Preppers' website is the largest survivalism website in the UK

"If anything to do with the internet goes down, half the planet will come to a standstill," Steve told Mirror Online, citing the fact that we work, bank and socialise online in the 21st century. "99% of your life relies on technology."
He recognises that many of these apocalyptic scenarios won't come to pass, but calmly suggests it's better to be safe than sorry.
Some of the hallmarks of prepping involve keeping stockpiles of food in your house - enough to last a week or so if the power goes out - and learning survival skills for how to cope in the natural world.

Top tips to start prepping

• Keep at least a week's worth of food in your house. Tinned foods are best
• When it comes to vehicles, anything built pre-1980 is a better choice. It will be easier to repair in the event of an emergency because it's mechanical rather than technological
• Get hold of the basics: A good sleeping bag, water filtration tablets and a decent knife

He also suggests limiting your reliance on technology, filling up a couple of spare jerrycans with petrol and learning how to filtrate water. Seasons can also play a part - if it's cold, how are you going to heat your house?

Steve Hart is a master prepper, and a guy who knows what to do when things go bad

"Go home and try it," Steve said.
"Halfway through cooking tea, turn of all your electrics. Try it for an hour. Or a week, and see how you get on. Have you got anything in the house that will let you keep on living without power?"
Prepping may be an underground community in the UK at the moment but, ironically, a few minutes on the internet will help those interested in learning more find out where to go.
The end of the world may not be around the corner, but there's no harm in being a little prepared.

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/technology-science/technology/if-internet-goes-down-half-6310887

Wednesday 08-26-15

Illegal Aliens Have Second Amendment Rights, Says 7th Circuit Court of Appeals

As America is riled over the rights of illegal aliens to bear native children in these United States, the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals ups the ante of alienfear: the law should not be able to bar them from owning or bearing weapons just because they are not citizens.

The decision comes in the case of U.S. v. Meza-Rodriguez. Excerpts with commentary from a decision from Judge Diane Wood:
Milwaukee police on August 24, 2013

responded to a report that an armed man was at a local bar. The officers obtained a surveillance video showing a man pointing an object that resembled a firearm. Witnesses later identified that man as Meza-Rodriguez. A few hours later, the same officers responded to a different report of a fight at a neighboring bar. The officers broke up the fight and recognized MezaRodriguez as the man from the surveillance video. After a foot chase, they apprehended him and patted him down. This brief search turned up a .22 caliber cartridge in his shorts pocket.

That man was Mariano Meza-Rodriguez, brought to the U.S. when he was a child by his parents but never a legitimate citizen here.
He was charged with violating federal statute 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(5), which makes it illegal for an alien to "possess in or affecting commerce, any firearm or ammunition."
Meza-Rodriguez claims the prosecution violated his Second Amendment rights. Two lower courts denied that illegal aliens had any Second Amendment rights.
What does the 7th Circuit think? (Meza-Rodriguez was booted from the country, and that conviction would bar him from return.) Who are the "people" the Second Amendment protects, and does it include non-citizen aliens here in the States?
The Court notes what some other courts have thought about that question:

[N]either Heller nor any other Supreme Court decision has addressed the issue whether unauthorized noncitizens (or noncitizens at all) are among “the people” on whom the Amendment bestows this individual right. A few other courts of appeals have reached this issue, however, and have concluded, based on language in Heller, that the Amendment does not protect the unauthorized. See United States v. Carpio-Leon, 701 F.3d 974, 979 (4th Cir. 2012); United States v. Flores, 663 F.3d 1022, 1023 (8th Cir. 2011) (per curiam); United States v. Portillo-Munoz, 643 F.3d 437, 442 (5th Cir. 2011); see also United States v. Huitron-Guizar, 678 F.3d 1164, 1169–70 (10th Cir. 2012) (declining to reach the issue because § 922(g)(5) passes intermediate scrutiny in any case). 8 No. 14-3271

The Court decides the "people" in the Second Amendment are the same "people" as in other amendments, like the Fourth. Thus, they look at what the Supreme Court has said about the Fourth Amendment and "people" in the Verdugo-Urquidez case.
That case roughly concluded that only aliens with "substantial ties" in the U.S. could expect those constitutional protections. The Court thinks that Meza-Rodriguez qualifies. He was here voluntarily and has:

resided here from the time he arrived over 20 years ago at the age of four or five until his removal. He attended public schools in Milwaukee, developed close relationships with family members and other acquaintances, and worked (though sporadically) at various locations. This is much more than the connections our sister circuits have found to be adequate

Having a criminal record, which Meza-Rodriguez did, is not enough to bar him from having this substantial connection with the U.S. under Verdugo-Urquidez. Plyer v. Doe (1982) (a case about school funding for non citizens) is another Supreme Court case the 7th Circuit relies on to conclude that an alien can be a person with constitutional rights in the U.S.
Thus, their zinger of a conclusion on the question of, does Meza-Rodriguez or other illegal aliens have a Second Amendment right to call on? is absolutely:

In the post-Heller world, where it is now clear that the Second Amendment right to bear arms is no second-class entitlement, we see no principled way to carve out the Second Amendment and say that the unauthorized 14 No. 14-3271 (or maybe all noncitizens) are excluded. No language in the Amendment supports such a conclusion, nor, as we have said, does a broader consideration of the Bill of Rights.

The 7th Circuit has a tradition of being nicely respectful of Second Amendment rights, having in the Moore v. Madigan case in 2012 overturned complete bans on public carry in Illinois, 
But that doesn't mean everything is OK for Mr. Meza-Rodriguez.
This is one of those subtle cases where a right that the defendant was trying to assert was declared valid by the Court, but the defendant still lost his case. We saw a similar dynamic in the important 2001 case U.S. v. Emerson in the 5th Circuit that launched the modern era of Second Amendment jurisprudence explicitly recognizing an individual right in the amendment that resulted in the important Heller decision.
There as well the right was upheld but the defendant found guilty anyway, more or less because the Court could see a pro-government loophole in the right.
In this case, the Court concluded, well, of course, while he has a Second Amendment right, no right is absolute and that:

Congress’s interest in prohibiting persons who are difficult to track and who have an interest in eluding law enforcement is strong enough to support the conclusion that 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(5) does not impermissibly restrict Meza-Rodriguez’s Second Amendment right to bear arms. We thus AFFIRM the district court’s denial of his motion to dismiss.

It strikes me (not a lawyer) that the fine distinction the Court drew here might not make much difference, since surely in most cases it could be argued that nearly by definition an illegal alien might have that characteristic of being "difficult to track" and with "an interest in eluding law enforcement."
In fact, that can apply to all sort of citizens as well so I hope Congress never chooses to pass a law making it illegal to own a gun if you don't want to be talked to by cops for whatever reason.
Legal scholar Josh Blackman has this speculation about the case, after spelling out as per the case that "Judge Wood parted company with the 4th, 5th, 8th, and 10th Circuits" with the aliens-can-have-Second-Amendment-rights holding and thus created a point ripe for Supreme Court consideration:

Will the government seek certiorari here? It’s a close call. They won on the underlying issue, but lost on the question of the applicability of the 2nd Amendment. Such a ruling opens up other possible 2nd Amendment challenges by resident aliens who cannot bear arms. This could be the first time the federal government has petitioned for cert on a 2nd Amendment case since Heller itself!

 http://reason.com/blog/2015/08/24/ilegal-aliens-have-second-amendment-righ


Straight Talk About Expiration Dates


Years ago, I wrote an article about the truth relating to expiration dates on medications. Lately, I’ve seen some confusing information on the internet that tells you how dangerous they are while telling you that, in a survival scenario, you should probably use them. So I think it’s time to set the record straight with regards to expiration dates on medications.
Before I start, I want to tell you that my focus is medical preparedness for major disasters and long-term survival. That means a strategy of putting together stockpiles of supplies that might save a life in times of trouble. In normal times, when you can just call your doctor for a fresh prescription, seek modern care by qualified professionals.
Now, what you need to know. Expiration dates were first mandated in the us in 1979. They are the last day that a drug company will guarantee 100% potency of a medicine. These medicines do not, by and large, become toxic after the expiration date. I promise you that you will not grow a horn in the middle of your forehead if you take a pill the week after it expires.
In many cases, drugs in pill, powder, or capsule form will be 100% potent for years after their expiration date. How do I know this? FEMA, the federal emergency management agency, and the Department of Defense stockpiles millions of doses of medications used in emergency settings. In the past, When those drugs expired, they were discarded.
This gets to be pretty expensive, so a study was performed called the shelf life extension program, something I first wrote about years ago. This program found that most medications, as long as they are in pill or capsule form, were still effective after their expiration dates, sometimes for years. As such, I recommended not throwing them away but, instead, making them part of your survival medical storage.
This, by the way, was not the case for medicines in liquid form. They lost potency quickly after their expiration dates, so are not useful for long-term survival settings.
These findings led the government to put out extensions of expiration dates for certain drugs as needed, such as the 5 year extension given the anti-viral drug tamiflu during the 2009 swine flu epidemic.
Despite this, you’ll see quotes, often from academic types, that medications are dangerous when expired and should be tossed. These opinions are fine in normal times, but if you’re reading this article, you’re probably a member of the preparedness community or at least interested in the subject. You might even be the person that would be medically responsible in situations when the rescue helicopter is heading the other way.
Good, you’re exactly who I want to talk to. you may one day have to make a decision in a true disaster setting about whether or not to use an expired medication.
Let’s say a loved one is fading from an infection. Something bad has happened and you’re off the grid with little or no hope of getting to modern medical care. You have an expired bottle of antibiotics. What are you going to do? Someone you love is dying. Are you going to use the expired drug or not? Exactly.
Of course, medicines should be stored in cool, dry, dark conditions. Their potency will fade twice as fast if stored at 90 degrees as if stored at 50 degrees. Freezing them, however, is rarely helpful. Even if stored in suboptimal conditions, a capsule or tablet that hasn’t changed color or consistency is probably still worth keeping for austere settings.
Sometimes, In a true disaster, the issues that will facing the medically responsible will be very basic. What’s the problem? Do I have medicine that will treat it? Could this medicine, although it has expired, possibly save a life? When it comes down to it, can you really choose to not use it to prevent a death because it may possibly have side effects or not be quite as strong as it was?
I say: In this situation, don’t withhold a drug because some professors said it wasn’t a good idea to use it. Believe me, they weren’t seriously considering a time when an expired medication might be the only option you have left.
Let’s hope it never gets to that point, but preparing for the worst, while hoping for the best isn’t a bad strategy to deal with the uncertain future.

http://www.thesurvivalistblog.net/straight-talk-expiration-dates/