Friday, May 30, 2014

Poisonings from E-Cigarettes and Synthetic Pot Are Surging

English: The so called "incense blend&quo...English: The so called "incense blend" spice Deutsch: Die sogenannte "Kräutermischung" Spice (Photo credit: Wikipedia)



By Dr. Mercola
The gradual demise of traditional cigarettes has sparked some new health concerns related to the rising popularity of electronic cigarettes, as well as new "designer drugs" like synthetic cannabis. Designer drugs are synthetic analogs of illegal or prohibited drugs, devised to circumvent drug laws.
The dangers of e-cigs may not be as obvious as those of traditional smokes, but according to CDC, accidental poisonings are soaring, most notably among small children who come in contact with liquid refills for vapor versions. More than half of the poisonings have been occurring in children age five and younger.1
For children to be poisoned by a traditional cigarette, they must eat one. But just touching the liquid refills for some e-cigs is dangerous for young children because  the chemicals can be readily absorbed through their skin and even their eyes. The toxic effects of synthetic cannabis are also proving deadly.

Nothing Natural in Electronic Cigarettes or Fake Pot

One of the reasons e-cigarettes and are causing so many poisonings is that they are unnatural—synthesized in a lab—and often loaded with heavy metals, solvents, and a hodgepodge of toxic chemicals.
With synthetic marijuana, there is no end to the potentially deadly combinations of laboratory-fabricated chemicals. Various versions are being imported, mostly from Asia, under the guise of potpourri, herbal incense, and even "plant food."
The rate at which poisonings are escalating argues in favor of the legalization of marijuana. While not completely safe, marijuana is a natural herb that offers many health benefits. These synthetic drugs offer NONE of the health benefits—only the risks.

Smokeless Does Not Mean Harmless

Instead of lighting up, e-cigarettes work by a mechanism that heats up a liquid—typically containing nicotine, flavoring agents, and solvents—which turns into a vapor that you inhale and exhale. This is called "vaping." In spite of industry's claims that e-cigarette vapors are harmless, testing has revealed toxic metal nanoparticles in these aerosols.
One of the problems unique to e-cigarettes is how easy it is for anyone to smoke them—and in the process, expose you to secondhand fumes. In most offices, you can just vape away at your desk—no need to trek outside to the nearest smoking area.
Some people are vaping at work all day long. If the fumes were truly only "water vapor" as the manufacturers would have you believe, then this wouldn't be an issue... but they aren't just water vapor. According to Tim McAffee of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC):2
"We just don't know what's in them, and we don't know how much of what's in them would get out into the environment — but the assumption would be that it would."
E-cig vapor has been shown to contain tin, copper, nickel, and silver silicate beads.3 In some cases, the levels are greater than what you might be exposed to from smoking a conventional cigarette.
Breathing metal nanoparticles has additional risks because they can more easily enter your bloodstream and body tissues, as their microscopic size allows them to better evade your body's natural defenses. They also carry the potential for harming your developing fetus or newborn baby.4
According to Americans for Nonsmokers' Rights (ANR), secondhand e-cigarette aerosol contains at least 10 chemicals identified on California's Proposition 65 list of carcinogens and reproductive toxins, listed in the table below. Scientists have also found measurable amounts of propylene glycol, diethylene glycol, and carcinogenic tobacco-specific nitrosamines.5, 6
AcetaldehydeBenzene
CadmiumFormaldehyde
IsopreneLead
NickelNicotine
N-NitrosonornicotineToluene

Just One Teaspoon of E-Cigarette Fluid May Be Deadly For Small Children

The toxicity of e-vapor pales in comparison to the toxicity of the cartridge liquid, which contains highly concentrated liquid nicotine in a cocktail of flavorings, colorings, and solvents, proven to be neurotoxic. Tiny amounts, whether ingested orally or absorbed through your skin, can cause vomiting, seizures, or even death.
Just one teaspoon of even highly diluted e-cigarette liquid can kill a small child.
Dr. Richard Clark, toxicology professor and medical director of the California Poison Control System, calls nicotine "probably the most toxic plant chemical ever discovered."7 One estimate is that between one and two million liters of e-fluid will be sold in the US this year. According to the New York Times: 8
"Reports of accidental poisonings, notably among children, are soaring. Since 2011, there appears to have been one death in the United States, a suicide by an adult who injected nicotine. But less serious cases have led to a surge in calls to poison control centers.
Nationwide, the number of cases linked to e-liquids jumped to 1,351 in 2013, a 300 percent increase from 2012, and the number is on pace to double this year, according to information from the National Poison Data System. Of the cases in 2013, 365 were referred to hospitals, triple the previous year's number."
The nicotine levels in e-liquids vary. According to Dr. Cantrell from California poison control, most range between 1.8 percent and 2.4 percent, concentrations that can cause sickness, but rarely death, in children. But higher concentrations, like 10 percent or even 7.2 percent, are widely available on the Internet. At those levels, a lethal dose for an adult would be less than one tablespoon.9
Many of the chemicals in e-cigarettes are known to cause respiratory distress and disease. Indeed, this is what many people who have inhaled e-cig vapors are reporting—trouble breathing, cough, sore throat, chest pain, and allergic reactions such as itchiness and swelling of the lips. Chest pain and cardiovascular problems have also been reported.10  

Targeting Today's Youth

The marketing of e-cigarettes is an issue of its own. Reminiscent of tobacco's early years, e-cig marketers are making vaping look cool and glamorous, even sophisticated. The rising popularity with teens is creating a whole new source of nicotine addiction—in addition to the other health hazards already mentioned. Yet, manufacturers deny that they are marketing to children. Are we seriously supposed to believe that e-cig manufacturers are not targeting children with flavors like bubble gum, cherry blast, and Gummy Bear?11  
In spite of the health risks reported by both CDC and the ER docs who've had to pick up the pieces, the American Council on Science and Health (ACSH)12 remains an enthusiastic supporter of smokeless tobacco products, calling the risks "exaggerated (by mainstream media), irresponsible, harmful and malicious." However, please note that the ACSH is an agenda-driven PR firm disguised as a science organization, heavily funded by industry, with vaccine industrialist Paul Offit as its board trustee.13

AVOID Synthetic Marijuana—It Can Be Deadly!

Spice. Black Mamba. K2. MOJO. White Widow. These are all street names for synthetic cannabis (synthetic marijuana or "fake pot"), virtually unheard of five years ago but now sold widely in stores with little fear of prosecution. Introduced in 2009, this synthetic version of cannabis bears little resemblance to natural pot and has dramatically different effects on your body. It is manufactured to produce a "high" similar to marijuana, but instead of high, people are finding themselves on a bad trip to the ICU, permanently brain damaged, or even dead.
According to a recent Time Magazine feature, synthetic marijuana is the second most popular drug among teens and young adults, behind pot itself.14 Most people don't realize how dangerous synthetic marijuana can be. The synthetic powder is mixed in a lab and shipped to the US, where retailers spray it onto a leaf—often an herb or a spice—that can be smoked, just like pot. It binds to cannabis receptors in your body up to 1,000 times more strongly than real marijuana, as well as producing gripping effects on serotonin and other receptors in your brain. You can't overdose on real pot, but you CAN overdose on synthetic versions—and it doesn't take very much.
In recent weeks, more than 100 people were treated in Louisiana emergency rooms after smoking synthetic cannabis products, many suffering life-threating reactions—so many that the state of Louisiana recently banned the sale and use of eight of them.1516Colorado has experienced a similar escalation in ER visits.17 The following table lists some of the frightening reactions to synthetic marijuana that emergency rooms and poison control centers are reporting:18
SeizuresHallucinations
VomitingPsychosis
Extreme anxietyPermanent brain damage19
SuicidalitySevere kidney damage
Reduced blood flow to heartTachycardia
Heart attackSudden cardiac arrest
Stroke20Delirium

REAL Cannabis for REAL Therapeutic Benefits

Twenty states have legalized cannabis for medical purposes, and two states (Colorado and Washington) now permit recreational use. Medical marijuana is largely opposed due to misinformation and the fact that it spells competition for the pharmaceutical industry, as the cannabis plant could replace a wide variety of synthetic drugs, especially for treating mood and anxiety disorders. The cannabis plant contains a variety of compounds with medicinal properties, including terpenes and flavonoids. Probably the most noteworthy is CBD (cannabidiol), which is associated with an array of health benefits. Different strains of cannabis have different ratios of CBD to THC. 
There are strains of cannabis that contain high amounts of CBD, while being very low in THC, which is the psychoactive agent in marijuana. Such strains are the ones typically used for medical purposes, and will not produce a high. Just as with most medicinal plants, it is important to use the whole plant rather than isolated compounds, in order to take advantage of its natural synergistic actions. For more information about this, refer to the Project CBD website.21 If you do have cannabis in your home, please make sure to keep it away from your pets, as it is highly toxic to cats and dogs. When used appropriately, medical-grade cannabis offers a great range of benefits, including but not limited to the following:
  • Anti-inflammatory and Analgesic: Cannabis suppresses inflammation,22 in addition to reducing pain for chronic pain sufferers
  • Anticonvulsive: Cannabis is showing great promise for treating epilepsy (especially in children) by raising the seizure threshold23
  • Anticancer: Binds to receptors on cancer cells, causing them to die off and inhibiting their spread. Harvard researchers found THC retards lung cancer growth, which helps explain why smoking marijuana doesn't cause lung cancer24
  • Neuroprotective: CBD protects those with brain injury from nerve damage, and may help prevent Alzheimer's25
  • Treatment of Tourette Syndrome: Shown effective in reducing tics and behavioral symptoms, including obsessive compulsive behaviors26

My 'Trick' for Quitting Smoking

If you're thinking about quitting smoking, swapping conventional cigarettes for electronic cigarettes may simply expose you to a new set of health risks. This is also the case with drugs designed to help you quit. For example, the smoking-cessation drugChantix has been associated with an inordinately high number of serious side effects, including suicides and psychotic reactions in people with no prior history of violent behavior. So, what's the trick to quitting smoking? I believe the "secret" is to get healthy first, which makes quitting much easier. 

Electronic cigarettes have proven to be helpful for some individuals who have chosen to quit smoking. I encourage you to do your research on the product you choose to use and continue in your effort to fully quit. My mother is 79 years old and smoked for all of her adult life. When she decided to give up smoking, she used a rechargeable, electronic cigarette in the process and found it helpful. 
Exercising, eating healthy, and managing your stress are key parts to successfully managing to quit. Only when you have taken care of these basic aspects of your health should you attempt to quit smoking, and going "cold turkey" seems to work best. Two-thirds to three-quarters of ex-smokers stop without the need for pharmaceutical or medical intervention…27 and without e-cigarettes! The following are some tips for addressing each of these three key health areas.
  1. Eat well: Choose a diet rich in fresh, whole foods such as sustainably raised, organic produce, grass-pastured meats, raw nuts and seeds, etc. A diet rich in antioxidants will help you limit your damage from tobacco smoke. Read through my free comprehensive nutrition plan if you need some direction. It is really crucial that you convert from sugar burning to fat burning mode with the use of intermittent fasting. This will help you avoid the virtually inevitable desire to binge on junk food as a reward for giving up smoking.
  2. Exercise regularly: One study found that exercise doubles your chances for success in the quit-smoking battle.28 Make sure to incorporate strength training, high-intensity interval training like Peak Fitness, core-strengthening exercises, and stretching.
  3. Manage your stress and your cravings: Finding tools to help you improve your emotional health is extremely important when shifting lifestyle habits. Many people use yoga, meditation, or relaxation techniques for this, and these are all great. I also recommend the Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT), as this can reduce stress and restore your energetic balance, helping you break free of cigarette cravings.
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Thursday, May 29, 2014

Climate Change Science, Why You May Not Want To Trust The Reports

English: Scheme of a surtseyan eruption. Franç... (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Rapid climate changes more deadly than asteroid impacts in Earth’s past – study shows. (via Skeptical Science)
Posted on 27 May 2014 by howardlee The link between rapid climate changes and mass extinctions has been strengthened in a recent paper by Jourdan et al in “Geology.” The authors demonstrate that the extraordinarily huge volcanic eruptions of the…


Our notes:  Now go to the original source for this article by following the link below.

http://geology.gsapubs.org/content/early/2014/04/22/G35434.1.abstract

If you look at how the original source of the article is worded, it's only making suggestions at best and does not even begin to make the statements that the above article explores and tries to convince you is fact.  How the author if the above article could even conclude such nonsense from the source article is only the use of imagination designed as scare tactics to push forth an agenda that makes no sense whatsoever.  Again, when you see garbage like this and follow it's sources, you quickly discover that there in nothing behind the reports that is of any real value.  Climate Change science is akin to the Big Bang Theory and Evolution theories, pure garbage with no real science to them.
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Obama Warns US Must Not Rush To War

Barack ObamaBarack Obama (Photo credit: jamesomalley)

Obama warns US must not rush to war (via AFP)
President Barack Obama Wednesday mounted a defiant defense of his foreign policy, warning America must lead the world but must do so by emboldening partners, not by blindly rushing off to war. Obama hit back at critics who charge he is weak and presiding…

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Gloucester, Sacred Va. Indian Site May Become National Park


RICHMOND – Land along the York River that archaeologists believe was the center of a vast Indian empire before the first Europeans settled in Virginia is gaining White House attention as a possible addition to the National Park System.


This could give the much needed reason to move forward with an up river crossing.  


As noted in the picture above of a Gloucester Map that we drew an overlay on that shows what looks to us like what the plans are for future development, the new park is right along the line where the up river crossing would be put in.  The yellow line is present route 17.  To the left is where the crossing would be put in across the York River.

  Present concerns are certain aspects of local politics that need to be adjusted in the proper directions in order for the funding to properly go through.  If certain aspects of local politics do not straighten out, then funding could be lost.

  What all of this means to everyone in Gloucester and surrounding areas is as follows, at present we have the historic triangle that includes Jamestown, Williamsburg and Yorktown.  This would change to the Historic Circle if this funding goes through and an up river crossing is put in.  This would finally put Gloucester on the National map where it belongs.  That also means massive development throughout Gloucester that would eventually create something akin to what Williamsburg presently looks like and bring in all kinds of development and jobs.

  This also means that there is some very serious investments that anyone with the money can make now to profit from these future concepts, however, it's still prudent to wait and see how the funding for all of this works out and we are looking at long term investments.  Again we have leadership issues in this county that need to be corrected in order for this to happen though we seem to be in a somewhat better position today than we were last year thanks to the addition of 3 new board of supervisors that seem to be watching out for the people of the county that in our view was very much lacking in the past.

  This is an area everyone should keep a close eye on.

An email went out to top officials in this county and reads as follows:

The proposed Werowocomoco National Park will open the doors to a level of growth never before seen inGloucester County.  Along with the National Park also comes Gloucester’s inclusion in the Historic Tourism Triangle which will now become a circle. The triangle is currently made up by JamestownWilliamsburg andYorktown
 
Hotels, timeshares, restaurants, theaters, theme parks and more will soon become interested in bringing their businesses to Gloucester.  These types of businesses are not going to squabble over how much it will cost to cross Rt. 17 with water or sewer service; they will simply want permits issued as expeditiously as possible.  These businesses will not complain about landscape requirements as the public’s opinion on the appearance of their establishments is very important to their success.  If the park is truly realized, a second York River crossing will be constructed sooner than later to complete the transportation circle. 
 
This type of growth will be good for the County only if it is managed properly.  Growth of this nature is what was truly in mind when the Highway Corridor Overlay District (HCOD) was developed in 1991 due to the growth spurt that occurred during the few years in which there was no toll on the Coleman Bridge.  Many are now calling the HCOD a form of government regulation that is restricting business growth; when in fact it was concisely developed for growth management purposes.  All one needs to do to get a snap shot of Gloucester’s new found growth potential, is to take a look at Richmond Rd. and the surrounding area in Williamsburg, to include the Newtown and High Street mixed use developments.  This link to the Historic Tourism industry will provide Gloucester with the necessary anchor required to ensure the success of such mixed use developments.
 
Over the past several years there have been persons inGloucester County who have somehow known this scenario of growth was coming in the near future.  Some of these persons have used this information to secure lucrative future gains through calculated land acquisitions and purchases.  Some have also used the information to set a plan in motion to cause the rerouting of the connection of Rt. 17 to Rt. 14 through land owned or controlled by them or their associates.  These types of insider knowledge behaviors must be eradicated as part of enhancing the appearance of Gloucester as a good place to establish a business, visit, reside or raise a family.
 
There are numerous areas within the County’s administration and services departments that need immediate attention.  The Public Utilities Department is one of the primary areas in need of serious work. If this department is currently struggling to meet current demands and certain areas of the systems are inefficient and or near collapse; there is no way the demands of rapid growth will be met.  Gloucester’s water and sewer systems should be one of the top items on a list of areas that require immediate intervention, significant improvements and or complete overhaul.
 
The image of the School Board and public school system is another primary area requiring immediate attention.  Residential growth associated with inclusion in the historic tourism circle will not flourish if Gloucester cannot or refuses to transform its public education system into one of being reputably and statistically successful.  The School Board’s only focus should be on ensuring that an above average, efficient and equal education opportunity is provided for all students. The division and dysfunction that currently exists between the School Board and the Board of Supervisors and the School Board and the Gloucester Community must be alleviated before any remarkable success will be achieved; as it will take both boards and the community working together to transform the public school system into all it can possibly be.
 
There are other areas within the County that will require varying levels of improvement or modification before substantial growth can take place.  Plans to accommodate this future growth should be established post-haste. Analysis of all County departments and functions relative to such growth plans should be conducted and appropriate steps taken to ensure each department can adequately manage and capitalize on future development of this magnitude.   
 
The new National Park and everything that will accompany it will provide substantial revenue and create many jobs for Gloucester’s adults and work eligible youth.  Personal property and real estate tax rates for citizens could actually decrease and property values could increase if future growth is managed properly.
 
Kenneth E. Hogge, Sr.
Gloucester Point
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VA secretary is on 'thin ice'

VA Secretary Shinseki Attends Labor-Management...
VA Secretary Shinseki Attends Labor-Management Relations Forum with National VA Council (Photo credit: AFGE)

VA secretary is on 'thin ice' (via CNN Video)
Veteran Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki is on "probation" as its discovered more military veterans were denied care.