http://www.newmediaexplorer.org/sepp/the_media.htm en-us sepp@lastrega.com Thu, 12 Apr 2012 11:56:04 GMT http://www.newmediaexplorer.org/sepp/2012/04/12/quackbusters_skeptics_and_the_web_of_trust.htm What are 'quackbusters', you might ask. Well, Tim Bolen has the answer to that question. On his site (quackpotwatch.org) he explains: The "quackbuster" operation is a conspiracy. It is a propaganda enterprise, one part crackpot, two parts evil. It's sole purpose is to discredit, and suppress, in an "anything goes" attack mode, what is wrongfully named "Alternative Medicine." It has declared war on reality. The conspirators are acting in the interests of, and are being paid, directly and indirectly, by the "conventional" medical-industrial complex. These so-called quackbusters seem to be a branch of a larger movement, the "skeptics". Their website at www.skeptic.com/ shows who they are. Skeptics think of themselves as having opinions based on scientific 'truth'. They are very outspoken and very much "out there" to disabuse the rest of us of any idea that does not fit into their version of the scientific world view. While real scientific procedure requires there to be observation and experiment, formation and testing of hypotheses, and open discussion of both experiment and theories, the skeptics have firmly made up their mind on a number of issues. And they don't hesitate to tell us where we are going wrong... Mercury and fluoride for instance are not poisons for skeptics, and anyone who thinks they are must clearly be a conspiracy nut. Vaccination is good for you, as are chemotherapy and radiation cancer treatments offered by conventional medicine. If you oppose either of them you are simply a 'quack' or at the least you are an easy target for those who take advantage of your stupidity. The practices of alternative medicine, including "chiropractic, the placebo effect, homeopathy, acupuncture, and the questionable benefits of organic food, detoxification, and ‘natural’ remedies" are a favorite subject of the skeptics. They know that only mainstream medicine should be relied on and everyone who is into those practices really needs to have their head examined.... Food for Thought Sepp Hasslberger Thu, 12 Apr 2012 11:56:04 GMT http://www.newmediaexplorer.org/sepp/2007/01/26/guinea_pig_kids_bbc_video_raises_aids_lobbys_heckles.htm In the summer of 2004, Liam Scheff, an independent investigative journalist published the story of Incarnation Children's Center in New York, where experimental and highly toxic Aids drugs were forcibly administered to foster children of the State. Originally published in the article The House That Aids Built, the story was subsequently carried by The New York Press with the title: Orphans on Trial. Children refusing medication were surgically implanted a tube to allow direct injection of drugs into the stomach - Image: Altheal.org In November that same year, the BBC broadcast a video on the Incarnation story: Guinea Pig Kids. The video is available from this page, and here is a transcript (PDF). Nevertheless, in what appears to be an attempt to censor unwelcome information, some Aids treatment activists have now filed a complaint against the BBC, asking that the film be purged from the broadcaster's archives and any reference to it be removed from their website. The complaint is summed up by Chitra Bharucha, acting Chair of the BBC Trust as follows: "The inflammatory film and companion written piece on the BBC website misrepresented as "human experimentation" on vulnerable children of color what were in fact crucial and successful efforts to make lifesaving treatments available to desperately ill foster children with AIDS through compassionate use of clinical trials of HIV drugs already approved for adults. Although the film was broadcast over two years ago, an article about it on the BBC website and the video, circulated by HIV denialists, continue to spread false and dangerous ideas about AIDS, antiretroviral treatments, the care provided to children at Incarnation Children's Center, and the importance of making lifesaving medications available to desperately ill children regardless of their family circumstances. The legitimacy accorded these erroneous ideas by the authority of the BBC facilitates the spread of disinformation, which in turn undermines prevention efforts and impedes treatment access, both by individuals and as government policy." The whole text of the complaint can be accessed here. Those complaining are advocates of the failed all-pharmaceutical solution to Aids. In their attempt to brow-beat the BBC into submission, they self-righteously conclude their missive with the words: "The film's researchers Celia Farber and Liam Scheff as well as Christine Maggiore and David Rasnick who appear in the film, reject the solid scientific evidence that the virus known as HIV is the cause of the complex immune system breakdown known as AIDS, and that without treatment - the very treatment the children in ICC received through clinical trials - almost all HIV-infected people will die of illnesses related to the disease. None of them have any standing in the scientific community. Consequently, Doran [the BBC film-maker] defamed several institutions doing competent and important work. Doran's documentary is ignorant of the ethics of clinical trials, the role of state institutions who look after children and the science of HIV. We call on the BBC to rectify immediately this betrayal of the public trust by taking the steps outlined above. Please respond at the earliest opportunity." The problem here is that there's a cat struggling to get out of the bag. As a matter of fact, it may already have escaped ... and it won't be easy to put the screaming beast back in there. The information on the scandal that is Aids is out. It's all over the net, and the shameful censorship that the mainstream media can be subjected to may well work on the BBC, but it won't work with an army of individuals who have smelled the fresh air and who have seen, each one of us individually, a glimpse of the truth.... Health Sepp Hasslberger Fri, 26 Jan 2007 18:23:47 GMT http://www.newmediaexplorer.org/sepp/2006/01/30/mesh_networks_and_city_wireless_will_transform_the_internet.htm Will internet access be controlled and monopolized by a handful of global internet access providers? Can governments prevent access to certain sites? Perhaps there is an alternative in the making. Hundreds of municipalities are recognizing that facilitating internet access is part of their responsibility towards citizens, and they are planning to bypass traditional internet access providers, opening access to the net in a more direct way. According to an article of DMeurope.com, over 400 cities world wide are currently planning to deploy broadband networks in their areas, and 2006 should see a doubling of the numbers. Rome, along with New York, San Francisco and Paris, is among the major cities planning to provide citizens and visitors with widespread internet access, choosing between fibre or wireless broadband networks using wi-fi hotspots, mesh networks or pre-WiMAX technology. Mesh networks are a natural candidate for constructing a resilient, locally networked access to communication infrastructure. The Times in the UK has an article that explains how New Orleans could have profited from such a network to facilitate hurricane relief and how some of the most unlikely places are linking up with the internet by installing networks of little radio boxes that start communicating with each other, as soon as they find peers within reach, forming an autonomous network. Mesh networks are rugged and self-configuring. They are normally established by municipalities, by upstart internet providers or by co-operatives of users. Those linked in can communicate directly with each other and also access the larger internet, normally through a leased-line access point that is shared by the network's users. Some networks allow users to contribute by sharing unused access bandwidth with others. Not only will local networks allow more easy access to the main information pipeline, on which we depend more and more, but their spreading will proof the internet itself against catastrophic occurrences. An internet braced by a myriad of local peer-to-peer networks will be less influenced by either catastrophic disruptions or the more subtle commercial decisions and content restrictions operated by today's access providers, as well as government censorship and military intrusions. One could even imagine a scenario where the information that now sits on servers is redundantly backed up - stored on a myriad of personal computers that are linked up with each other through P2P networks - eventually forming a second tier of the net, one that could survive the most harsh conditions life may confront us with. Actually, some people have been working on what I was envisioning here. Just found out (November 2006) that the Freenet has been under development for years. It is still in its infancy, and being developed on a shoestring, but work is progressing. If you're interested, you might want to pitch in helping with testing, development, or even a donation. Anyway, here is the Times article on mesh networks...... Technology Sepp Hasslberger Mon, 30 Jan 2006 10:53:36 GMT http://www.newmediaexplorer.org/sepp/2005/11/27/what_if_everything_you_thought_you_knew_about_911_was_a_big_fat_lie.htm Is there still anyone who DOESN'T know that the 911 twin-towers disaster was a manufactured event designed to justify "perpetual war"? Certainly if instead of watching CNN, ABC, CBS and other so-called mainstream media you looked around for the real news that populates the 'net, there is hardly room for doubt, and there wasn't, even back in 2001. Perhaps whatreallyhappened.com was and still is one of the best sites that pulls together stories that do not receive the deserved attention because of suppression of the real news by corporate-owned media. No wonder the feeling that the press cannot be trusted to give us the straight dope is getting kind of ubiquitous. Probably the greatest mystery to people all over the world is how most Americans don't care to look and if they do, don't think they are responsible for the actions of their government. In addition to the following link collection, here is an absolutely must see video available on google video, that pulls some of the glaring inconsistencies together in an easy-to-follow way: Loose Change 911 Here is the collection of links for those who might have missed the story of the century:... The Media Sepp Hasslberger Sun, 27 Nov 2005 13:28:48 GMT http://www.newmediaexplorer.org/sepp/2005/09/05/new_movie_constant_gardener_exposes_pharma.htm John Le Carre's novel "The Constant Gardener" has been a forerunner for a spate of recent books that expose various facets of the pharmaceutical horrors which befall more and more of us - those who get sick and fall for pharmaceutical propaganda on how medicines treat this or that condition. It is not by chance that the pharma-dominated medical system has become the leading cause of death and suffering in the U.S. and perhaps in the whole Western World. Le Carre's novel has now been turned into a movie, which is hitting the theaters in these days. Thanks to Louise of Zeus Info Service who forwarded the information and Vera Hassner Sharav of the Alliance for Human Research Protection who comments. ALLIANCE FOR HUMAN RESEARCH PROTECTION (AHRP) Promoting Openness, Full Disclosure, and Accountability 2/9/05 Constant Gardener, the movie based on the novel by John le Carre, about the pharmaceutical industry’s immoral and even criminal activities, opened nationwide.  See: http://www.theconstantgardener.com/ It has already received rave reviews. Below are two reviews from The New Republic and The Chicago Tribune. Given the high marks the film has received, we can expect a blitz of protests by PhaRMA and its consultant doctors who are sure to say, it’s fiction, not reality. In fact, the film provides a glimpse into the fraudulent practices in clinical trials outsourced to the sub-standard hospitals in underdeveloped countries.  A whistleblower’s expose about the fraudulent documentation in AIDS drug trials conducted in Kenya — as reported by the Associated Press, validates Le Carre’s fictionalized description of pharmaceutical industry practices shielded by government. See: http://www.ahrp.org/infomail/04/12/15b.php “"The Constant Gardener" begins with a strong, angry story, and peoples it with actors who let it happen to them, instead of rushing ahead to check off the surprises. It seems solidly grounded in its Kenyan locations; like "City of God," it feels organically rooted. Like many Le Carre stories, it begins with grief and proceeds with sadness toward horror. Its closing scenes are as cynical about international politics and commerce as I can imagine. I would like to believe they are an exaggeration, but I fear they are not. This is one of the year's best films.” Vera Hassner Sharav... Pharma Sepp Hasslberger Mon, 5 Sep 2005 16:20:47 GMT http://www.newmediaexplorer.org/sepp/2005/06/30/live8_lockstep_into_aids_catastrophe.htm An article by Peter Barry Chowka caught my attention. Titled "Warning: Don't Be Hoodwinked As The Biggest HIV/AIDS Hype Yet Gets Ready To Roll", the piece refers to the upcoming series of concerts termed Live8. Chowka says the concerts, organized to pressure the G8 nations into canceling some of the African nations' debts and into reforming development aid, will be a huge propaganda coup for the international HIV/AIDS medical-pharmaceutical-industrial complex. With the major push in AIDS treatment being the sale of antiretroviral drugs, which are known to often kill the patient rather than cure the disease, as Chowka puts it, the direction of the drive may be right into catastrophe. He says: Incredibly, the conventional war on AIDS, like no other issue in history, has succeeded in uniting left and right, liberals and conservatives, and evangelicals and nonbelievers in a lock-step march toward institutionalizing the pharmaceutical drug treatment paradigm worldwide right down to every last person on earth. If this sounds like an exaggeration, consider the fact that the expressed objective of policymaking HIV/AIDS control proponents is to test everyone on the planet for HIV and treat everyone who tests HIV positive with antiretroviral drugs, even infants who test HIV negative if their mothers test positive. It is an absolute act of modern heresy and guaranteed career suicide for anyone in any position of power and authority to challenge the dominant HIV/AIDS mega-spin including the belief in the monolithic HIV/AIDS-test-and-treat-with-drug strategy that is now completely operant at every level of public policy around the world. Chowka is right about the orthodoxy unwilling to listen to any alternatives on AIDS, but I hope that the concerts will not function as a push for that pharma-centered view. In fact, reading the Live8 information - WHAT'S IT ALL ABOUT - I have hope... Read the whole article at the Peter Barry Chowka's site.... The Media Sepp Hasslberger Thu, 30 Jun 2005 17:59:28 GMT http://www.newmediaexplorer.org/sepp/2005/05/17/where_are_the_bodies_the_exceptional_safety_of_nutritional_supplements.htm Canadian Health Authorities are ready to regulate supplements in a similar way as pharmaceutical drugs, but resistance is rallying around a law proposal - Bill C 420 - which would clearly define and distinguish supplements from dangerous drugs, suggesting that supplements are more close to foods than medicines and should therefore be regulated in a similar way as food products. Medicines regulation could crush the supplements industry and make many safe food-based health products unavailable to those using them. Dr. Andrew Saul of www.doctoryourself.com made a presentation to the Canadian House of Commons Standing Committee on Health, which is considering Bill C 420. The presentation was excerpted in Dr. Saul's Doctor Yourself Newsletter and the full text is available on doctoryourself.com. The presentation makes interesting reading. It should be in every member of Parliament's files to reference when asked to approve one of the numerous pieces of legislation introduced to "ensure the safety of supplements by new legislation". Clearly there is a distinct lack of information in the public media about the overwhelmingly positive effects of the substances contained in many supplements. Perhaps no wonder, because the Journal of Orthomolecular Medicine, one of the key scientific publications in this area of research, is not available on Medline, although that service prides itself of being the most complete reference library of medical research available. One can only wonder why. Andrew Saul announces a recently established news service of the orthomolecular medicine journal and asks readers to contribute e-mail contacts mainstream media outlets to which this vital but suppressed information can be addressed. Mainstream medicine is going a different way. It promotes nutrigenomics - a combination of nutritional intervention and genetics - as the future wave of health care. Medicine, in other words, is quite aware of the potential of nutrients for health promotion and prevention, but prefers to bind it into the mainstream "life sciences" approach to health, controlled by pharmaceutical and food conglomerates which are calling nutrients nutraceuticals. There is great international pressure to regulate vitamins and other supplements in the European Union, in Australia/New Zealand, in Canada, in the USA and internationally through the UN's Codex Alimentarius. One might wonder - if even mainstream medicine is aware of the excellent safety record and the overwhelming efficacy of nutritional intervention and promotes this under their own brand, nutrigenomics - why are there so many proposals to "protect consumers" from non-pharmaceutically controlled supplements. Perhaps we are witnessing a classical case of "getting rid of the competition" before announcing with great fanfare that the solution to the world's health problems comes from ... genetic research and nutrition? Here is Dr. Saul's presentation to the Canadian Parliament Standing Committee and his call for your help in spreading the word on nutritional therapies and prevention to the mainstream press...... The Media Sepp Hasslberger Tue, 17 May 2005 12:30:09 GMT http://www.newmediaexplorer.org/sepp/2005/02/16/new_zealand_ministry_resorts_to_meningococcal_monsters_media_silent.htm New Zealand's Health Ministry has described a meningococcal bug - MeNZB - as a scary monster that must be eradicated by immediate vaccination of more than a million children with an experimental vaccine. Looking at the actual statistics (see graphic) we find that the virus has infected only eight people - causing no deaths - among New Zealanders living in the Bay of Plenty area in 2004 and that the number of cases has been on a steep downtrend for two years. This is in sharp contrast with the ministry's public statements. Ron Law, an independent risk and policy analyst, charges that the ministry is dishonest in its promotion of the vaccine with fear tactics.... The Media Sepp Hasslberger Wed, 16 Feb 2005 12:41:06 GMT http://www.newmediaexplorer.org/sepp/2004/11/06/cdc_media_hype_the_flu_facts_show_different_picture.htm Vaccine maker Chiron had their license suspended and a year's worth of flu vaccines produced in a British factory was not approved for sale in the US - contamination problems. The media treated us to stories of seniors standing in line for hours to "get the flu shot". What they did not say was that the flu is nowhere near as dangerous as they told us previously. Who has not heard of the "36,000 flu related deaths" every year that were brought to our attention every time it was time to "get the shot"? Well, it appears that these deaths were so much scare mongering, arguably planted in the media to make people bare their arms for the poison needle. Thimerosal, a mercury containing preservative, which is part of most vaccines, is poisonous by any standard. Unfortunately the Centers for Disease Control and the Food and Drug Administration are denying that this neurotoxic heavy metal has anything to do with the autism epidemic that is sweeping the countries where vaccines are most heavily promoted. So maybe it was a good thing that half of the US flu vaccine went missing this year? Quite possibly so, says Jon Rappoport who followed developments and published what he found on his excellent site nomorefakenews.com. Now that US elections are over, we can expect more hype from the media. But certainly the facts do not add up to that great urgency to go down and "get your shot immediately". Tommy Cichanowski of The Tortoise Shell Life Science Puzzle Box has forwarded a message with some of the facts we should know - the information was compiled by Frank Hartman:... Epidemics Sepp Hasslberger Sat, 6 Nov 2004 18:41:42 GMT http://www.newmediaexplorer.org/sepp/2004/09/17/uranium_munitions_are_weapons_of_mass_destruction_use_is_a_war_crime_experts.htm The US and their allies in the war against Iraq have used thousands of tons of radioactive 'depleted' uranium in munitions and missiles, endangering the lives of both civilians and US troops, and leaving a legacy of contamination on the ground that certainly classifies them as illegal weapons of mass destruction, charge international experts. Cancer, respiratory diseases and horrible birth defects have been widespread in Iraq even after Gulf War I and are bound to increase. While officially, only 467 soldiers were wounded during the first Gulf War, according to Terry Jemison at the US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), of the more than 592,560 discharged personnel who served there, at least 179,310 - one third - are receiving disability compensation and over 24,760 additional cases were pending as of September 2004. The Western press is largely mum about depleted uranium and the genocidal effects of its use in warfare, with a only few notable exceptions, many linked and quoted in an earlier article on this site. The experts' views have now been pulled together in a recent article by Shaheen Chughtai, published on Al Jazeera's website. This is one of the big health issues of our times, quite apart from justifications or their lack - for a war against the sovereign nation of Iraq. We need to open our eyes to the evidence and our hearts to the suffering - before it is too late to find a remedy.... Health Sepp Hasslberger Fri, 17 Sep 2004 13:12:02 GMT