Scientists Find Microplastics in Blood for First Time
March 26th, 2022Via: PhysOrg:
Scientists have discovered microplastics in human blood for the first time, warning that the ubiquitous particles could also be making their way into organs.
The tiny pieces of mostly invisible plastic have already been found almost everywhere else on Earth, from the deepest oceans to the highest mountains as well as in the air, soil and food chain.
A Dutch study published in the Environment International journal on Thursday examined blood samples from 22 anonymous, healthy volunteers and found microplastics in nearly 80 percent of them.
Half of the blood samples showed traces of PET plastic, widely used to make drink bottles, while more than a third had polystyrene, used for disposable food containers and many other products.
Biden Says Putin ‘Cannot Remain in Power’
March 26th, 2022This sounds like a collision course is being dialed in. It sounds like the Saddam Hussein operation. Unlike Saddam, however, Putin has nuclear weapons.
Via: CNBC:
President Joe Biden on Saturday said Russian leader Vladimir Putin “cannot remain in power,” ratcheting up international pressure and further uniting NATO allies against Putin over his invasion of Ukraine.
“A dictator, bent on rebuilding an empire, will never erase the people’s love for liberty,” Biden said at the end of a sweeping speech in Poland. “Ukraine will never be a victory for Russia, for free people refuse to live in a world of hopelessness and darkness.”
“For God’s sake, this man cannot remain in power,” Biden said.
Biden has hurled invective at Putin throughout the crisis in Ukraine, labeling him a “murderous dictator” and a “war criminal,” but has previously stopped short of calling for his removal from power.
Microsoft Tied to Hundreds of Millions of Dollars in Foreign Bribes, Whistleblower Alleges
March 25th, 2022Via: The Verge:
Elabd went public with his experiences in an essay published Friday by the whistleblower platform Lioness, alleging widespread bribery through Microsoft’s foreign contract business. Elabd estimates that more than $200 million each year is spent on bribes and kickbacks linked to the company, often in countries like Ghana, Nigeria, Zimbabwe, Qatar and Saudi Arabia. For the regions he worked in, he believes more than half of the salespeople and managers took part. If true, it’s a stunning look at the ongoing corruption associated with international tech contracting — and Microsoft’s ongoing struggles to contain it.
As director of emerging markets for the Middle East and Africa, Elabd saw many different versions of the problem. Sometimes, as in the African case, they were suspicious requests from the business investment fund. In another instance, he saw a contractor for the Saudi interior ministry receive a $13 million discount on its software — but the discount never made it back to the end customer. In another case, Qatar’s ministry of education was paying $9.5 million a year for Office and Windows licenses that were never installed. One way or another, money would end up leaking out of the contracting process, most likely split between the government, the subcontractor, and any Microsoft employees in on the deal.
This kind of corporate bribery is a widespread problem internationally, particularly in countries where the government is the primary customer and mid-level bureaucrats see bribes as part of the cost of doing business.
Biden Casually Says Food Shortage “Going To Be Real” As Necessary “Price” Of Anti-Russia Sanctions
March 24th, 2022Via: ZeroHedge:
Nothing to see here… only the President of the United States speaking at an emergency summit of NATO heads making somewhat overly casual sounding references regarding likely massive energy and food shortages…
“It’s going to be real,” Biden said at a news conference in Brussels. “The price of the sanctions is not just imposed upon Russia. It’s imposed upon an awful lot of countries as well, including European countries and our country as well.”
7 in 10 Parents Fear Their Kids Are Becoming ‘Internet Zombies’
March 24th, 2022I’m the only parent I know who locks down child accessible systems for both time and content. There is such a low understanding of basic IT concepts out there that most parents simply give in.
Via: Study Finds:
Is all that time spent on social media, gaming apps, and streaming services turning kids’ brains into mush? Seven in 10 American parents are worried their children are turning into internet “zombies,” according to a survey.
The study polled 2,000 American parents of school-aged children and found 64 percent are concerned about the amount of time their children spend on the internet. Another two in three believe their child’s overall behavior has changed as a result of increased time online.
While 71 percent trust their child is mature enough to roam the web unsupervised, a quarter of parents think a child should be in their teens before allowing this. Still, the average parent surveyed let their child browse the internet independently at 11 years-old.
Madeleine Albright Dead
March 24th, 2022Via: Time:
The announcement of Madeleine Albright’s death at the age of 84 on Wednesday resulted in an outpouring of tributes and fond remembrances, but some sharp criticism also arose on social media in regards to comments she made in 1996 about the deaths of Iraqi children.
Albright, the first female secretary of state in United States history, made the remarks during a 60 Minutes interview. Correspondent Lesley Stahl discussed with the then-United Nations ambassador how Iraq had been suffering from the sanctions placed on the country following 1991’s Gulf War.
“We have heard that half a million [Iraqi] children have died. I mean, that is more children than died in Hiroshima,” Stahl said. “And, you know, is the price worth it?”
“I think that is a very hard choice,” Albright answered, “but the price, we think, the price is worth it.”
Pentagon Scrambles to Restock Weapons Sent to Ukraine as Arm Makers Look to Cash In
March 23rd, 2022War is a Racket by Smedley Butler
Via: Antiwar:
The Pentagon is scrambling to replenish stocks of Javelin and Stinger missiles the US and its allies have sent to Ukraine as US defense contractors are cashing in on Washington’s support for Ukraine’s war against Russia.
According to open-sourced data examined by Politico, it’s estimated that the US has sent Ukraine 1,400 Stinger anti-aircraft missile systems and 4,600 Javelin anti-tank missiles since January. US allies such as Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, and the Netherlands have also sent either Stingers or Javelins to Ukraine that the Pentagon is looking to replace.
Javelin missiles are made through a partnership between Lockheed Martin and Raytheon Technologies. Stingers are produced solely by Raytheon, the former employer of Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, who served on the board of the weapons maker before taking his post at the Pentagon.
Pharmaceutical Companies Expanding mRNA Technology to Treat Influenza
March 23rd, 2022Via: Epoch Times:
Seqirus said it would begin clinical trials of its seasonal and pandemic flu vaccine candidates in the second half of 2022.
Pfizer, Moderna, and Sanofi began testing their mRNA flu vaccines in adults 18 and older in 2021, while Curevac announced last month it was conducting a small Phase 1 trial in Panama.
Moderna released interim data for the Phase 1 trial of its quadrivalent (four-strain) seasonal flu vaccine candidate, mRNA-1010 in December 2021, and announced that its two-dose vaccine produced robust antibody titers with “no significant safety concerns” observed, even at the lowest dose of 50 micrograms.
California is Being Destroyed From Within
March 23rd, 2022Via: Peak Prosperity:
California is facing a rash of exceptionally dangerous and poor legislation that I literally cannot understand or abide. In every instance, the legislation seeks to undermine parental and privacy rights, limit freedom and impose state willpower over what should be private personal and business decisions. They represent a well-greased slippery slope. The only possible way to understand it compassionately is to see those elected officials proposing it as being swept up in Mass Psychosis.
Putin Adviser Chubais Quits Over Ukraine War, Leaves Russia
March 23rd, 2022Via: Bloomberg:
Russian climate envoy Anatoly Chubais has stepped down and left the country, citing his opposition to President Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine, according to two people familiar with the situation, becoming the highest-level official to break with the Kremlin over the invasion.
Related? Russia’s Ministry of Defense Head Sergei Shoigu Reportedly Missing
