http://www.latimes.com/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-antidepressants-brain-structure-20140918-story.html
Antidepressants rapidly alter brain architecture
A single dose of SSRI antidepressants such as Fluoxetine, shown here, can change the brain’s functional connectivity within three hours, a new study found. (Joe Raedle / Getty Images)
By GEOFFREY MOHAN contact the reporter Medical ResearchDrug ResearchMental Health ResearchHuman BehaviorScientific Research
No bummer: antidepressants work faster than we think they do, study suggests
Drugs tinker with brain connections within three hours, study of antidepressants says
A single dose of a popular class of psychiatric drug used to treat depression can alter the brain’s architecture within hours, even though most patients usually don’t report improvement for weeks, a new study suggests.
More than 1 in 10 adults in the U.S. use these drugs, which adjust the availability of a chemical transmitter in the brain, serotonin, by blocking the way it is reabsorbed. The so-called Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors, or SSRIs, include Prozac, Lexapro, Celexa, Paxil and Zoloft.
————
Related story: To quash depression, some brain cells must push through the stress
Related story: To quash depression, some brain cells must push through the stress
Melissa Healy
FOR THE RECORD: A previous version of this post and a photograph identified Effexor as an SSRI category antidepressant. It is a serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor, or SNRI.
————
The findings could be a first step toward figuring out whether a relatively simple brain scan might one day help psychiatrists distinguish between those who respond to such drugs and those who don’t, an area of mystery and controversy in depression treatment.
Researchers at the Max Planck Institute in Leipzig, Germany, used a magnetic resonance imaging machine to compare connections in the gray matter of those who took SSRIs and those who did not. They were particularly interested in what goes on when the brain is doing nothing in particular.
lRelated A new fast-acting antidepressant (that’s not ketamine) shows promise
SCIENCE NOW
A new fast-acting antidepressant (that’s not ketamine) shows promise
SEE ALL RELATED
8
“We just tell them to let their minds wander and not think of anything particularly dramatic or upsetting,” said neuroscientist Dr. Julia Sacher, a co-author of the study published online Thursday in the journal Current Biology.
They created 3-D maps of connections that “matter” to gray matter: interdependence, not just anatomical connection. They relied on a discovery in the late 1990s that low-frequency brain signaling during relative inactivity, such as daydreaming, is a good indicator of functional connectivity.
In a perfect world, you would look not only at SSRIs, but all sorts of medications and non-pharmacological interventions.
– Julia Sacher, psychiatrist and neuroscientist, Max Planck Institute
When more serotonin was available, this resting state functional connectivity decreased on a broad scale, the study found. This finding was not particularly surprising — other studies have shown a similar effect in brain regions strongly associated with mood regulation.
But there was a two-fold shock: Some areas of the brain appeared to buck the trend and become more interdependent. And all the changes were evident only three hours after the single dosage.
“It was interesting to see two patterns that seemed to go in the opposite direction,” Sacher said. “What was really surprising was that the entire brain would light up after only three hours. We didn’t expect that.”
Most people who use antidepressants don’t report any discernible change in mood for at least two weeks, said Sacher, who also is a psychiatrist.
The rapid connectivity shifts noted by the study might therefore be precursors to longer-term changes, perhaps starting with remodeling of synapses, the microscopic gaps where chemical neurotransmitters such as serotonin flood across to an adjacent brain cell, the study suggests. But this type of brain scanning can’t pick up changes at such a scale, so the hypothesis will have to be tested other ways, Sacher added.
Related story: Antidepressants and self-harm: For those under 24, initial dose matters
Related story: Antidepressants and self-harm: For those under 24, initial dose matters
Melissa Healy
More research also will be needed to explain why the functional connectivity of the cerebellum and thalamus apparently increased. The cerebellum, or “little brain” is a relatively primitive structure that processes signals from the spinal cord, relaying them to the thalamus and on up to the cortex. Many of those pathways are regulated by serotonin.
Although the cerebellum is associated mostly with such basic functions as motor control and coordination, there are hints that it plays a role in higher cognitive tasks, perhaps by changing the way the thalamus relays signals to the cortex.
Although many open hypotheses remain to be explored, the brain maps produced by the study advance the effort to identify a brain “fingerprint” for those who might respond to SSRI therapy, researchers said.
Study subjects did not have diagnoses of depression, so researchers will need to generate similar maps among those diagnosed with depression, and re-map them during and after depressive episodes, as well as after treatment, Sacher said. Comparisons might then show whether a certain initial architecture predicts treatment success.
“In a perfect world, you would look not only at SSRIs, but all sorts of medications and non-pharmacological interventions,” Sacher said. “That would really help to tailor individual therapy for someone in the midst of a depressive episode.”
Sacher said she prescribes SSRI drugs for patients. The study, however, did not receive funds from pharmaceutical companies, she added.
Twitter: @LATsciguy
Category Archives: Land of the Free | Perspective
U.N.: Wrongly mixed vaccine kills 15 infants
(CNN) — A crying mother cradles and moves her dead baby to the floor, yelling out, “My child, my child.” Outside, another woman shakes and gestures in a fit of absolute grief as she piercingly screams, “Pray to God and his prophet sister.”
Both women had brought their children to a clinic in a rebel-held part of northwestern Syria, hoping to help save their lives. Instead, at least 15 children — all under the age of 2 — died after receiving measles vaccinations through a U.N.-sponsored program.
As many as 50 other children got sick after what a U.N. report described as a “bungled immunization.”
U.N.: Wrongly mixed vaccine kills 15 infants
-NO AUTHOR-
Fri, 19 Sep 2014 18:23:13 GMT
Al Gore's Carbon Footprint Hypocrisy – YouTube
These Paintings Offer A Brilliant Perspective On Life. Number 7 Is Simply Stunning. |Higher Perspective
10,000 American Toddlers now Taking Amphetamine Based ADHD Drugs | The Anti-Media
THIS IS OUT OF CONTROL!! Wake up parents!!!! What the hell are you allowing to be done to your children????
http://theantimedia.org/10000-american-toddlers-now-taking-amphetamine-based-adhd-drugs/
Watch: Here Are 5 Epic Reasons Trey Gowdy Has Hillary Clinton And Obama Quivering In Fear
Airline Captain Eloquently Tells A Story You Don't Want To Miss!!!
Airline Captain Speaks!!!
My lead flight attendant came to me and said,
“We have an H.R. on this flight.”
(H.R. stands for Human Remains.)
“Are they military?” I asked.
‘Yes’, she said.
‘Is there an escort?’ I asked.
‘Yes, I’ve already assigned him a seat’.
‘Would you please tell him to come to the Flight Deck. You can board him early,” I said…
A short while later a young army sergeant entered the flight deck. He was the image of the perfectly dressed soldier. He introduced himself and I asked him about his soldier.
The escorts of these fallen soldiers talk about them as if they are still alive and still with us. ‘My soldier is on his way back to Virginia,’ he said. He proceeded to answer my questions, but offered no words.
I asked him if there was anything I could do for him and he said no. I told him that he had the toughest job in the military, and that I appreciated the work that he does for the families of our fallen soldiers. The first officer and I got up out of our seats to shake his hand. He left the Flight Deck to find his seat.
We completed our preflight checks, pushed back and performed an uneventful departure.
About 30 minutes into our flight, I received a call from the lead flight attendant in the cabin.
‘I just found out the family of the soldier we are carrying, is also on board’, she said. She then
proceeded to tell me that the father, mother, wife and 2-year old daughter were escorting their
son, husband, and father home. The family was upset because they were unable to see the
container that the soldier was in before we left.
We were on our way to a major hub at which the family was going to wait four hours for the connecting
flight home to Virginia . The father of the soldier told the flight attendant that knowing his son was
below him in the cargo compartment and being unable to see him was too much for him and the
family to bear. He had asked the flight attendant if there was anything that could be done to allow
them to see him upon our arrival. The family wanted to be outside by the cargo door to watch
the soldier being taken off the airplane.
I could hear the desperation in the flight attendant’s voice when she asked me if there
was anything I could do. ‘I’m on it’, I said. I told her that I would get back to her.
Airborne communication with my company normally occurs in the form of e-mail like messages.
I decided to bypass this system and contact my flight dispatcher directly on a secondary radio.
There is a radio operator in the operations control center who connects you to the telephone of the dispatcher. I was in direct contact with the dispatcher. I explained the situation I had on board
with the family and what it was the family wanted. He said he understood and that he
would get back to me.
Two hours went by and I had not heard from the dispatcher. We were going to get busy
soon and I needed to know what to tell the family. I sent a text message asking for an update.
I saved the return message from the dispatcher and the following is the text:
‘Captain, sorry it has taken so long to get back to you. There is policy on this now, and I had
to check on a few things. Upon your arrival, a dedicated escort team will meet the aircraft.
The team will escort the family to the ramp and plane side. A van will be used to load the
remains with a secondary van for the family.
The family will be taken to their departure area and escorted into the terminal, where the
remains can be seen on the ramp. It is a private area for the family only. When the
connecting aircraft arrives, the family will be escorted onto the ramp and plane side to
watch the remains being loaded for the final leg home.
Captain, most of us here in flight control are veterans. Please pass our condolences
on to the family. Thanks.
I sent a message back, telling flight control thanks for a good job. I printed out the message
and gave it to the lead flight attendant to pass on to the father. The lead flight attendant was
very thankful and told me, ‘You have no idea how much this will mean to them.’
Things started getting busy for the descent, approach and landing. After landing, we cleared
the runway and taxied to the ramp area. The ramp is huge with 15 gates on either side of the
alleyway. It is always a busy area with aircraft maneuvering every which way to enter and exit.
When we entered the ramp and checked in with the ramp controller, we were told that all traffic
was being held for us.
‘There is a team in place to meet the aircraft’, we were told. It looked like it was all coming
together, then I realized that once we turned the seat belt sign off, everyone would stand
up at once and delay the family from getting off the airplane. As we approached our gate,
I asked the copilot to tell the ramp controller, we were going to stop short of the gate to
make an announcement to the passengers. He did that and the ramp controller said,
‘Take your time.’
I stopped the aircraft and set the parking brake. I pushed the public address button and said:
‘Ladies and gentleman, this is your Captain speaking: I have stopped short of our gate to make
a special announcement. We have a passenger on board who deserves our honor and respect.
His Name is Private XXXXXX, a soldier who recently lost his life. Private XXXXXX is under your
feet in the cargo hold. Escorting him today is Army Sergeant XXXXXXX. Also, on board are
his father, mother, wife, and daughter. Your entire flight crew is asking for all passengers to
remain in their seats to allow the family to exit the aircraft first. Thank you.’
We continued the turn to the gate, came to a stop and started our shutdown procedures.
A couple of minutes later I opened the cockpit door. I found the two forward flight attendants
crying, something you just do not see. I was told that after we came to a stop, every passenger
on the aircraft stayed in their seats, waiting for the family to exit the aircraft.
When the family got up and gathered their things, a passenger slowly started to clap his hands.
Moments later, more passengers joined in and soon the entire aircraft was clapping.
Words of ‘God Bless You’, I’m sorry, thank you, be proud, and other kind words were uttered
to the family as they made their way down the aisle and out of the airplane. They were escorted
down to the ramp to finally be with their loved one.
Many of the passengers disembarking thanked me for the announcement I had made.
They were just words, I told them, I could say them over and over again, but nothing I say
will bring back that brave soldier.
I respectfully ask that all of you reflect on this event and the sacrifices that millions of our men
and women have made to ensure our freedom and safety in theseUnited States of AMERICA.
Foot note: I know everyone who reads this will have tears in their eyes, including me. Prayer chain for our Military… Don’t break it! Please send this on after a short prayer for our service men and women. Don’t break it! They die for me and mine and you and yours and deserve our honor and respect.
AND THEN:::::::::
U S Army Major General Harold Greene was buried at Arlington National Cemetery with full military honors, including a caisson, two escort platoons, casket team, firing party, colors team, and a caparisoned horse. The U.S. Army band, “Pershing’s Own,” played softly as the funeral procession made its way down the long hill past the rows of simple white gravestones to bring General Greene to his final resting place.
The graveside service began with a few words, followed by a 13-gun salute. The major general’s widow, Dr. Susan Myers, was seated in the front row. To her right was their son 1st Lt. Matthew Greene, his daughter Amelia Greene, followed by Major General Greene’s father, also Harold Greene.
After three rifle volleys and the playing of “Taps,” the American flag, once placed on the major general’s casket, was carefully folded as the band played “America the Beautiful.” U S Army Chief of Staff General Ray Odierno presented the flag to his widow, and additional flags to his children and father.
General Greene, 55, became the highest-ranking fatality in the war in Afghanistan after an Afghan military police officer opened fire on August 5, 2014.
Among the missing at the service were……
No
President
No
Vice President
No
Secretary of State
No
Secretary of Defense
In all fairness, President Barack Hussein Obama was unable to attend because of a conflict with his Tee Time…….
From the Prairies of the Dakotas: While a Military Daughter Buries Her 2-Star General Daddy, the Commander-in-Least is Nowhere to Be Found. When two-star Major General Harold Greene, the highest-ranking officer killed in combat since Vietnam, was laid to rest in Arlington National Cemetery on Thursday, neither the President nor the Vice President were present. The nominal Commander-in-Chief Barack Obama was playing a round at the Vineyard Golf Club with Valerie Jarrett’s cousin, Cyrus Walker, the World Bank president and former President of Dartmouth College Jim Kim, and former lobbyist and ambassador Ron Kirk. The clownish Joe Biden was in the middle of the third day of a week long vacation in the Hamptons, which followed a week in Wyoming, which was preceded by a week at Rehoboth Beach in Delaware.
While America has lost a two-star General who has served in a war the president has waged questionably, the Commander-in-Chief could not show the common decency to honor him with his presence. Instead, President Obama showed it was more important to play yet another round with well-connected elites, as the nation grieves and families suffer. The disconnect could not be more profound.
YET THREE OF OBAMA’S ADMINISTRATION REPS WERE SENT TO FERGUSON, MO. FOR THE FUNERAL OF A BLACK TEEN. continuing the game of “Suck Up” to his constituency…
If you read this far, here’s a thought:
If the democratic party continues to hold the senate after next January, it is likely that el presidente will get to nominate a new justice for SCOTUS — a life-time appointment. If bader-ginsburg is replaced, it will be somewhat of a wash insofar as doctrine is concerned but there’s still the issue of extension and, as I understand it, a justice does not have to be a licensed attorney….anybody will do. Consider justice eric holder or justice michelle obama for openers. Feel free to add your candidates to the list..However,should the 5-4 situation be changed to 4-5, The Constitution effectively goes out the window, with the Bill of Rights.
Dr. Ron Paul’s ‘What If’ Speech Still Rings True | Ben Swann Truth In Media
http://benswann.com/dr-ron-pauls-what-if-speech-still-rings-true/
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4s_IUwwGq-A&w=700&h=420]
Can The Senate Oversee The CIA? | PopularResistance.Org
Senate blocks campaign finance amendment – POLITICO.com
“The proposed amendment would restrict the most important speech the First Amendment protects, core political speech,” said Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) on Wednesday. “It’s hard to imagine what would be more radical than the Congress passing a constitutional amendment to overturn a dozen Supreme Court decisions that have protected individual rights. Free speech would be dramatically curtailed.”
http://www.politico.com/story/2014/09/senate-block-campaign-finance-amendment-110864.html
Group pressures Foster Farms to address antibiotics – LA Times
No Airliner Black Boxes Found at the World Trade Center? Senior Officials Dispute Official 9/11 Claim | Global Research
2014 NEW Loose Change 3rd Edition! MUST SEE! 9/11 Truth – YouTube
http://youtu.be/YsRm8M-qOjQ
via 2014 NEW Loose Change 3rd Edition! MUST SEE! 9/11 Truth – YouTube.
The Truth About The ISIS Terror Threat – YouTube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PBMfVEeRKbs
The Truth About The ISIS Terror Threat – YouTube.
What is all the hub bub with Citizens United? You may be very surprised!
Citizens United : Dedicated to restoring our government to citizen control.
Who We AreCitizens United is an organization dedicated to restoring our government to citizens’ control. Through a combination of education, advocacy, and grass roots organization, Citizens United seeks to reassert the traditional American values of limited government, freedom of enterprise, strong families, and national sovereignty and security. Citizens United’s goal is to restore the founding fathers’ vision of a free nation, guided by the honesty, common sense, and good will of its citizens. |
What We Do
Citizens United has a variety of different projects that help it uniquely and successfully fulfill its mission. Citizens United is well known for producing high-impact, sometimes controversial, but always fact-based documentaries filled with interviews of experts and leaders in their fields.
Citizens United Productions (CUP) is the documentary film production and marketing arm of Citizens United. CUP has produced films with Newt & Callista Gingrich, Dick Morris, Congresswoman Michele Bachmann, Fred Thompson, and many other stars of the conservative movement. Many of our films have won film festival awards, including Perfect Valor (Best Documentary at the GI Film Festival) and Ronald Reagan: Rendezvous with Destiny (Remi Award at Houston Worldfest International Festival). Citizens United Affiliates Citizens United Foundation (CUF) is a 501(c)3 tax-exempt non-profit dedicated to informing the American people about public policy issues which relate to traditional American values: strong national defense, Constitutionally limited government, free market economics, belief in God and Judeo-Christian values, and the recognition of the family as the basic social unit of our society. CUF does not involve itself in any political campaigns, lobbying, or other activities. The Presidential Coalition exists to educate the American public on the value of having principled conservative Republican leadership at all levels of government. The Presidential Coalition achieves this mission through issue advocacy campaigns and candidate contributions. Citizens United Political Victory Fund exists to support true conservative candidates running for federal office through direct candidate advocacy and contributions, based on our in-depth candidate research and surveys. |
Fulfilling Our MissionCitizens United is an organization dedicated to restoring our government to citizens’ control. We pride ourselves on being vigorous defenders of your views and we achieve results using a variety of tools. Citizens United produces some of the most hard-hitting and influential television commercials, web advertisements, and documentaries available. These products delve deeply into the issues that matter most to the future of our country, striking a chord with people that helps awaken them to the importance of a limited government, individual responsibility, free market economy, and traditional American values. Citizens United television commercials, web advertisements, and documentary films are shown to a wide range of Americans, each audience selected based on the desired outcome, to maximize the impact of each dollar we spend. Distribution channels used include online DVD sales, telephone DVD sales, direct mail DVD sales, television and internet advertising, Netflix, billboard ads, earned media, television appearances, newspaper op-eds, and much more. Each production piece has its own distribution plan that has helped hundreds of thousands of Americans see the important messages our award winning productions carry. Television Commercials Web Advertisements Citizens United Documentary Films
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Another Groundbreaking Study Emerges Linking Agricultural Pesticides To Autism – And That’s Not All | Collective-Evolution
Numerous studies have clearly outlined the health and environmental dangers that are associated with pesticides, more specifically, agricultural pesticides. They’ve been linked to cancer, birth defects, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, kidney failure and many more.
It’s remarkable how we continue to spray these all over our food. In the past decade alone, scientists from all over the world have conducted studies that now link them with autism. Keep in mind, autism is a very large spectrum, some of it may be evolution, and in many other cases, neurodevelopment is largely hampered due to the factors mentioned in this article (and more). Here is one of the (out of what could be many) reasons why:
Pesticides Increase Risk By 2/3
A study coming out of the University of California, Davis, determined that pregnant women who live in close proximity to land and farms where chemical pesticides are/were applied experience a two-thirds increased risk of having a child with autism spectrum disorder or some other developmental disorder.
The study examined associations between pesticides, including organophosphates (a main ingredient in Monsanto’s Roundup herbicide) that were applied during the participants’ pregnancies and a later diagnosis of autism or developmental delay in their children.
The study was published this summer, online in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives.(1) It concluded that proximity to organophosphates alone at some point during gestation was associated with a 60% increased risk for ASD.
“This study validates the results of earlier research that had reported associations between having a child with autism and prenatal exposure to agricultural chemicals in California. While we still must investigate whether certain sub-groups are more vulnerable to exposures to these compounds than others, the message is very clear: Women who are pregnant should take special care to avoid contact with agricultural chemicals whenever possible.” – Janie F. Shelton, a UC Davis graduate student who now consults with the United Nations, lead author of the study.
The study examined commercial pesticide use in California, and used data from the California Pesticide Use report alongside data from the residential addresses of approximately 1000 participants in the Northern California area that participated in the Childhood Risk of Autism from Genetics and the Environment study (CHARGE)
“CHARGE (Childhood Autism Risks from Genetics and the Environment) was launched in 2003 as the first comprehensive study of environmental causes and risk factors for autism and developmental delay. The CHARGE study recognizes that no single factor accounts for all autism cases, nor is there one event or exposure that can be responsible for the rapid increase in diagnoses over the last few decades. Instead, each child’s path to altered brain development may be different.” (source)
I think the above explanation for autism is great. I do agree that there is not one single event that is responsible, I think it includes a number of factors that allow toxins to enter into the body from fetal development and early childhood, and there is a lot of evidence which suggests this.
“Organophosphates applied over the course of pregnancy were associated with an elevated risk of autism spectrum disorder, particularly for chlorpyrifos applications in the second trimester. Pyrethroids were moderately associated with autism spectrum disorder immediately prior to conception and in the third trimester. Carbamates applied during pregnancy were associated with developmental delay. Exposures to insecticides for those living near agricultural areas may be problematic, especially during gestation, because the developing fetal brain may be more vulnerable than it is in adults. Because these pesticides are neurotoxic, in utero exposures during early development may distort the complex processes of structural development and neuronal signaling producing alterations to the excitation and inhibition mechanisms that govern mood, learning, social interactions and behaviour.”(1)
Related CE Article: New Study Finds Organic Diet Drops Pesticide Levels In Adults By 90 Percent
More Studies Regarding Autism and Toxins
A new study published in the journal PLOS Computational Biology, from researchers at the University of Chicago revealed that autism and intellectual disability (ID) rates are linked with exposure to harmful environmental factors during congenital development. (2)
The team analyzed data that covered more than one third of the U.S. population. Data from individual states and more than 2,100 counties were used. Fetuses, particularly males, are sensitive to multiple toxins such as environmental lead, medications and a wide variety of other synthetic molecules, like pesticides, mercury and more. Exposure to these toxins during critical stages of development is thought to explain a large portion of congenital reproductive malformations.
Our environment is full of neurodevelopmental toxins, which means they alter how the brain grows. Mercury, polychlorinated diphenyl, lead, brominated flame retardants and pesticides are a few of many examples. Don’t forget about insecticides and herbicides.
Another recent study published in the New England Journal of Medicine compared brain autopsies of autistic children who had died from unrelated causes to those of normal ones. The autistic brains demonstrated abnormal patches of disorganized neurons that disrupted the usual distinct layers in the brain’s cortex. The study suggests that abnormalities occurred in utero during key developmental stages between 19 to 30 weeks gestation. It’s not just the toxin, it’s the timing of the exposure. (3)
Another study outlines how glyphosate toxicity leads to the suppression of critical enzymes, and as a result links the Western diet to heart disease, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, autism and more. (4)
In another case, a group of scientists put together a comprehensive review of existing data that shows how European regulators have known that Monsanto’s glyphosate causes a number of birth malformations since at least 2002. Regulators misled the public about glyphosate’s safety, and in Germany the Federal Office for Consumer Protection and Food Safety told the European Commission that there was no evidence to suggest that glyphosate causes birth defects (5)
A new study published in the journal Biomedical Research International shows that Roundup herbicide is 125 times more toxic than its active ingredient glyphosate studied in isolation.(16)
There is more research confirming that mothers who are exposed to commonly used, “safe” pesticides give birth to children with lower intelligence, structural brain abnormalities, behavioral disorders, compromised motor skills, higher rates of brain cancer and small head size. (6)(7)(8)(9)(10)(11)(12)(13)(14)(15)
The list goes on and on, for more information on toxins and the role they play in autism, you can click HERE.
Sources:
http://www.ucdmc.ucdavis.edu/publish/news/newsroom/8978
(1) http://ehp.niehs.nih.gov/1307044/
(2) http://www.ploscompbiol.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pcbi.1003518
(3) http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa1307491
(4) http://www.mdpi.com/1099-4300/15/4/1416
(5) http://earthopensource.org/files/pdfs/Roundup-and-birth-defects/RoundupandBirthDefectsv5.pdf
(16) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3955666/
6.Rauh V, Arunajadai S, Horton M, Perera F, Hoepner L, Barr DB, et al. 2011. Seven-Year Neurodevelopmental Scores and Prenatal Exposure to Chlorpyrifos, a Common Agricultural Pesticide. Environ Health Perspect 119:1196-1201.
7. Bouchard M, Chevrier J, Harley K, Kogut K, Vedar M, Calderon N, Trujillo C, Johnson C, Bradman A, Barr D, Eskenazi B. Prenatal Exposure to Organophosphate Pesticides and IQ in 7-Year Old Children. Environmental Health Perspectives, 2011; DOI: 10.1289/ehp.1003185
8. Engel S, et al. Prenatal Exposure to Organophosphates, Paraoxonase 1, and Cognitive Development in Childhood. Environmental Health Perspectives, 2011; DOI: 10.1289/ehp.1003183
9. Horton M, et al. Impact of Prenatal Exposure to Piperonyl Butoxide and Permethrin on 36-Month Neurodevelopment. Pediatrics 2011; 127:3 e699-e706; doi:10.1542/peds.2010-0133
10. Horton M, Kahn L, Perera F, Barr D, Rauh V. Does the home environment and the sex of the child modify the adverse effects of prenatal exposure to chlorpyrifos on child working memory? Neurotoxicology and Teratology, 2012; DOI: 10.1016/j.ntt.2012.07.004
11. Rauh V, et al. Brain anomalies in children exposed prenatally to a common organophosphate pesticide. PNAS 2012 109 (20) 7871-7876; published ahead of print April 30, 2012, doi:10.1073/pnas.1203396109
12.Oulhote Y, Bouchard M, Urinary Metabolites of Organophosphate and Pyrethroid Pesticides and Behavioral Problems in Canadian Children Environ Health Perspect; DOI:10.1289/ehp.1306667
13.. Ostrea EM, et al. 2011. Fetal exposure to propoxur and abnormal child neurodevelopment at two years of age. Neurotoxicology.
14. Greenop K, Peters S, Bailey H, et al. Exposure to pesticides and the risk of childhood brain tumors. Cancer Causes & Control. April 2013
15. Kimura-Kuroda J, Komuta Y, Kuroda Y, Hayashi M, Kawano H (2012) Nicotine-Like Effects of the Neonicotinoid Insecticides Acetamiprid and Imidacloprid on Cerebellar Neurons from Neonatal Rats. PLoS ONE 7(2): e32432. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.003243
Awesome: “Gun Owners of America” Give Obama a Lesson on the Constitution
August 10, 2014
There is no question that President Obama has an anti-gun agenda, one shared by many other progressive liberals, that seeks to disarm the vast majority of the American population through gun control laws, disguised as “public safety” measures.
These progressives are of the view that only the government, and their enforcers in the ranks of police and military, should be the only people permitted to keep and carry guns. They deny the natural and inherent right of all people to be armed for self-defense.
But Americans must not allow themselves to be disarmed and enslaved, and any attempts at outright confiscation would likely result in a bloody and violent second Revolution or civil war.
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President Obama is of the opinion that the government has given citizens the right have guns, and stated as much on the official White House website. The gun rights advocacy group “Gun Owners of America” have taken notice of that, and sent a letter to Obama, correcting his oversight and giving him a quick Constitutional lesson, according to WND.
A section of the White House website dealing with the Constitution and the Bill of Rightsstates that the Second Amendment “gives citizens the right to bear arms.”
Gun Owners of America sent a letter to the President, explaining that the Second Amendment doesn’t “give” any rights at all, but merely codifies and protects a pre-existing right.
They also point out that the Second Amendment also protects the right to “keep”, that is, own guns, as well as “bear”, or carry them.
“The Supreme Court explicitly stated that ‘it has always been widely understood that the Second Amendment, like the First and Fourth Amendments, codified a pre-existing right. The Second Amendment text recognizes the right as pre-existent, declaring only that it ‘shall not be infringed. That is why the court concluded in DC v Heller that the right to keep and bear arms ‘belongs to all Americans,’” the letter released this week said.
“You can understand our concern here, for if the Second Amendment is a mere privilege given to American citizens by government, it is a privilege which can be overcome by naked assertions of public safety. Indeed, this misunderstanding of the Second Amendment undergirds the erroneous positions being argued in many cases across the country by your Attorney General and the U.S. Justice Department,” the letter told Obama.
The group even offered up a statement of their own that they hope the Obama administration will use instead, but the odds of that happening are awfully slim. Their corrected statement on the original intent of the Second Amendment says:
“The Second Amendment seeks to preserve the United States as a free nation, by protecting the right of individual American citizens to acquire, own, possess, sell, carry and use modern firearms, both through service in a citizen’s militia as a final line of defense against government tyranny, as well as other personal uses such as self-defense, hunting, and other sporting activities.”
The White House will likely say that their horribly wrong explanation of the Second Amendment was a mere oversight, and certainly not an indication of their dim view on the unalienable right of all people to keep and bear arms.
Sadly, the alleged “Constitutional law professor” we have for a President, seems to need more than a few reminders of what actually is, and is not, in the Constitution. It really makes one wonder what Constitution he studied and taught, and if maybe some of his former students should seek a refund, as their “professor” obviously isn’t familiar with the document that he supposedly taught.
Please share this on Facebook and Twitter if you know that the “mistake” about the Second Amendment on the White House website proves that they think government grants rights, and can take rights away, if they so choose.
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Awesome: “Gun Owners of America” Give Obama a Lesson on the Constitution
Ben Marquis
Sun, 10 Aug 2014 18:06:23 GMT
BREAKING: Court Shuts Down Eric Holder Over Voter ID
August 10, 2014
Voter ID laws are a pretty simple concept that enjoy widespread support. Voter ID laws simply state that anyone showing up to vote at the polls must provide a valid ID of some sort, to prove that they are who they claim to be.
Voter ID laws help prevent and cut down on voter fraud, and help to protect the integrity of elections. Progressive Democrats abhor voter ID laws, and Attorney General Eric Holder has attacked such laws in multiple states, claiming they are racist and prevent minorities from voting.
But the only thing racist about voter ID laws is the liberal assumption that minorities are somehow unable to obtain some sort of ID. This despite the fact that most states will offer a simple voter ID card for free, and the ubiquitous nature of ID cards in general society already, as ID cards are required for most business conducted day to day.
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Attorney General Eric Holder had sued North Carolina over their voter ID law, making his usual claim that the law was racist and discriminatory against minorities, putting an undue burden on them that prevented them from exercising their right to vote. According toWestern Journalism, a federal District Court in North Carolina thought differently, and flat out rejected Holder’s argument.
Tom Fitton, of Judicial Watch, called this decision a huge setback for Eric Holder’s war against voter ID, saying “It is an embarrassing defeat for the Holder Justice Department. The court’s decision eviscerates Eric Holder’s politicized and racially inflammatory legal assault on commonsense election integrity measures. The court expressly rejected the Department of Justice’s contention that minorities are harmed by commonsense measures that help secure honest elections. The court’s dramatic rejection of Holder’s legal theory shows that that the DOJ’s lawsuit, which was coordinated with political activists at the White House, was always more about cynical political and racial appeals than upholding the law.”
This is huge news, and fits with the continuing trend of court defeats for the administration. Wisconsin’s voter ID law was recently upheld, with similar arguments against it being rejected by the court.
There is nothing racist or discriminatory about requiring voters to prove they are citizens that are properly registered to vote, before allowing them to vote. The honesty and integrity of our democratic system depends upon it.
Do you think voters should have to show an ID before being allowed to vote?
BREAKING: IRS Announces That It’s Strongly Targeting 99 Top Churches in America
August 11, 2014
We have extensively covered the IRS targeting of Tea Party and conservative groups, giving them extra scrutiny above and beyond normal protocol for non-profit tax exempt statuses.
Not only did the IRS target these groups specifically, they have also embarked on a blatant coverup of the evidence detailing this targeting, taking the scandal to another level.
The targeting has resulted in numerous investigations and hearings, not to mention a slew of lawsuits against the IRS. House Republicans are even trying to cut the budget of the IRS, and set new rules on how they can spend their money, to prevent future targeting.
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But there is a new scandal brewing at the IRS, again involving specific politicized targeting, this time of churches. It is a direct assault on religious liberty and freedom of speech.
We shared with you recently how the IRS plans to “monitor” certain Christian churches, and now WND has provided even more information about the secrecy of the whole matter.
The IRS recently reached a secret agreement with an atheist group, the Freedom From Religion Foundation, which dropped a lawsuit they had against the IRS after reaching the secretive deal.
The FFRF was suing the IRS over allegations of “illegal campaign intervention” by some churches, and demanded that the IRS enforce their rules against electioneering by non-profit organizations. The “illegal campaign intervention” that had the atheist group so concerned was little more than sermons based on scriptural beliefs pertaining to abortion, same-sex marriage, and religious liberty.
The claim by the FFRF basically amounts to politicizing the Bible, and the core beliefs that Christians and churches have taught for centuries.
The IRS has remained silent about what exactly was entailed in their agreement with the FFRF, other than the announcement that 99 different churches have been recommended to the Department of Justice for “high priority examination”.
But all is not yet lost, as the IRS has now been hit with yet another lawsuit, this one from the Alliance Defending Freedom, who are demanding to know all of the specifics involved in the secret deal, and what standards will now be applied to churches and religious organizations.
“Secrecy breeds mistrust, and the IRS should know this in light of its recent scandals involving the investigation of conservative groups,” said ADF Litigation Counsel Christiana Holcomb.
“We are asking the IRS to disclose the new protocols and procedures it apparently adopted for determining whether to investigate churches. What it intends to do to churches must be brought into the light of day.”
The ADF is requesting all “correspondence, memoranda, statements, emails, text messages, letters, calendar or diary logs, facsimile logs, telephone records, call sheets, tape recordings, notes, and other documents and things that refer or relate to the foregoing matter in any way.”
The IRS claims that they have placed a moratorium on opening new investigations, in light of the numerous investigations into the broad targeting scandal. The FFRF has threatened to refile their lawsuit against the IRS if they don’t feel that enough is being done, in their view, to stop churches from engaging in so-called “political activity”, i.e. preaching the Word and teaching Biblical beliefs.
This whole matter is exceedingly scary, and yet another direct attack against Christianity and the First Amendment, specifically the free exercise of religion and freedom of speech, which still applies to the pulpit, regardless of tax-exempt status.
We will keep an eye on this story, and will certainly update it as more information becomes available. As it looks right now, this has the potential to become the next major scandal in the headlines in the near future.
Please share this on Facebook and Twitter if you find it abhorrent that the IRS would make a secret deal with atheists to target Christian churches.
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BREAKING: IRS Announces That It’s Strongly Targeting 99 Top Churches in America
Ben Marquis
Mon, 11 Aug 2014 17:44:43 GMT
BREAKING: 22 States Unite in Major Stand Against Gun Control
August 11, 2014
Earlier this year, a new gun control measure took effect in New York, called the SAFE Act, which created nearly 1,000,000 “criminals” out of law-abiding gun owners overnight.
The poorly thought out and hastily passed law instituted a ban on so-called “assault” weapons, required the registration of all firearms already owned, placed limits on ammunition sales, and put a limit of 7 rounds on firearm magazines.
But the law has been overwhelmingly rejected by gun owners, who have refused to register their guns. Law enforcement agencies and gun manufacturers have also spoken in opposition to the new law, with Remington Arms even moving most of their manufacturing out of the state in protest.
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The law was challenged in New York court, and largely upheld, but that decision has been appealed. According to the NRA, the Attorneys General of some 22 different states have joined together to file an Amicus brief in support of the challenge to the gun control law.
The states that have joined in on the appeal of the law include: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, West Virginia, and Wyoming.
However, the Attorneys General for nine states with similar restrictive laws, plus DC, filed their own brief in support of New York’s SAFE Act. Those states are: Maryland, California, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Massachusetts, and Oregon.
Supporters of the law worry that the Second Amendment “ties the hands” of states trying to respond to public safety issues.
But gun rights advocates simply state that the law bans commonly owned firearms, places undue burdens on gun owners, and is an infringement of their Constitutionally-protected right to keep and bear arms. They say that a strict scrutiny of the law, in relation to theoriginal intent of the Second Amendment, should reveal that it is unconstitutional.
A number of law enforcement agencies and associations have also joined in the challenge of the law with Amicus briefs of their own, which makes sense, as a vast majority of law enforcement do not support more gun control, realizing instead that armed citizens actually make their jobs easier.
New York’s SAFE Act is a failure of a law, and will do nothing to make New York safer. Criminals will not voluntarily disarm themselves, or register their guns, or only place 7 rounds in their magazines, leaving only those citizens who naively abide by the law as the ones who will be inconvenienced and placed in unsafe situations.
Hopefully, this lawsuit, with it’s supportive Amicus briefs, will find success in the US Court of Appeals, and the misnamed NY SAFE Act will ultimately be struck down.
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BREAKING: 22 States Unite in Major Stand Against Gun Control
Ben Marquis
Mon, 11 Aug 2014 17:47:11 GMT