Author Archives: marcia

A Little Chaos – Magick

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What is chaos magick?

By      Spiral Nature Magazine

Red hand, photo by fathomfive

“Nothing is true; everything is permitted.”
– Hassan I Sabbah

“I tell you: one must have chaos in one, to give birth to a dancing star. I tell you: you still have chaos in you.”
– Nietzsche, Thus Spoke Zarathustra

“…if you want a one-line definition with which most Chaoists would probably not disagree, then I offer the following. Chaoists usually accept the meta-belief that belief is a tool for achieving effects; it is not an end in itself.”
– Peter Carroll, January, 1992

“Chaos is not in itself, a system or philosophy. It is rather an attitude that one applies to one’s magic and philosophy. It is the basis for all magic, as it is the primal creative force. A Chaos Magician learns a variety of magical techniques, usually as many as s/he can gain access to, but sees beyond the systems and dogmas to the physics behind the magical force and uses whatever methods are appealing to him/herself.”
– Mark Chao, “Defining Chaos”

“The Chaos Magician seeks to understand the natural laws behind the workings of magic, and the reasons behind the use of ritual in the performance of a magical working.”
– Jaq D. Hawkins, Understanding Chaos Magic1

“Chaos Magick is an extraordinary deconstruction of magick, semantics, and psychology designed to eradicate consensual belief structures and, using the energy freed by this act, glimpse the fractal contours of reality.”
– Marik

“Chaos Magick is in essence shamanism devoid of culture.”
– The Heretic Heathen, on alt.magick.chaos

“Chaos can be beautiful and good. Order can be dangerous and evil. As any carpenter will tell you, some tools are dangerous. Dangerous tools are safest when properly sharpened, and used by experts. You get to be an expert by practicing your sharpening skills, not by hacking away…”
– alt.magick.chaos FAQ V 1.00

“There’s basically two kinds of magick. There’s puff’s magick, and git ‘ard Magick. Chaos is git ‘ard Magick.”
– Mick McMagus, Leeds, 1987

“Rather than trying to recover and maintain a tradition that links back to the past (and former glories), Chaos Magick is an approach that enables the individual to use anything that s/he thinks is suitable as a temporary belief or symbol system. What matters is the results you get, not the ‘authenticity’ of the system used. So Chaos Magic then, is not a system – it utilises systems and encourages adherents to devise their own, giving magic a truly Postmodernist flavour.”
– Phil Hine, Condensed Chaos2

“Much of what passes for magical theory is, at root, a matter of belief. As such, it is more relevant to the successful outcome of the magician’s spell that he has some degree of belief in what he is doing. Moreover, whereas scientific theories are based (at least so we are told by scientists) on mathematical proofs, magical theories are rooted in personal beliefs of whoever is expounding them. Where as scientific theories at least have the appearance of being unified and consistent, magical theories do not, nor is it a requirement, from the position of practical magic, that they do.

“Henceforth, whilst there are a great many theories and models proposed as to how, or why, magic works (based on subtle energies, animal magnetism, psychological concepts, quantum theory, mathematics or the so-called anthropomorphic principle) it is not a case that one of them is more ‘true’ than others, but a case of which theory or model you choose to believe in, or which theory you find most attractive. Indeed, from a Chaos Magic perspective, you can selectively believe that a particular theory or model of magical action is true only for the duration of a particular ritual or phase of work.”
– Phil Hine, Prime Chaos 3

“Chaos comes before all principles of order & entropy, it’s neither a god nor a maggot, its idiotic desires encompass & define every possible choreography, all meaningless aethers & phlogistons, its masks are crystallizations of its own facenessness, like clouds…Chaos never died.”
– Hakim Bey, “Chaos” in T.A.Z.4

“Chaos Magic is about actualising the will in the real world, rather than attaining ever more colourful dreams in imaginary higher states.”
– Steve Wilson, Chaos Ritual

“Chaos Magick does not use a concrete theoretical focus, the emphasis in Chaos Magick is on the Doing rather than the Explaining…Thus, in Chaos Magick a system of belief is a means to an end and is not an answer to the mystery of Life, the Universe and everything.”
– D. J. Lawrence, The Chaos Cookbook

“…I think the magician is sort of adversarial by nature. Brash and arrogant at the least, to acknowledge that there is a pattern and to also say “I can do better”.”
– Fra. Samuel 23, of ChaosCurrent.com

“…Chaos magick should be all about ‘getting out there and doing it’. Sometimes it is also all about thinking about how to do it, and thus creatively inventing marvellous and sometimes scary new ways of how to do it. And then damn well doing it!”
– Francis Breakspear, Kaostar!5

Image credit: fathomfive

from:    https://www.spiralnature.com/magick/what-is-chaos-magick/

Sigils & Effects

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Sigil magick: Down and dirty

By

Donyae Coles

Strange sigil, photo by Alexander SynapticOne of the simplest forms of magick to do is sigil magick. Sigils can be found throughout the magick world, and are often used for quick works; however, they can also be employed for long lasting work and protection. They are very easy to learn, making them approachable, but make no mistake, mastering this skill, like anything else in magick, takes time.

Many people make the mistake of thinking that these are simple magicks because they are relatively easy to learn, and do once you have the system of creation down. Although there are various systems, which this piece will go over, they all, more or less, follow the same rules. Due to this ease, people often thoughtlessly practice this type of work which leads to easy mistakes and unexpected consequences.

When working with sigils, it’s not just how to do it, it’s also why and when. Understanding when sigils are best put to use and what circumstances they help most with will help practitioners grow their practice. Though these are simple to use, they’re not meant to be just thrown around whenever.

A short history and what sigils are and are not

Sigils are glyphs created from letters of the alphabet either by using the letters directly or by changing them over to numbers to build patterns. There are done by hand in many cases, but there are multiple websites and apps to help people create sigils quickly and efficiently. That being said, the creation is only half of the process for working with them. The second half is destruction.

The use of sigils was first noticeably pioneered by Austin Osman Spare. He was an artist and was heavily involved with the occult scene during the early part of the 20th century, along  with Aleister Crowley. The two eventually had a falling out, but Spare is responsible for influencing what we know of today as chaos magick. His original work was refined in the later part of the century to be more palatable and easy to work with.

Spare had grand ideas for sigil work, some of which would combine the physical body with the alphabet to make new symbols and form a stronger connection with the work, but this never really caught on. This has left us with the very basics of sigil use, our alphabet and for the most part, paper.

Although Spare in considered the “father” of sigil work, and sigil work is still an important practice in chaos magick, many different types of practitioners use this technique. It crops up in modern hoodoo studies, Wicca, and shamanic paths. It’s relationship with chaos magick is undisputed, but it has been adopted by other schools of magick as well.

Sigils are not the same as veves or charms. They aren’t symbols that are placed on other things for protection or to call back to a deity. They aren’t alchemical, they don’t speak to the elements. They are unique structures created to fulfill a certain intent. They are for one-time use, for the most part.

There are have been a few sites and people who have put out sigils for use against massive issues. Some websites have premade sigils that anyone is free to copy and use. There’s nothing wrong with this, as long as the intent that the user wishes is the same as what the sigil as created for, it’s fine.

Sigils cannot be used for issues outside of what they were created for. If your intent when you created the sigil is to find a new job, you can’t then use the same sigil for finding a new apartment. This is because they are created with specific words and phrases and are simply not interchangeable.

Although they can be general, such as a broad sigil for protection, they work well when they are more specific. The act of outlining your intent is part of the ritual of creating them. This is the one issue with premade sigils, they don’t hold much of your own intent. Now with a good foundation in what these are and aren’t, we’ll move on to how to create them.

Making your own sigil in just a few steps

Before we dive in, it’s important to note that this is easier to do on paper than it is online unless you are using a generator program.

Step 1: Identify and set your intent

This literally means sitting down and laying out what you’re attempting to accomplish with this work. Do you want a new job? A romantic partner? A chance to meet someone famous? To get over a cold? Whatever it is you are trying to do, this is where you identify that exact need.

It is also where you decide if this is really the best work for this desire. There’s a time and a season for everything, and although sigil magick can be used for anything, it’s not the greatest for all situations. This is a really subjective practice and there are no hard and fast rules.

The only advice here is to really think about what you are asking for, and if some other practice would not be better suited for getting the results that you want or need. You can, if you want, use sigils for everything, but this isn’t responsible, and likely won’t give you the results you want.

Things to consider: can my petition be boiled down to one concrete sentence? If not, then sigil work is probably not the best work. Am I open to a variety of outcomes that satisfy my original request? If you are not ok with this, then sigil work may be too broad for your needs. Do I know what I really want? If the answer is no, then sigil work is not a good move for you.

Your intent, or petition as I call them, should be written in a clear decisive sentence. “I want a new job,” is fine but “I want a new job in my field that does not require relocation,” is better. The first sentence can find you having to move across the country, or being flooded with offers that you are not interested in. The second sentence gives the magick parameters to work within. There are still ways we could make this petition better, such as by mentioning things like a pay rate or benefits, but for the purposes of this example, this is fine.

Step 2: Reduce your intent

The first step is to remove all the vowels. This turns “I want a new job in my field that does not require relocation” into “wntnwjbnmfldthtdsntrqrrlctn” which is very unwieldy. A note on the letter “y”, it is removed as vowel when it is acting as a vowel, as in the word “my,” but otherwise would be a consonant.

This is further reduced by removing the repeat letters. Some people don’t do this step, but I think in longer petitions this is needed. “wntnwjbnmfldthtdsntrqrrlctn” becomes “wntjbnfldhsgrlc.” This string of letters is much easier to work with.

Step 3: Draw your sigil

There are a few ways to do this. I will lay them out. The first is perhaps the easiest (and most fun). In the most popular form, you take the letters of the petition and create an image from them. The letters connect and overlap, and the results are often quite attractive and artistic. This process takes more time as they must be laid out intentionally, so that the result seems natural. You don’t just write them on top of one of another.

The second, faster option is to use a grid. This is where we see some overlap between sigils and magick squares. In order to use this method, you must reduce your intent once more into numbers. If you are only transferring their place in the alphabet, you can use a square that has 26 jumbled numbers such as the Square of Mars, or you can reduce them all down to numbers 1-9. The second suggestion is most common, but many people use magick squares as basis for their sigil creation. This goes a bit beyond the basics, so we’re going to leave that concept alone. It is enough to say that, although sigils and magick squares do at times overlap, they are two distinct types of work that exist independently of each other.

It’s very easy to draw with this system. Start at your first letter and just draw lines to the next letters, like connect the dots. The image that is created by the connecting and overlapping lines is your sigil.

Step 4: Charging

How you charge your sigil really depends on what sort of magick your practice. For people who are eclectic, charging is generally a small act of mediation. Some groups let the finish sigil sit on their altar for a few days. Others carry it around so that the energy can be drawn.

Some people skip this completely. Even though I’ve listed this as a step, it’s optional and not everyone does it. I like to have a connection with my work, but not everyone feels like this process makes it any stronger. Whether you do so is up to you. For some the act of creating the sigil is enough.

Step 5: Destruction or activation

Sigils are made to be destroyed. That act of destroying it is what activates it. The most common practice is to burn it. This is part of why paper is recommended, because it burns easily. It can also be ripped very easily, in case you can’t burn it. You can even scribble over it completely, which destroys it.

This is also the part that makes online generators a less favourable option. I recommend using them to speed up the first few steps, but copying the sigil onto paper so that it can be destroyed. If that is not possible, save a picture, a screenshot, and delete it or take it into Paint or similar program, and destroy it by colouring, erasing or cutting chunks of it out.

Step 6: Profit

Well, not really, unless your sigil was about money. As with any work, you must let the universe do its work. It may take time for your sigil to manifest, but give it that time.

This is a basic guide for creating and using sigil magick. You can do many things with it, and it’s best to experiment to find your own style and voice with it.

Image credit: Alexander Synaptic

from:    https://www.spiralnature.com/magick/sigil-magick-down-and-dirty/

Let’s Look at 5G

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Massive Predicted Effects of 5G in the Context of Safety Guideline Failures

by Thomas Cowan |

Massive Predicted Effects of 5G

Professor Emeritus Martin Pall
Massive Predicted Effects of 5G in the Context of Safety Guideline Failures:

Very High-Level VGCC Sensitivity to Low-Intensity EMFs and Especially to Pulsations Feb. 25, 2020

The voltage-gated calcium channel (VGCC) protein molecule contains a four domain structure with each domain carrying an alpha helix, each designated an S4 helix, containing 5 positive charges. Those four charged alpha helixes act together as what is called the voltage sensor, the structure that responds to electrical changes across the plasma membrane to open the channel. It has been shown that not only 4 distinct types of VGCCs, but also a voltage gated sodium channel, potassium channel and chloride channel are all activated by low intensity EMFs of various frequencies, suggesting that the EMFs act on the voltage sensor. In plants, EMFs apparently act via activation of some other channels, known as TPC channels, which also contain a similar voltage sensor. The structure and location of the voltage sensor and two laws of physics, Coulomb’s law and Ohm’s law, predict that the EMF forces on the voltage sensor are stunningly strong, approximately 7.2 million times stronger than the forces on singly electrically charged groups in the aqueous parts of our cells and bodies. This explains why the voltage sensor is the main direct target of the EMFs. The voltage-gated sodium, potassium and chloride channels apparently play only minor roles in producing EMF effects, so that to a first approximation, effects can be explained as being predominantly from VGCC activation and consequent increases in intracellular calcium [Ca2+]i. This falsifies the industry claim that there are only thermal effects can occur. The VGCC mechanism has been widely accepted in the scientific community as shown be the 247 citations of my first 2013 EMF paper (Google Scholar) and by my 58 different invited professional talks on this topic.

Large numbers of non-thermal pathophysiological EMF effects can be explained through the action of VGCC activation as produced by two different pathways of action shown in Fig. 1 below: the calcium signaling pathway and the peroxynitrite/free radical/oxidative stress/inflammation pathway. These include are 9 types of effects produced from microwave frequency non-thermal effects as shown in from 9 to 38 different reviews: Lowered male and female fertility; increased neurological/neuropsychiatric effects; 3 types of effects on cellular DNA; endocrine (hormonal) effects; increased apoptosis (programmed cell death); cardiac effects on the electrical control of the heart; oxidative stress/free radical damage; excessive [Ca2+]i; cancer.

ICNIRP, EU, UK and other “safety guidelines” are all based on average intensities over a 6 minute period, with allowable exposures set by SAR, a measure of heating. Predictions of these safety guidelines have been tested by 8 different highly repeated types of studies and each of these 8 shows that the safety guideline fail and fail massively. Modulating pulsations, nanosecond pulses and paired nanosecond pulses of identical polarity each produce large effects that the safety guidelines claim cannot be produced. These pulsation effects are of high relevance to 5G because 5G is designed to be very highly pulsed in order to carry vast amounts of information per second because it is the pulsations that carry the information. Other types of evidence showing that the safety guidelines do not predict biological effects include the calcium channel blocker studies which show that low-intensity EMF exposures produce effects through VGCC activation rather than by heating, the many reviews showing non-thermal health impacts discussed above and the findings that there are exposure windows that produce maximum effects but lower and higher intensity exposures produce much lower effects. The failure of the “safety guidelines” to predict biological effects and therefore safety means that these are not safety guidelines. Consequently, any claims of safety made by the multi-trillion euro telecommunications industry based on these “safety guidelines” are simply fraudulent.

These failures of the “safety guidelines” must be considered in terms of the principle that is at the core of the scientific method. That principle is that when we have a scientific theory and we test predictions of that theory and the theory predictions are shown to be false, then we must throw the theory out. It follows that when we have eight highly repeated findings each of which show that the “safety guidelines” do not predict biological effects and do not, therefore, predict safety, it is a scientific requirement that the “safety guidelines” be thrown out. The failure of ICNIRP, the European Commission and various regulatory agencies to throw out the “safety guidelines” clearly shows that their actions are both unscientific and anti-scientific.

Penetration of Millimeter Wave Effects

What can we say, then, about 5G? MM-waves used for 5G also work via VGCC activation. 5G is designed to carry extraordinarily high amounts of information per second and is, therefore, extraordinarily highly pulsed. The electrical parts of these MM-waves do not penetrate well into buildings, such that millions of 5G antennae are planned in close proximity to our home, schools, churches, businesses, etc,
such that it will be nearly impossible to avoid exposures. Given the high pulsation level for 5G radiation, even short exposures may well produce severe biological effects. In addition to this, the finding that 5G systems involve output power sometimes like 30 times higher output than did previous systems, we have an strong argument for disaster (Human exposure to RF fields in 5G downlinkI Nasim, S Kim – arXiv preprintarXiv:1711.03683, 2017 – arxiv.org).

It has been argued by the industry that 5G will only produce effects in the outer millimeter of the body because of the absorption of 5G radiation and other MM-wave frequency EMFs. It is the case that 5G and other millimeter wave frequencies will produce very strong surface effects which are of major concern. But it has also been shown that MM-waves produce highly penetrating effects, impacting human brain function and EEG activity and also impacting many internal organs in animals.
Zalyobokskaya NP, 1977. Biological effect of millimeter radiowaves. Vrachebnoye Delo 3: 116-119. Declassified and Approved for release 2012/05/10: CIA-RDP88B01125R000300120005-6 Levedeva NN, Reactions of the central nervous system to peripheral effects of low-intensity EHF emissions. Approved for release 2000/08/10: CIA-RDP96-00792R000100070001-9 Potekhina IL, Akoyev GN, Yenin LD, Oleyner 1992 Effects of low-intensity electromagnetic radiation in
the millimeter range on the cardiovascular system of the white rat. Fiziol Zh 78:35-41Numerous other citations showing penetrating effects of millimeter waves are cited in: Betskii OY &Lebedeva NN. Low-intensity millimeter waves in biology and medicine. In: Clinical Application of Bioelectromagnetic Medicine, Marcel Decker, New York, pp. 30-61. A very recent paper came to the same conclusion that millimeter waves produce highly penetrating effects for the same reason, extensive empirical evidence: Kostoff et al (Toxicol Lett 2020:323;35-40).

So the industry claims are wrong on this as in so many other areas. How can we get such penetrating effects? The magnetic parts of the coherent EMFs are highly penetrating. They place forces on dissolved ions in the aqueous parts of our cells and bodies, moving those ions and regenerating the electrical parts of the EMFs with the same frequency and pulsations, just much lower intensity. Those can then activate theVGCC voltage sensor because of its extraordinary sensitivity to the electrical forces of even very weak EMFs. So the physics again tells us how the system works on the main actual biological target of the VGC voltage sensor.

The impacts of any full-fledged 5G (it always works together with 4G) will be vastly worse than any initial impacts seen following the turning on of 5G, because initially 5G has little to communicate with, so it will initially have much less pulsation. My six worst nightmares is that 5G will produce widespread in most cases universal or near-universal impact of the following types (and each of these needs to be considered in detail, based on the available evidence):

1. A rapid and irreversible crash in human reproduction to close to zero, based mainly but not solely on the impacts on male reproduction.

2. A rapid (albeit somewhat slower than in 1) crash in our collective brain function produced by massive impacts on human brain
structure and function.

3. Very early-onset Alzheimer’s dementia also caused by the human brain impact seen in 2.

4. Autism and ADHD caused primarily by perinatal 4G/5G exposures.

5. Massive deterioration in the human gene pool, caused by the DNA effects in human sperm and possibly also on human eggs.

6. Widespread sudden cardiac death in all age ranges caused by the EMF impacts on the pacemaker cells in the sino-atrial node of the heart.

What are we actually seeing initially from 5G?

The reports of human effects in Switzerland included many reports of neurological/neuropsychiatric effects and also cardiac effects .

https://www.illustre.ch/magazine/5g-sentons-cobayes?utm_source=facebook&fbclid=IwAR1kXKK1yWBDKoaZRVOQB7gRvC8o-1a3GyVbQHJPyPkAzzpl73iKYtaiA6QT

There are, of course many reviews reporting such effects, as discussed above, following EMF exposures. The physicians in Stuttgart reported these same two types of effects following 5G rollout and in addition, high amounts of electromagnetic hypersensitivity (EHS).

https://www.stuttgarter-nachrichten.de/inhalt.demo-am-staatsministerium-in-stuttgart-protest-gegen-5-g-in-weissen-arztkitteln.f964401b-85f9-4915-a236-4f3177597300.html

All three of these effects were reported to occur following smart meter exposures in both the Lamech and also the Conrad studies; all three were also reported to occur in the largest EMF occupational exposures studies ever performed as reviewed by Professor Emeritus Karl Hecht. The difference is that the effects appear to be much more severe following 5G exposure as opposed to the occupational exposure studies or even the smart meter studies. I am aware of still more severe apparent 5G neuropsychiatric effects in Southern California, but those have not been published to date. We have every reason to believe that any full fledged 5G system, communicating with the “internet of things” will produce still vastly greater effects than any of these initial findings.

It was proudly announced in England that an ambulance service will be using 5G communication between the ambulances and the hospitals served by them. The first such ambulance, it was proudly announced, was to be put into operation in Coventry in the West Midlands region of the UK:

https://www.coventrytelegraph.net/news/coventry-news/what-is-5g-15108544

So what happened when that 5G ambulance was operational? What happened is that three of the ambulance personnel died within an 11 day period of apparent suicide: Three NHS workers die suddenly while working for same ‘toxic’ ambulance trust. Could 5G be related? Alan Selby Mirror Sun, 24 Nov 2019 02:23 UTC;

https://www.itv.com/news/anglia/2019-11-22/concern-for-welfare-of-east-of-england-ambulance-staff-after-three-deaths-in-11-days/ ; https://www.itv.com/news/anglia/2019-11- 22/concern-for-welfare-of-east-of-england-ambulance-staff-after-three-deaths-in-11-days/

Shortly before their deaths a whistleblower wrote to the East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust’s boss complaining about psychological abuse. There are widespread neuropsychiatric effects produced by low-intensity EMF exposures, including depression. Depression can cause suicide and various neuropsychiatric effects may well lead to abusive behavior.

Two large occurrences of panic in cattle in the North Friesland area of the Netherlands correlated with 5G testing exposures:

https://www.melkvee.nl/artikel/191780-koeien-in-paniek-mogelijk-door-testen-5g-netwerk/

This should not be surprising, given that EMF exposures cause …

To read the rest of the article, which includes information on the roll out of 5G in Wuhan, go to:    https://fourfoldhealing.com/blogs/news/massive-predicted-effects-of-5g?mc_cid=8c817edfbb&mc_eid=e08ab2e1e6

Electricity & Disease

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An Important Question About the Coronavirus, Plus Immune-Support Tips

by Thomas Cowan |

Could This Outbreak Be Connected to 5G?
By Tom Cowan, M.D.

Because news outlets are blanketing us with updates on the coronavirus and the CDC’s prediction that a major epidemic is inevitable, I am getting a lot of questions about my understanding of this situation.  Before I share my thoughts, I want to emphasize that this is an immense, controversial and emotionally charged subject, one that demands careful thought, research and action.  I have no special insight into the genesis of this situation, besides the research I can do on my own.  I also want to emphasize that anyone who doesn’t take the time and effort to look into this article by Martin Pall, PhD, and the book “The Invisible Rainbow” by Arthur Firstenberg will most likely not have the full picture.*

This article is only a brief look at what these two pioneers are telling us.

First, as I have previously explained, every instance of “influenza” epidemic in our modern era was associated with a radical change in the electrification of the earth immediately before the outbreak. One of the most studied of these pandemics was the 1918 Spanish Flu pandemic, which killed millions of people around the globe. The Spanish influenza pandemic actually started not in Spain but in the U.S. in early 1918.  It was particularly associated with Naval bases and installations that were the first to install high-intensity radar.   The use of worldwide radar signals grew exponentially, and along with this expansion, the pandemic spread rapidly around the world, even appearing in places that had no contact with infected travelers.  In other words, it appeared on naval ships and ports at identical times, essentially proving that an infectious or contagious etiology was impossible.

Also, paradoxically, the doctors at the time reported that their patients were not dying from respiratory complications, as one would expect from an infection with a respiratory virus; rather, as two physicians at the time stated:

“We have yet to receive a report of a case in which the time of coagulation was not prolonged.”

Their patients were dying of internal hemorrhaging, bleeding into the brain and complications of the failure of the coagulation of the blood.  This was a known side effect of the exposure of human blood to intense electrical exposures since at least 1779, when primitive electrical devices were first used on human subjects.

The 1956 flu pandemic directly followed the introduction of high-intensity radar installations off the coast of Alaska, Cape Cod and New York Harbor.  For the first time, the entire globe was subjected to a level of radar waves never before experienced on earth.  Within months of these installations going on line, the 1956 pandemic began.

In 1968 the “Hong Kong flu” pandemic swept the globe.   This followed about eight months after the first satellites in the earth’s Van Allen radiation belt became operational.  Again, doctors noticed their patients dying of acute hemorrhages rather than the respiratory complications one would expect from complications of the flu.  The Van Allen belts are the protective electrical shield around the earth.  Never before had humankind been so unwise as to put radiation-emitting electrical devices directly into orbit around the earth.

It seems that whenever there is a quantum leap in the intensity of electrical exposure, many people and many other living beings die.  They die quickly and they die from the well-documented changes in their blood.   This pattern has repeated itself over and over again.

This brings us to the coronavirus outbreak.   As Dr. Pall has made perfectly clear, Wuhan City in China, where the outbreak started, was the initial site of the most intense rollout of 5G wireless technology on the planet.  The rollout of 5G in our cities and towns across the globe also is coincident in time with the placement of thousands of radiation-emitting satellites in the ionosphere and magnetosphere.  Although I’m not aware that hemorrhagic events are occurring during the current coronavirus outbreak, Dr. Pall summarizes a number of studies in which EMF radiation is a co-factor in either suppressing our immune response to viral infections, or itself makes viral infections more lethal.  In either case, we are likely not dealing with a simple viral infection as much as the consequences of the intersection of a dramatic increase in our global EMF exposure, as well as a possible viral co-factor.

If a virus is involved,  then the afflicted people have sufficiently weakened immune systems that offer little defense against this virus.   This is a tragic situation, one that calls us to quickly wake up to the dangers of the further intensification of the electrification of the planet.  This is a planetary emergency.

People, legitimately, are asking what they can do to help protect themselves and their families at this time. I haven’t dealt with any patients with this situation, so my answers are conjecture.   But, the first thing I would do is eliminate every source of EMFs you can from your life.  Some might want to contact a building biologist and shield their home or their bedroom; others might decide that keeping their devices on airplane mode when not in use might be the best they can do.   Please, though, educate yourself about this topic.

In no particular order, here are the things I do to help protect myself and my wife during this time.

  1. Whenever possible, we get outside, walk barefoot on the beach and play in our garden.
  2. We eat a high-fat, Nourishing Traditions diet with only fresh, non-chemically treated foods.
  3. We take liposomal vitamin C, 2,000-5,000 mg a day, when well, and 1,000-2,000 mg every hour while awake at the first sign of any sickness.
  4. We drink the best-quality water we have access to, which I will discuss more thoroughly in the coming weeks.
  5. We take our mushroom formula, Immunity Matrix, 1 teaspoon in hot water twice a day.
  6. We take strophanthus, one capsule once or twice a day, to maintain the health of our cellular water.  EMFs “de-structure” the water in our cells and in our blood.  “Unstructured” blood is another way of describing blood that will fail to coagulate.     Besides consuming clean water and exposing oneself to the sun and the earth, probably the most potent medicine I know to maintain cellular and blood health is the strophanthus-seed preparations.
  7. Finally, after dark, we use red lights as our main source of light and warmth.  The research on these lights suggests that they restore the health of our intracellular gels, making us more resistant to the effects of non-native EMFs or viral infections.

As always, your feedback is crucial to us and our mission.

*Dr. Pall’s article is technical. His main message is that all non-native EMFs interfere with the crucially important gating mechanism for calcium in our cells.  This interference results in the accumulation of calcium in the cells, which sets off a huge destructive chain of events, in particular, a decrease in the free calcium levels in the blood.  As the blood calcium is crucial for the coagulation pathways, the result is cellular destruction alongside the tendency to hemorrhage.  Again, this is exactly what was observed in all previous major “influenza” pandemics.   5G millimeter waves are particularly noxious because the calcium channels are even more affected by the kind of pulsed waves employed by the 5G signal as opposed to the “normal” EMFs we have grown somewhat accustomed to. 

from:    https://fourfoldhealing.com/blogs/news/an-important-question-about-the-coronavirus-plus-immune-support-tips

But Who Is Pulling the Strings?

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ANOTHER STRANGE CORONA VIRUS CONNECTION: THERANOS

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ANOTHER STRANGE CORONA VIRUS CONNECTION: THERANOS

Seriously folks, you just can’t make this stuff up. If you read my blog on Monday, you’ll have become aware of a potential Soros connection to the whole corona virus narrative. I suppose in one sense that’s to be expected, because this story has more twists and turns than a pretzel, and Soros, baggy eyes and all, certainly looks to me like a pretzel; he has more twists, turns, and rationalizations than a spy for the Byzantine Empire. Well, now – thanks to this article shared by M.D. – you can add Elizabeth Holmes and her once-touted Theranos Silicon Valley company to the mix.

Remember them? Holmes claimed she wanted to have a home-testing kit that would, from a tiny drop of blood, be able to test for all sorts of diseases, right there, in house, on the spot. I’ve blogged many times about her claims, her patents, and the physics implications of those claims and patents on this website, so I won’t rehearse them again here.

” Just how does Theranos figure into this?” you might ask.

Well, here’s how:

Theranos vampire lives on: Owner of failed blood-testing biz’s patents sues maker of actual COVID-19-testing kit

And in case you missed it:

Updated Remember Theranos? The blood-testing company worth billions whose CEO Elizabeth Holmes became a celebrity right up until the point when it became clear its revolutionary testing machines didn’t actually work as described?

Well, Theranos is dead, and Holmes is still dealing with the legal repercussions, but her vampire company has come alive again – and in the very worst way: its reincarnation is suing another medical testing company for patent infringement.

It gets worse. While Theranos’ patents, obtained by an outfit called Fortress Investment Group in 2018, do not relate to a testing machine that actually works, they are being used to sue a manufacturer whose medical-testing machine not only works but is being used to detect the presence of the COVID-19 coronavirus.

That’s right: a private-equity-turned-investment group is using patents it picked up from a collapsed testing company – which imploded because its tech didn’t work – to sue a company whose machines actually do work and which is on the front-line of tackling the worst pandemic that the world has known for 100 years.

…

It’s (sic) dense legal language designed solely to extract money out of a legitimate business. And while Labrador Diagnostics may sound like a legitimate testing company, there is no evidence that it exists on anything but paper. It was created as a limited liability company in Delaware literally this month. Within three days of it existing, it sued the testing equipment maker in question: BioFire.

BioFire, meanwhile, is a real company with real people doing actual work. The technology that “Labrador” claims is infringing its patent – which it calls FilmArray technology – is being used to develop three much-needed tests for COVID-19.

Ok… I can buy that interpretation. Anyone who has read Wall Street investigative journalist John Carreyrou’s book on Holmes and Theranos, Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Start Up will come away with a clear picture of the malfeasance and heavy-handedness of Ms. Holmes and her corporation.

…but… as I pointed out in my previous blogs on Theranos, some of the basic concepts behind her idea were sound. The concept needed time to develop and to get working properly (in my opinion). So what if there might be something to the claims in the lawsuit, that Theranos’ concepts might indeed be being applied to testing for COVID-19?

If so, then we’re left with two possibilities, neither of which are very reassuring: (1) some have raised the issue of the accuracy of COVID-19 testing and the returns of false positives. Could it be that some of the tests are based on faulty technology, perhaps stemming from Theranos’ patents and concepts as the lawsuit alleges? Well, maybe, but if so, then that raises all sorts of nasty implications about the testing industry and government “oversight.” (2) But conversely, if the article is accurate and more accurate tests are available, then why have we seen so many stories about the relatively high percentages of false positives in tests? More to the point, what is the technology behind those tests, both the accurate and inaccurate ones?

More importantly, if one looks at this (w)hole narrative about the corona virus story, consider just this odd set of circumstances: (1) we now have connections to Harvard University via the arrest of Dr. Charles Lieber for allegedly not disclosing his relationship to the Wuhan laboratory which was researching respiratory diseases, while Lieber himself was also connected to nano-technology research; (2) we now have some sort of murky corporate connection between Chinese bio-research firms and George Soros, as outlined in last Monday’s blog; and (3) now we have the remnants of Theranos weighing into the mix with lawsuits for patent infringement of its testing patents. And lest we forget, the Theranos board once included heavy hitters from the US military-industrial complex: former secretaries of state George Schultz, Kissinger, and former secretary of defense William Perry, not to mention Riley Bechtel, and General Mattis, and that’s just for starters. We had Chinese spies at the Canadian level four facility in Winnepeg Manitoba, the sudden resignation of Bill Gates from Microsoft and Berkshire-Hathaway, his continued pronunciamenti about pandemics, sponsorship of Exercise 201, and so on.

from:    https://gizadeathstar.com/2020/04/another-strange-corona-virus-connection-theranos/

The Effect of Vaccines —Oops!

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Research: Flu Vaccine Increases Your Risk of Infecting Others by 6X

December 21, 2018
GMI Reporter, Green Med Info

Waking Times 

A provocative new study on flu virus transmission found that subjects had 6.3 times more aerosol shedding of flu virus particles if they received vaccination in the current and previous season compared with having no vaccination in those two seasons.

Vaccination is predicated on the rarely questioned belief that it confers bona fide immunity against targeted pathogens. This is why the terms vaccination and immunization are often used interchangeably, a disingenious semantic confusion that is rarely confronted or corrected. In the case of flu vaccine, certainty about this approximates religious faith, with the CDC taking on the role of the Church, conventional doctors the clergy, and the published literature Holy Scripture.

 

 

But what if the literature fails to support the orthodoxy? There are in, in fact, hundreds of examples of this. We have gathered a modest 500 studies which show the untintended, adverse effects of many vaccines outweigh their purported benefits, all of which you can view on our open access database on the topic here: http://www.greenmedinfo.com/anti-therapeutic-action/vaccination-all

The latest addition to this growing body of literature is found in a newly published article titled, “Infectious Virus Exhaled In Breath Of Symptomatic Seasonal Flu Cases,” published in PNAS (Proceedings of the National Academy of Science).

The study found that flu carriers exhale significant quantities of infectious influenza virus, and that counterintuitively, sneezing is rare and not important for influenza virus aerosolization; nor is coughing required to transmit these particles. Simply breathing will do. Additionally, the study found that males shed influenza viruses in greater quantity than females through fine aerosols, and women cough more frequently. But what is most salient about the study was the following finding:

“6.3 (95% CI 1.9–21.5) times more aerosol shedding among cases with vaccination in the current and previous season compared with having no vaccination in those two seasons.”

For more details on the study design read the following:

“We screened 355 symptomatic volunteers with acute respiratory illness and report 142 cases with confirmed influenza infection who provided 218 paired nasopharyngeal (NP) and 30-minute breath samples (coarse >5-µm and fine ≤5-µm fractions) on days 1–3 after symptom onset. We assessed viral RNA copy number for all samples and cultured NP swabs and fine aerosols. 

We recovered infectious virus from 52 (39%) of the fine aerosols and 150 (89%) of the NP swabs with valid cultures. The geometric mean RNA copy numbers were 3.8 × 104/30-minutes fine-, 1.2 × 104/30-minutes coarse-aerosol sample, and 8.2 × 108 per NP swab. Fine- and coarse-aerosol viral RNA were positively associated with body mass index and number of coughs and negatively associated with increasing days since symptom onset in adjusted models.

Fine-aerosol viral RNA was also positively associated with having influenza vaccination for both the current and prior season. NP swab viral RNA was positively associated with upper respiratory symptoms and negatively associated with age but was not significantly associated with fine- or coarse-aerosol viral RNA or their predictors. Sneezing was rare, and sneezing and coughing were not necessary for infectious aerosol generation. Our observations suggest that influenza infection in the upper and lower airways are compartmentalized and independent.”

Clearly, if this finding is accurate and reproducible, flu vaccination may actually make you more likely to infect others. Or worse, it may also make you more likely to contract influenza in the first place. For instance, a 2010 Canadian study which looked at 4 observational studies found that 2008-2009 H1N1 vaccination was associated with a 1.4 to 2.5 fold increased risk of medically attended H1N1 illness during the spring-summer 2009.  

And this is only the tip of the iceberg. We have been reporting on the conspicuous lack of evidence for flu vaccine effectiveness (and safety) for over a decade, based largely on the underreported failure of the Cochrane Database Review to show them effective (and safe), despite hundreds of industry-funded studies that have attempted to do so. Learn more: http://www.greenmedinfo.com/blog/shocking-lack-evidence-supporting-flu-vacc…

Also, there are well-documented iatrogenic effects of common vaccines like MMR and Rotavirus Vaccines, which include viral shedding and infection following vaccination. In other words, there is a significant body of evidence that the vaccinated actually infect the un- vaccinated.  Here are a few of our previous reports on this phenomena:

Clearly, this undermines the ongoing campaign to identify non-vaccinating or anti-vaccine individuals and groups as a threat, or danger to others.  Ironically, the very group being blamed for infecting others — including by Bill Gates who declared non-vaccinators ‘kill children‘ — may become victims of being infected by vaccine-specific strains of viruses which are far worse than the natural/wild-type versions our species’ immunity has evolved with over countless millenia.

The GMI Research Group (GMIRG) is dedicated to investigating the most important health and environmental issues of the day.  Special emphasis will be placed on environmental health.  Our focused and deep research will explore the many ways in which the present condition of the human body directly reflects the true state of the ambient environment.

**© [1/28/18] GreenMedInfo LLC. This work is reproduced and distributed with the permission of GreenMedInfo LLC. Want to learn more from GreenMedInfo? Sign up for the newsletter here http://www.greenmedinfo.com/greenmed/newsletter.**

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of WakingTimes or its staff.

from:    https://www.wakingtimes.com/2018/12/21/research-flu-vaccine-increases-your-risk-of-infecting-others-by-6x/

Vaccines! Bill! Really! I Didn’t Know You Were in Favor…..

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A recurring theme among conspiracy theorists is that the elite are just waiting for the right moment to roll out their ‘mark of the beast’ technology to remotely identify and control every single human being on the planet, thus sealing their plans for a one world government. And with many people willing to do just about anything to get back to some sense of normalcy, those fears appear more justified with each passing day.

In the Book of Revelation [13:16-17], there is a passage that has attracted the imagination of believers and disbelievers throughout the ages, and perhaps never more so than right now: “And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark…”

Was John of Patmos history’s first conspiracy theorist, or are we merely indulging ourselves today with a case of self-fulfilling prophecy? Whatever the case may be, many people would probably have serious reservations about being branded with an ID code even if it had never been mentioned in Holy Scripture. But that certainly has not stopped Microsoft founder Bill Gates, who has been warning about a global pandemic for years, from pushing such controversial technologies on all of us.

In September 2019, just three months before the coronavirus first appeared in China, ID2020, a San Francisco-based biometric company that counts Microsoft as one of its founding members, quietly announced it was undertaking a new project that involves the “exploration of multiple biometric identification technologies for infants” that is based on “infant immunization” and only uses the “most successful approaches”.

For anyone who may be wondering what one of those “most successful approaches” might look like, consider the following top contender for the contract. Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have developed what is essentially a hi-tech ‘tattoo’ that stores data in invisible dye under the skin. The ‘mark’ would be delivered together with a vaccine, most likely administered by Gavi, the global vaccine agency that also falls under the umbrella of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

“The researchers showed that their new dye, which consists of nanocrystals called quantum dots… emits near-infrared light that can be detected by a specially equipped smartphone,” MIT News reported.

And if the reader scrolls to the very bottom of the article, he will find that this study was funded first and foremost by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

Today, with the global service economy shut down to prevent large groups of infectious humans from assembling, it is easier to imagine a day when people are required to have their infrared ID ‘tattoo’ scanned in order to be granted access to any number of public venues. And from there, it requires little stretch of the imagination to see this same tracking nanotechnology being applied broadly across the global economy, where it could be used to eliminate the use of dirty money. After all, if reusable bags are being outlawed over the coronavirus panic-demic, why should reusable cash get special treatment?

Writing earlier this month in these pages, geopolitical analyst Pepe Escobar provided a compelling argument that the coronavirus, which is driving the world towards a New Great Depression, is “being used as cover for the advent of a new, digital financial system, complete with a forced vaccine cum nanochip creating a full, individual, digital identity.

As one possible future scenario, Escobar imagined “clusters of smart cities linked by AI, with people monitored full time and duly micro-chipped doing what they need with a unified digital currency…”

Those fears took on greater significance when Bill Gates sat down over the weekend for a breathtaking interview with CBS This Morning. Gates told host Anthony Mason that mass gatherings might have to be prohibited in the age of coronavirus unless and until a wide scale vaccination program is enacted.

“What does ‘opening up’ look like,” Gates asked rhetorically before essentially changing the entire social and cultural makeup of the United States in one fell swoop.

“Which activities, like schools, have such benefit and can be done in a way that the risk of transmission is very low, and which activities, like mass gatherings, maybe, in a certain sense more optional. And so until you’re widely vaccinated those [activities] may not come back at all”

[The interview can be watched in its entirety here].

According to Gates, anything that could be defined as a “mass gathering” – from spectators packed into a stadium for a sporting event, to protesters out on the street in demonstration – would be considered an act of civil disobedience without a vaccine. Little surprise that Gates chose the concept of “mass gathering” to snag all of us, for what is modern democratic society if not one big mass event after another? Indeed, since nobody will want to miss the next big happening, like the Super Bowl, or Comic-Con, or, heaven forbid, Eurovision, millions of people would predictably line up for miles to get their Microsoft-supported inoculation, even if it contains tracking technologies.

All of this seems like sheer madness when it is remembered that there are other options for defeating the coronavirus than a mandatory global vaccine regime.

Just last month, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the Allergy and Infectious Diseases Director, told a Senate Subcommittee that over 80 percent of the people who get infected by the coronavirus “spontaneously recover” without any medical intervention. This makes one wonder why the global lockdown was designed for everyone instead of just the sick and elderly. Meanwhile, the drug hydroxychloroquine, which has been downplayed in the media despite being named as the most effective coronavirus treatment among physicians in a major survey, is starting to get a fresh look.

Just this week, following Nevada’s lead, Michigan just reversed course and is now the second democratic state to request the anti-malarial drug from the Trump administration.

So now it looks as though we are off to the races to see what will become the approved method of fighting the global pandemic – a hastily developed vaccine that may actually worsen the effects of the disease in those who contract it, or the already proven inexpensive drug hydroxychloroquine.

If the winner turns out to be a global vaccine, possibly one that carries ID nanotechnology, don’t expect the wealthy to be lining up with their kids to be the first to get it. In 2015, The American Journal of Public Heath surveyed some 6,200 schools in California – the epicenter of biometric ID research – and found vaccine exemptions were twice as common among kindergartners enrolled in private institutions.

It seems that the elite are betting heavily on the development of an ID-tracking vaccine that would bring all races and institutions together under one big happy roof, but clearly they will continue living in their own fenced-off neighborhood in this one world government. Whether or not they will get a ‘special pass’ from receiving the new-age mark is another question.

from:     https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/bill-gates-crosses-digital-rubicon-says-mass-gatherings-may-not-return-without-global

Time To Go Out Again

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Dr. Ron Paul: Resistance is Building to Coronavirus “House Arrest” Orders…It’s About Time!

April 8, 2020

By Mac Slavo

Americans have suffered under the boot of tyranny long enough. Resistance to the house arrest orders and pushback against the bans from making a living are finally surfacing in large numbers.  Have people finally realized they are not slaves to be controlled by a few power-hungry politicians?

Across the country, from political leaders to small business owners, to parents who just want to take their children to the park, resistance is growing to the authoritarians who have effectively suspended the Constitution and placed most of the country under house arrest.

Lawsuits are also challenging unlawful “stay at home” orders. What if all the hysteria-driven orders have actually made the virus outbreak even worse? More scientists are coming forward to argue for the “Sweden model” of moderation rather than lockdown.

In Dr. Ron Paul’s latest Liberty Report, he says this frustration is positive.

Dr. Ron Paul On Coronavirus Panic: The Real Danger “Is The Government’s Overreaction”

As Americans begin to lose patience with their enslavement and the tyranny of almost every governor in this country, the government should see themselves as on borrowed time.  “Fauci is losing credibility,” says Dr. Paul. Give the people back their natural right to freedom of speech, peaceful assembly, and the ability to make a living.

Dr. Paul says there’s a group of people in Idaho that are on the right side of human rights and the Constitution vocally standing up to the authoritarians who attempted to enslave the entire public.

Paul and Daniel McAdams discussed the psychological impact of fear this has had on the general public. The fear has led to people accepting their chains, yet that’s beginning to change. If governors and the federal government do no want to go down in history in the same manner as other tyrants, they would do well to give people back their rights and to never attempt this type of enslavement again.

End the Shutdown; It’s Time for Resurrection!

Life in and of itself is a risk, and personally, I’m not interested in facing tyranny for any reason, but let alone because of a pandemic.  One of those we can stand against as they have done in Idaho, and the other we can take voluntary individual actions to lessen its impact without destroying our neighbors’ lives in the process.

Source: SHTFPlan.com

Image: Pixabay

from:   https://www.activistpost.com/2020/04/dr-ron-paul-resistance-is-building-to-coronavirus-house-arrest-orders-its-about-time.html

Oh, No, Dr. Bill!

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MEET THE WORLD’S MOST POWERFUL DOCTOR

Microsoft co-founder and philanthropist Bill Gates | Stephen Voss/REDUX

Some billionaires are satisfied with buying themselves an island. Bill Gates got a United Nations health agency in Geneva.

Over the past decade, the world’s richest man has become the World Health Organization’s second biggest donor, second only to the United States and just above the United Kingdom. This largesse gives him outsized influence over its agenda, one that could grow as the U.S. and the U.K. threaten to cut funding if the agency doesn’t make a better investment case.

The result, say his critics, is that Gates’ priorities have become the WHO’s. Rather than focusing on strengthening health care in poor countries — that would help, in their view, to contain future outbreaks like the Ebola epidemic — the agency spends a disproportionate amount of its resources on projects with the measurable outcomes Gates prefers, such as the effort to eradicate polio.

Concerns about the software billionaire’s sway — roughly a quarter of WHO’s budget goes toward polio eradication — has led to an effort to rein him in. But he remains a force to be reckoned with, as WHO prepares to elect one of three finalists to lead the organization.

“All of the candidates are going to have to ally with him in some way,” said Sophie Harman, associate professor of international politics at Queen Mary University of London. “You can’t ignore him.”

Evidence of Gates’ unprecedented influence abounds in ways subtle and showy.

“He is treated liked a head of state, not only at the WHO, but also at the G20” — Geneva-based NGO representative

Already a decade ago, when Gates started throwing money into malaria eradication, top officials — including the chief of the WHO’s malaria program — raised concerns that the foundation was distorting research priorities. “The term often used was ‘monopolistic philanthropy’, the idea that Gates was taking his approach to computers and applying it to the Gates Foundation,” said a source close to the WHO board.

The billionaire was the first private individual to keynote WHO’s general assembly of member countries, and academics have coined a term for his sway in global health: the Bill Chill. Few people dare to openly criticize what he does. Most of 16 people interviewed on the topic would only do so on the condition of anonymity.

“He is treated liked a head of state, not only at the WHO, but also at the G20,” a Geneva-based NGO representative said, calling Gates one of the most influential men in global health.

The member country delegates POLITICO spoke to did not voice particular concern over Gates’ influence and were confident he is well intentioned.

However, his sway has NGOs and academics worried. Some health advocates fear that because the Gates Foundation’s money comes from investments in big business, it could serve as a Trojan horse for corporate interests to undermine WHO’s role in setting standards and shaping health policies.

Others simply fear the U.N. body relies too much on Gates’ money, and that the entrepreneur could one day change his mind and move it elsewhere.

Gates and his foundation team have heard the criticism, but they are convinced that the impact of their work and money is positive.

The opening of the World Health Assembly in 2016 in Geneva | Fabrice Coffrini/AFP via Getty Images

The opening of the World Health Assembly in 2016 in Geneva | Fabrice Coffrini/AFP via Getty Images

“It’s always a fair question to ask whether a large philanthropy has a disproportionate influence,” said Bryan Callahan, deputy director for executive engagement at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. “When it comes to the priorities that the foundation has identified and that we choose to invest in, we hope that we are helping to create an enabling environment,” he said.

Steve Landry, the Gates Foundation’s director of multilateral partnerships, said the foundation provides “significant funds” to program teams that then decide how to use them best.

Strings attached

The Gates Foundation has pumped more than $2.4 billion into the WHO since 2000, as countries have grown reluctant to put more of their own money into the agency, especially after the 2008 global financial crisis.

Dues paid by member states now account for less than a quarter of WHO’s $4.5 billion biennial budget. The rest comes from what governments, Gates, other foundations and companies volunteer to chip in. Since these funds are usually earmarked for specific projects or diseases, WHO can’t freely decide how to use them.

Polio eradication is by far WHO’s best-funded program, with at least $6 billion allocated to it between 2013 and 2019, in great part because around 60 percent of the Gates Foundation’s contributions are earmarked for the cause. Gates wants tangible results, and wiping out a crippling disease like polio would be one.

But the focus on polio has effectively left WHO begging for funding for other programs, particularly to prop up poor countries’ health systems before the next epidemic hits.

The Ebola crisis of 2014, which killed 11,000 people in West Africa, was a particularly bruising experience for WHO. An emergency program drawn up in the wake of the epidemic has so far received just around 60 percent of the $485 million needed for 2016-2017.

Gates’ influence over the WHO was called into question once again during the race to succeed Chan as its director general.

Outgoing WHO boss Margaret Chan has also had to scale back her attempt to get countries to increase mandatory contributions for the first time in a decade. Chan initially hoped for a 10 percent hike, but WHO will end up asking for just 3 percent more this month after some countries objected.

That makes the Gates Foundation’s input all the more important. “They come with a checkbook, and with some smart ideas,” said Laurie Garrett, a senior fellow for global health at the Council on Foreign Relations.

Most of the Gates Foundation’s influence in the WHO is very discreet, she said, adding that it can also decide to take initiatives outside of the organization, as it did with GAVI, which helps the poorest countries buy vaccines in bulk at a discount, or with a recently launched Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, an alliance to develop vaccines for emerging infectious diseases.

But the foundation’s focus on delivering vaccines and medicines, rather than on building resilient health systems, has drawn criticism. And some NGOs worry it may be too close to industry.

In January, 30 health advocacy groups penned an open letter to WHO’s executive board protesting against making the Gates Foundation an official partner of the agency because its revenue comes from investments in companies that are at odds with public health goals, such as Coca-Cola.

The Gates Foundation says it operates as a separate entity from the trust, thanks to a “strict firewall,” and that it remains independent from its investments, which strictly exclude the tobacco, alcohol or arms industries.

Fencing off big money

Worries about the growing role of private money led member nations to agree, after several years of negotiations, on a new policy governing how it engages with entities such as private foundations, companies and NGOs. It is currently being rolled out across the agency.

Despite the criticism, WHO’s board granted the Gates Foundation “official relations” status. In practice, several sources said it does not change much to the relations WHO already had with the foundation.

Gaudenz Silberschmidt, WHO’s director for partnerships, said the new status is based on a three-year collaboration plan: “That means we have a solid planning and we and member states know what we are doing with them.”

The U.N. body also changed four years ago the way its budget is approved, to ensure member countries set its priorities. That means Gates can only put money into projects the 194 members support; the foundation cannot pitch a new one out of the blue and ask WHO to work on it right away just because it is providing the money.

Candidate for the WHO director general position Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus | Fabrice Coffrini/AFP via Getty Images

Candidate for the WHO director general position Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus | Fabrice Coffrini/AFP via Getty Images

These changes have calmed some criticism of its growing influence over the health body, Silberschmidt and two sources close to the WHO board said.

The foundation also seems to have got the message. Its representatives meet five to six times a year with other major donors to discuss the WHO’s priorities, and how it can support them, Landry said.

Two representatives of major donor countries confirmed the foundation’s envoys had been very cooperative in recent years. “They’re much more inclusive. They bring in other stakeholders, talk to member states to really try to build consensus,” said one delegate.

With the best intentions

Gates’ influence over the WHO was called into question once again during the race to succeed Chan as its director general.

The final three candidates include Sania Nishtar, a cardiologist from Pakistan who has pledged to take the agency “back to its former glory”; David Nabarro, a British physician and former U.N. special envoy for Ebola; and Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, who has served as health minister and foreign minister in the Ethiopian government.

“I don’t think they have any bad intentions. They are just such a big player that as immediately as they put money down they can disrupt things” — Geneva-based diplomat

Tedros, who like many in Ethiopia goes by his first name, is supported by the African Union. He has promised to reform the organization to better deal with crises like Ebola and to push for universal access to health care all over the world.

Last year, a French diplomat suggested that Gates also supports Tedros, having funded health programs in his country when he was health minister. Several foundation officials have denied this, saying that the foundation cannot take a position given that it is not a voting member country and thus has to remain neutral.

The new WHO boss will be selected by the member countries who have paid their membership fees on May 23, at an annual meeting in Geneva.

Still, most country representatives who agreed to speak anonymously on the topic said they were not particularly concerned with the Gates Foundation’s influence on WHO.

“I don’t think they have any bad intentions. They are just such a big player that as immediately as they put money down they can disrupt things,” said one Geneva-based diplomat.

Outgoing WHO chief Margaret Chan | Fabrice Coffrini/AFP via Getty Images

Outgoing WHO chief Margaret Chan | Fabrice Coffrini/AFP via Getty Images

“As far as I can tell, people are really happy with anyone who is giving money,” said another.

One big unknown is what will happen with the foundation’s money once it meets its target of eradicating polio, which started in the late 1980s and now appears to be nearing its goal. Chan has warned that if the polio money dries up in 2019, the global health body will be on the lookout for even more money.

The Gates Foundation’s Landry said his colleagues were working with WHO and its polio team on a “transition plan” to ensure the programs currently funded by the polio effort don’t run into trouble once the money stops flowing. WHO is due to present a report on it to member countries in May.

“The foundation’s impact on the WHO is enormous,” said Garrett, of the Council on Foreign Relations. “If they weren’t there, if they walked away with their money, the deleterious impact would be profound, and everyone is all too aware of that.”

from:    https://www.politico.eu/article/bill-gates-who-most-powerful-doctor/

Dusty Betelgeuse —In Case You Were Worried

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The star Betelgeuse might just be dusty, not about to explode

The red supergiant’s time doesn’t appear to be nigh after all

This infrared image, taken in December 2019 with the Very Large Telescope in Chile, shows dust surrounding the star Betelgeuse. That dust may explain why the star recently dimmed, scientists say. The orange dot is Betelgeuse, and the black disk blocks out most of the star’s light so that the dust can be seen.

ESO, P. Kervella, M. Montargès et al, Eric Pantin

By Lisa Grossman

Betelgeuse, one of the brightest stars in the sky, suddenly faded in late 2019, startling astronomers and prompting speculation that the star was about to explode.

But by the end of February, Betelgeuse had started to brighten again, quashing rumors of its demise. Now a study suggests that the dimming was due to dust recently shed by the star.

“I think some people wanted this to be seen as the death throes of the star, and it’s very much not,” says astrophysicist Emily Levesque of the University of Washington in Seattle.

Betelgeuse, a type of massive, elderly star called a red supergiant, lies about 700 light-years away from Earth and marks the shoulder of the constellation Orion. Astronomers have known for decades that, someday soon, the star is going to run out of fuel and detonate in a brilliant supernova (SN: 2/8/17).

So when the star began dimming in October 2019, astronomers took notice. By December 23, it had slipped from the sixth or seventh brightest star in the sky to the 21st. That didn’t necessarily mean an explosion was imminent, but any strange behavior in a red supergiant is worth watching, Levesque says.

“When people think about stars that are visible in our sky that could explode soon, Betelgeuse is near the top of the list,” she says. “So when people said this star is doing something weird, it caught people’s attention.”

Levesque and astronomer Philip Massey of the Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, Ariz., decided to investigate more mundane possibilities than an imminent supernova that could explain the dimming. Those options include the star’s surface cooling off suddenly, as boiling blobs of plasma rise and sink within it (SN: 1/29/20), or a cloud of dust recently puffing off the star, temporarily obscuring starlight and making Betelgeuse appear dimmer than it really is.

The pair observed the star on February 14 — when it was nearly at its dimmest — looking for signs of titanium oxide molecules in the star’s outer layers, a clue to its temperature. Comparing those observations with similar ones that Levesque had taken in 2004 showed that the temperature had dropped by about a measly 50 degrees Celsius.

These images, from the SPHERE instrument on the Very Large Telescope in Chile, show Betelgeuse before (left) and after (right) its dramatic dimming episode.ESO, M. Montargès et al

“To our surprise, Betelgeuse didn’t look that different,” Levesque says. “The temperature couldn’t explain how much dimmer Betelgeuse had gotten in the last few months.”

That leaves the dust explanation, the scientists report in a study to appear in the Astrophysical Journal Letters. “It’s partly process of elimination,” Levesque says. Red supergiants like Betelgeuse are known to puff out clouds of gas which condense into dust. And the star did dim uniformly over all wavelengths of light that Levesque and Massey measured, which supports the idea that dust from the star is to blame. By contrast, dust that lies in the spaces between stars would block certain wavelengths of light more than others.

The study “is a first step to a better understanding of what is happening to Betelgeuse,” says astrophysicist Miguel Montargès of KU Leuven in Belgium, who wasn’t involved in the research.

Montargès and colleagues have observed Betelgeuse with the Very Large Telescope in Chile. The star looked markedly dimmer in December 2019 than it did when the telescope observed it in January 2019, before the fade-out began. But the dimming seemed to appear only in the star’s southern hemisphere, not uniformly across Betelgeuse, according to an image the team released February 14. That could be explained by an asymmetrical dust cloud, although the situation may be more complicated. Montargès plans to observe Betelgeuse again the week of March 16 and publish the results later this year.

If the dimming is due to dust, that will give astronomers an opportunity to watch a nearby star losing mass in real time. “There’s that famous quote, we are stardust,” Montargès says, paraphrasing a line spoken by the late astrophysicist Carl Sagan. “Perhaps the atoms we are looking at will one day be part of a planet, and perhaps sentient beings. That’s why it’s really exciting.”