Direct conversion deals with making nerve from skin without stem cells. Numerous scientific papers found out that the direct conversion of skin cells to nerve cells can occur without going through an intervening stem cell step. At least 7 studies published in the last 3 months have shown different methods for directly converting ordinary skin cells into types of nerve cells. This technique is also called direct reprogramming. It builds on the reprogramming work of Dr. Shinya Yamanaka. Back in 2006, he announced his groundbreaking technique of adding 4 genes to a normal cell. He reprogrammed it to act like an embryonic stem cell, but it didn’t use embryos, eggs, or cloning. The newly reprogrammed stem cell is called induced pluripotent stem cell (or iPS cell). It was first developed in mice and then the same technique was shown to work with human cells in 2007. Yamanaka’s iPS cells methods bypasses the ethical problems of embryonic stem cell. Still, the iPS cells had to be differentiated into specialized cell types for tissues. It can create some tumors as with embryonic stem cells. The even newer technique of direct conversion skips the stem cell intermediary, directly transforming one specialized cell type into another specialized cell type. In July, researchers at Gladstone Institute (which was led by Dr. Seng Ding) published finding of a great method to turn adult skin cells directly into functional brain cells. These techniques have been published in the journal called “Cell Stem Cell.” This technique uses 2 specific genes in combination with a small strand of genetic material called microRNA. It adds the 3 components to normal human skin cells that convert the cells into nerve cells. These newly-formed nerve cells are functional and are able to fire signals and form connections with other nerve cells. An earlier publication by this group in May proved that mouse fibroblasts could be directly converted into neural stem cells using a transient treatment with Yamanaka gene factors. The brief exposure to the general factors produced neural stem cells that could be grown further in numbers in cell culture and then specialized to various types of nerve cells. A group of Stanford researchers (as found in one paper written by Pang, et al) forced expression of 3 to 4 genes that can directly convert human iPs cells and human skin cells into functioning nerve cells. This completely has functional connections to other nerve cells. A second group of Stanford scientists (Yoo et al.) took a different route, showing that small molecules called microRNA could nudge human skin cells into become neurons. While microRNA usually is involved in turning off expression of specific genes in a cell, in this case two specific microRNA molecules were sufficient to convince human skin cells to turn directly into nerve cells, and the efficiency could be enhanced by adding a few other genes associated with nerve development. The third paper of Caiazzo et al. was published by an Italian group. It showed that mouse including human skin cells could be directly converted to functional dopaminergic neurons using the expression of 3 specific nerve associated genes. Dopaminergic neurons are nerves lost during Parkinson’s diseases. The researchers found that they could produce this type of nerve from both healthy donors and Parkinson’s disease patients. The technique could have significance for studying Parkinson’s disease in the laboratory as well as possible treatments. A Swedish group found out that they could directly convert human fibroblasts into nerve cells via adding 3 genes normally associated with nerved. This could specifically create dopaminergic neurons including 2 specific additional genes. The research leader Dr. Malin Parmar said that he was surprised at how receptive fibroblasts were to new instructions. The Swedish team noted that using the direct conversion technique to bypass stem cells avoided the ethical problems inherent with embryonic stem cells as well as the tendency of embryonic stem cells to form tumors. The paper was published in the journal entitled, “Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.” The direct conversion technique provides a powerful, yet ethical technique to create various specialized cells in the lab. Not only are embryonic stem cells morally wrong, but obsolete. You have other techniques in using stem cells that can help human beings.
The stock market experienced a roller coaster wide of ups and downs by hundreds of points. This drop was the highest in August 8, 2011 when the Dow fell by 624 points. The U.S. Treasury bonds in that time was downgraded from AAA to AA+ by Standard and Poor’s. The roller coaster ride in the stock market began in Monday in August 2, 2011. This time was the day after the last minute U.S. debt ceiling deal. This deal was supposed to stop any downgrade of credit, but it occurred anyway 5 days later. This volatility is strange and unprecedented. There have been daily reversals of stock levels that people question why it’s occurring in the first place. The plunge in 1/8/2011 was the 6 largest stock market crash ever and the worst since 2008. This could be similar to the fear that swept financial markets after the collapse of U.S. investment bank Lehman Brothers in September 2008. The banks stopped lending each other money. The banks’ cash deposits at the central bank doubled within days. There is the changing of the market. Some researchers have questioned the validity of the downgrade that could be another Lehman brothers. Dean Baker is the co-director of the Center for Economic and Policy Research. He said that the S&P’s decision was at first based on a 2 trillion dollar error in accounting. This error was later corrected and still the S&P continued with the downgrade, which was strange despite the evidence. Even Paul Krugman from the NY Times is skeptical about the downgrade. He wrote that the S and P speculated on the $4 trillion as the agreed deficit reduction in over a decade. To him, an extra trillion in debt adds only a fraction of a percent of GDP to future interests’ costs. He believes that the S&P is making up their claims on the financial people like they didn’t getting the mortgage debacle right. Jane Hamsher believes that the S&P has a political agenda to promote the view that America is at risk of default on its debt based on the arbitrary limit to debt to GDP ratio. Jane wrote that: “…There is no sound basis for that limit, or for S&P’s insistence on at least a $4 trillion down payment on debt reduction, any more than there is for the crackpot notion that a non-crazy US can be forced to default on its debt…It’s time the media and Congress started asking Standard and Poors what their political agenda is and whom it serves…” According to Jason Schwarz, there is word that S&P CEO Deven Sharma took control of the ratings agency and personally pushed for an U.S. downgrade. He went ahead with the unethical downgrade even when the S&P debt calculations were off by 2 trillion dollars. He is the person that was a key contributor the 2009 Bilderberger summer. Many people in the Bilderberg Group want to end the dollar as the global reserve currency. Even in his own writings, S&P CEO Sharma considers America a problem in today’s world. He wants globalization and America to be torn asunder. Schwarz called Michel Barnier (or the head of the European Regulation) as a suspect in the market manipulations. Barnier triggered an alarming 513-point drop in the Dow on August 4, when he blocked the plan of Hans Hoogervorst, newly appointed Chairman of the International Accounting Standards Board, to save Europe by adopting a new rule called IFRS 9. The rule would have eliminated mark-to-market accounting of sovereign debt from European bank balance sheets. The banning of the mark to market system has caused economic recovery. Barnier went into Bilderberg conferences. Daniel Estulin (or a Bilderberg researcher) believes that this Bilderberg group wants to bring together financial institutions which are most powerful ones on Earth. He said that the Bilderbergers use financial power, develop acquisitions, and mergers in order to make one centralized financial order in the world (that’s privately owned). Nation states are submerged in this international, private banking system. George Ball back in the 1968 Bilderberg meeting in Canada said that: “…Where does one find a legitimate base for the power of corporate management to make decisions that can profoundly affect the economic life of nations to whose governments they have only limited responsibility?” This is why the elite oppose productive, non-inflationary credit created by the state as found in the U.S. Constitution. The elite acquiring assets have prevented the government from issuing their own currencies plus credit. Money that’s loaned instead of being created causes debts to grow. The European Central Bank tried to save the Eurozone from collapse by buying up Spanish and Italian bonds (as high as 32 billion dollars worth of bonds)Even the Securities Exchange Commission said on August 8 that they are investigating the downgrade (to see if insider trading came about). Some speculate if FED Chairman Bernanke will promote another round of quantitative easing or QE3. This market action does deserve investigation indeed.
The Department of Homeland Security has shown a recent video. The DHS for years have tried to equate anyone opposed to big government as terrorists. I have disagreements with the Tea Party and their deficit hawk extremism, but even I won’t equate Tea Party people collectively as a group of terrorists. Also, al-Qaeda is a known manufactured Western invention (in other words, Osama bin Laden was aided by the CIA, the ISI, and Saudi forces for decades) that has been exploited to promote the war on terror. DHS is promoting the 2 new PSAs. They are a part of the “See Something Say Something” snitch campaign. It shows middle American people as terrorists. Terrorists exist in many backgrounds though, but most Americans of any background aren’t in league with terrorism at all. FEMA is working with Homeland Security on psy-ops as well. Just because a human being disagrees with some of the actions of the government doesn’t mean that this person is an extremist. The government can and have done legitimate actions to benefit Americans in general, yet people should have a watchful eye on government to make sure that it doesn’t devolve into corruption or nefarious behavior. People who even disagree with some of the policies of the Federal Reserve aren’t extremists as well. In March 2009 it came to light that the End the Fed protests, which took place at banks and regional Federal Reserve branches across the country the previous year on November 22, were being monitored closely by the United States Army Reserve Command, who implied that those protesting against the Fed and the bankster bailout were essentially terrorists. The FBI has also gone out of its way to characterize returning veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan as a major domestic terrorist threat. Additionally, Janet Napolitano said she stood by an April 2009 DHS intelligence assessment that listed returning vets as likely domestic terrorists. Just a month later, the New York Times reported on how Boy Scout Explorers were being trained by the DHS to kill “disgruntled Iraq war veterans” in terrorist drills. The MIAC report was leaked by 2 concerned Missouri police officers. The report called Ron Paul supports, libertarians, those who display bumper stickers, people who own gold, and those who fly an U.S. flag are similar to race hate groups and terrorists. The average citizen being termed terrorists is proven by the MIAC report. There are other situations like this. The Texas Department of Public Safety Criminal Law Enforcement pamphlet gives the public characteristics it feels relates to terrorists. They include buying baby formula, beer wearing Levi jeans, carrying identifying documents like a driver’s license, and traveling with women or children. Even a Virginia training manual that was used to help state employees recognize terrorists lists anti-government and property rights activists as terrorists (like people who use binoculars, video cameras, paper pads, and notebooks in a compendium of terrorist tools). These training documents are dealing with real life situations. Some people have been harassed, assaulted, and arrested by law enforcement for simply owning material or discussing topics related to the Constitution and Bill of Rights. Back in May of 2008, something occurred. A student of a large Bible college in East Texas was accused by federal agents of doing an act of terror and espionage. He only talked to a group of Boy Scouts in which he encouraged them to be educated about the U.S. Constitution. A North Carolina couple was terrorized by sheriff’s deputy Brian Scarborough in July of 2007. The deputy broke into their home, assaulted them, and arrested the couple for flying an upside down U.S. flag. The couple were handcuffed, arrested and bundled into a squad car, to the protests of numerous neighbors who demanded to know why the Kuhns were being incarcerated, but were told to leave by police. As is supported by the United States Flag Code as well as a similar incident in 2001, flying the flag upside down is not a mark of disrespect, and in fact is considered by many to be the highest form of patriotism. Despite this fact, the upside down flag is equated in the MIAC report with terrorist paraphernalia. FEMA people in Kansas City called Founding Fathers, homeschoolers, and Christians as terrorists (and Christians should have utmost suspicion in the times of national emergency with brutality). Kelly was harassed by authorities and local law enforcement who showing videos in public. A Las Vegas couple in 2008 were stopped, detained, and searched by cops. They wanted to see if anything illegal was in the vehicle. The cops said that they were searched, because of bumper stickers in their vehicle. In 2001, Abby Newman was assaulted and arrested by the police in a checkpoint for exercising her Fourth Amendment rights. Cops looked through literature which included a copy of a pocket constitution and debated whether or not the material was illegal. So, the government has profiled, assaulted, and illegally arrested citizens. This has been done all of the time from across socioeconomic backgrounds. This war on terror is a war on human civil liberties regardless if a Republican or Democrat is in the White House. Homeland Security is one huge instrument of the police state and I don’t blame people wanting to end the DHS completely.
The truth is the truth. Corey Fedlman is a famous actor. He said that pedophilia is the number one problem with child stars. There is a lot of truth to his statements since for thousands of years, much of the elite have done pedophilia and other sick likeminded acts against human beings. This doesn’t just involve Hollywood, but the religious elite and the political elite. He said that corrupt people with big connections lead to the death of child actor Corey Haim (whose official cause of death was pneumonia). Many films from Hollywood glamorize it. Some of these sick acts are similar to the victims of Monarch mind control according to Fritz Springmeier. Corey said that he starred in the McDonalds ad when he was just 3 years old. He talks about the casting couch not only involving adults, but children as well. “I can tell you that the No. 1 problem in Hollywood was and is and always will be pedophilia. That’s the biggest problem for children in this industry. … It’s the big secret,” Feldman said. The “casting couch,” which is the old Hollywood reference to actors being expected to offer sex for roles, applied to children, Feldman said. “Oh, yeah. Not in the same way. It’s all done under the radar,” he said. “I was surrounded by [pedophiles] when I was 14 years old. … Didn’t even know it. It wasn’t until I was old enough to realize what they were and what they wanted … till I went, Oh, my God. They were everywhere,” Feldman, 40, said. Feldman said that he was abused by men in the show business. More research ought to be made if his claims are true or not. Regardless if Feldman’s claims are true or not, pedophilia is a serious issue revolving not only Hollywood, but in society in general. The exploitation of children is a serious evil that ought to be defeated. The good news is that people from across the political spectrum worldwide strongly oppose pedophilia. That’s the one issue where there is universal condemnation and we should use all legitimate means to fight against pedophilia where it rears its head. In other news, tons of symbolism exists in cartoon shows too. Adventure Time on the Cartoon Network has tons of symbolism in it.
By Timothy
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