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The Untold Story of the Shejaiya Massacre in Gaza: A Former Israel Soldier Speaks Out
September 12, 2014
Source: Democracy Now!
AMY GOODMAN: Shejaiya is one of Gaza’s poorest and most crowded neighborhoods. Activists with the International Solidarity Movement posted a video on YouTube showing the fatal shooting of an unarmed Palestinian civilian during the massacre. Family members later stumbled onto the video and identified the man as 23-year-old Salem Khaleel Shamaly. In the video, we see Shamaly lying on the ground, apparently wounded by an unseen sniper. As Shamaly tries to get to his feet, two more shots ring out. He stops moving.
Well, our next guest interviewed three of the Israeli soldiers who witnessed the killing of Salem Shamaly. His confidential sources within the IDF, the Israeli Defense Forces, reportedly informed him that the real reason for the recent IDF Shejaiya massacre was that IDF soldiers were deliberately targeting civilians as punishment and retribution for the deaths of fellow soldiers in their units. This former soldier is named Eran Efrati. He’s a former Israeli combat soldier turned anti-occupation activist and investigative researcher. Later this month, Efrati will testify at the Russell Tribunal on Palestine in Brussels.
Source: Democracy Now!
On July 20, at least 90 Palestinians and 13 Israeli soldiers were
killed in the Gaza City neighborhood of Shejaiya. Days later, former
Israeli soldier Eran Efrati was arrested by Israel after he posted
details about the massacre based on interviews he conducted with Israeli
soldiers who were there. Today he speaks out about what he learned and
talks about the killing of 23-year-old Salem Khaleel Shamaly. Activists
with the International Solidarity Movement posted a video on YouTube
showing the fatal shooting of an unarmed Palestinian civilian during the
massacre. Family members later stumbled onto the video and identified
the man as Shamaly. In the video, Shamaly is seen lying on the ground,
apparently wounded by an unseen sniper. As Shamaly tries to get to his
feet, two more shots ring out, and he stops moving. Efrati interviewed
three of the Israeli soldiers who witnessed the killing of Salem Khaleel
Shamaly. His sources within the Israeli Defense Forces reportedly
informed him soldiers were deliberately targeting civilians as
"punishment" and "retribution" for the deaths of fellow soldiers in
their units. Efrati is a former Israeli combat soldier turned
anti-occupation activist and investigative researcher.
Click here to watch part 2 of the interview.
Click here to watch part 2 of the interview.
Transcript
This is a rush transcript. Copy may not be in its final form.
JUAN GONZÁLEZ: The
Israeli military says it has opened criminal probes into two of its most
publicized killings of Palestinian civilians during the summer’s
assault on Gaza. Investigators will examine the killing of four
Palestinian children on a Gaza beach and a later attack that killed 14
people in a U.N. school, one of several that hit U.N. shelters. Over
2,100 Palestinians, more than 75 percent civilians, were killed in the
Israeli assault. Critics say Israel is seeking to deflect international
scrutiny, including a United Nations Human Rights Council probe and
potential cases before the International Criminal Court. However, the
Israeli army has not announced plans to investigate another notorious
episode that occurred during its recent assault on Gaza. That’s the
Shejaiya massacre in July, when nearly 90 Gazans and 13 Israeli soldiers
were killed.AMY GOODMAN: Shejaiya is one of Gaza’s poorest and most crowded neighborhoods. Activists with the International Solidarity Movement posted a video on YouTube showing the fatal shooting of an unarmed Palestinian civilian during the massacre. Family members later stumbled onto the video and identified the man as 23-year-old Salem Khaleel Shamaly. In the video, we see Shamaly lying on the ground, apparently wounded by an unseen sniper. As Shamaly tries to get to his feet, two more shots ring out. He stops moving.
Well, our next guest interviewed three of the Israeli soldiers who witnessed the killing of Salem Shamaly. His confidential sources within the IDF, the Israeli Defense Forces, reportedly informed him that the real reason for the recent IDF Shejaiya massacre was that IDF soldiers were deliberately targeting civilians as punishment and retribution for the deaths of fellow soldiers in their units. This former soldier is named Eran Efrati. He’s a former Israeli combat soldier turned anti-occupation activist and investigative researcher. Later this month, Efrati will testify at the Russell Tribunal on Palestine in Brussels.
Eran Efrati, we welcome you to Democracy Now!
ERAN EFRATI: Thank you. I’m happy to be here.
AMY GOODMAN: Can you talk about why you went to the border to interview Israeli soldiers?
ERAN EFRATI:
Well, I’m doing this job for almost five years now, since Operation
Cast Lead. I’m collecting testimonies from soldiers. I started in
Breaking the Silence, the organization, and moved on independently to
take testimonies, collect testimonies from soldiers in the IDF,
because I was there as a soldier, and I know that what we get in the
mainstream media and what we get in the news is most of the time very
far from what’s really going on in the area. In this summer, I was
sitting in Jerusalem in my home, and the atmosphere in Israel, the
fascist atmosphere in the streets in Jerusalem, and the overall approval
of this terrible massacre that happened in Gaza was so overwhelming
that I decided to go on down to the border with Gaza and try to speak
directly with the soldiers, because I knew that I will get something
else from them.
JUAN GONZÁLEZ:
Well, I’d like to go to a—Channel 4 News’ Krishnan Guru-Murthy
questioned Israeli spokesman Mark Regev about the shooting death of
Salem Shamaly. He asked Regev if Israel plans to investigate the
shooting. This is how Regev responded.
MARK REGEV: I’d urge that if anyone has information that is relevant, that they come forward and speak to our judge advocate general, the highest military man who deals with these sort of investigations. Obviously, if there are allegations of misbehavior by Israeli soldiers, they must be investigated. We can’t rely on hearsay from political activists. I urge people to come forward. The Israeli army, like other Western armies, like NATO armies, holds itself to a very high professional standard.
KRISHNAN GURU-MURTHY: So you’re saying nobody is currently investigating one of the most notorious shootings of the military incursion, that was widely circulated around the world. Now, someone has come forward now and has spoken, he says, to some of the Israeli soldiers involved, and they make very clear allegations, that you just heard, about the conditions under which they could open fire. Now, you’ve heard those allegations. Are you concerned? Do you believe there should be an investigation?
MARK REGEV: Well, first of all, first of all, I don’t think a YouTube put out by activists is necessarily objective reality, as you yourself know. But once again, the person speaking had no direct knowledge. He was relying on testimony of others. And I would urge—
KRISHNAN GURU-MURTHY: He’s a former soldier, not just an activist. He served his country.
MARK REGEV: I would urge—you said he was an activist, didn’t you? Or your reporter said so. At least that’s what I heard. But if he has information, it’s his duty. It’s his obligation. We have a very independent judicial branch of the army, which is very strong and independent in Israel. And if people have information, they must come forward.
JUAN GONZÁLEZ: Your response to what Regev said?
ERAN EFRATI:
My response to the idea that if the Israeli army committed crimes
against humanity in Gaza, what they want is to investigate themself.
They actually want activists and other civilians to come to the army and
tell the army that he was doing something wrong, and they think it’s
independent. The Israeli army is independent in the way it’s controlling
all of Israeli society. The Israeli media, the Israeli court—everybody
is working underneath the army censorship. Nobody can publish anything
in Israel—of course, not researchers—and I’m not talking only on TV or
radio or newspaper; I’m talking on bloggers in the Internet. Nobody can
publish anything if it doesn’t go through the IDF censorship, the same IDF
censorship that censorship crimes for years under the occupation of the
Palestinians in Palestine. And now they want us to come to them, to be
silenced by them. It’s, of course, ridiculous.
AMY GOODMAN: What brings you to the United States?
ERAN EFRATI:
Well, I’m here because I’m doing my research from here. For the last
five years, I’m doing investigative research on the Israeli army and the
American army and the arm trades between them. The Shejaiya story that I
encountered this summer was the most recent incredible story that I
found, because not only did the war in Gaza—the massacre that was going
on in Gaza was, of course, terrible; the story of the Shejaiya
neighborhood was a particular story in this war that I think really
described the entirety of it.
AMY GOODMAN: Tell us more about it, because as you interviewed these soldiers on the border, who saw Shamaly killed—
ERAN EFRATI: Right.
AMY GOODMAN: —you were arrested by the Israeli military.
ERAN EFRATI:
Right, after publishing it. What happened is that I was in contact with
the soldiers. I knew the soldiers from before this operation, and of
course I am continuing to be in touch with them until today. I was
talking to them by phone from inside Gaza. What happened in Gaza in 2014
was very surprisingly for the Israeli soldiers in the Israeli army,
because we are not used to—the Israeli army, not used to getting
resistance from inside Gaza like we get from in Lebanon, for example.
So, in 2009 and 2012, we didn’t lose soldiers almost at all. We lost
something like 12 soldiers to Hamas killing, and most of them was from
our friendly fire. So we killed most of our soldiers. And the idea that
soldiers are being killed in Gaza, it’s something new for the Israeli
army.
And so, the Israeli army going in and losing
almost immediately 13 soldiers in one day, that day will become the
night of the Shejaiya massacre, the neighborhood massacre that killed
more than 90 people in one night. After a hard night of bombing in
Shejaiya, the infantry soldiers are going into the neighborhood and
catching houses as bases and waiting for other commands. And in that
time, they’re getting orders from their officers inside those houses to
get ready inside the house for an extended killing. When they ask why,
they’re explained to them that they understand they’re confused, they
understand that they’re hurting, the killing of their friends from their
unit—I’m talking about two specific unit, the Golani unit and the Nahal
Brigade. And they’re telling them that they understand their
frustration, and they will have a chance to get out to take out their
frustration on Palestinians. They’re waiting until the morning.
And in the morning, families are starting to
come back into their neighborhood, civilians looking for family members
they left behind and looking for them under the rubbles. We can see in
the video uploaded to YouTube and other videos that people going around
the neighborhood and screaming names of family members, looking for
them—obviously unarmed civilians. The soldiers are in the house, looking
ahead. At that time, they decide to do an imaginary red line in the
sand. Our officers tell them they had to do an imaginary red line to
determine if they’re in risk or not. And whoever will cross this red
line will be a risk for them, and so far, they can kill him. Of course,
that’s not something new. It happened in 2009 and in 2012. But this
time, this imaginary red line was drawn very, very far from the house.
Snipers were sitting on the windows waiting for orders.
And when Salem Shamaly came back with
international activists and other Palestinians looking for their family
member, he crossed one of these red lines. The sniper on the window is
asking his commander, is he have approve to shoot? His commander is
telling him, "Wait," two times, and then he’s giving him the first
approve. He’s shooting the first shot to the left side of his body and
his hand. Salem Shamaly is falling down. And then the sniper is asking
another approval to shoot again to finish him off. The officer is
telling him, "Wait, wait," and then he’s giving him approve to finish
Salem Shamaly out. This is not the only case we know of, but this is the
only case documented by international activists in Shejaiya.
JUAN GONZÁLEZ:
Well, I wanted to ask you—you say that there were soldiers who you knew
who talked to you. You, yourself, were a combat soldier in the Israeli
army. Talk about your—why you decided to do this, the transformation
that you went through.
ERAN EFRATI:
Right. Well, I grew up in a very Zionist, militaristic home. My father
was the head of investigation of the Israeli police. My mother was an
officer in the army. My brother was a special—an officer in a special
unit in the Israeli army. So I’m coming from a good background in
Israel. And I was waiting all of my youth to join the army. It was
obvious to me that this is the place I need to be. In the 11th grade, I
went to Poland into the trip to the camps with my classmates and saw
Auschwitz, the same camp that my grandma survived, and all of our family
were killed there. And there, I got the message that if I want to stop a
second Holocaust from happening, I have to go back home, join the best
unit I can in the military and stop a second Holocaust from happening.
I joined the IDF. I
went through seven months of boot camp, getting ready for a war, getting
ready to stop the second Holocaust from happening. But in the end of
these seven months, I’m not finding myself in a war; I’m finding myself
in al-Khalil, or Hebron, in the middle of the West Bank, a city counting
180,000 Palestinians, and in the middle of the city a Jewish settlement
of 800 settlers, Jewish settlers, that I need to protect. And very
fast, I will understand that my job here is to control the Palestinian
lives. My job here is to control their life for the arm trade that’s
going on, for testing weapons on the ground, for workers’ rights in
Israel, for Palestinian workers that we need for mines, for fuel. All of
this stuff, I’m doing daily, not for protection of anybody, but for
protection of the rich government in Israel.
AMY GOODMAN: And so, talk about what happened then. And what was the Israeli military’s response to your transformation?
ERAN EFRATI:
Well, I think, you know, very fast during my service, I understand
what’s going on. I started giving stories outside, from Hebron, into
Breaking the Silence. When I’m losing—I’m sorry, when I’m leaving the
army almost after four years, I was a sergeant in the Israeli army. When
I’m leaving the army, I’m joining Breaking the Silence and started
taking testimonies and trying to publish them out. Very soon I will find
out, after Operation Cast Lead, that we cannot publish everything that
we want, because even Breaking the Silence is going underneath the army
censorship.
AMY GOODMAN: Breaking the Silence is the organization, and Operation Cast Lead was the attack in 2008 on Gaza.
ERAN EFRATI:
Right. So it’s an organization that collect testimonies from soldiers
all across the West Bank and Gaza, and trying to publish them to the
Israeli public and to the world. The problem is that even Breaking the
Silence is under the military censorship, so Breaking the Silence is
actually only breaking the silence that the Israeli government let them.
JUAN GONZÁLEZ: When you say that they’re under military censorship, that they clear their material with the Israeli army?
ERAN EFRATI:
Exactly. They’re giving every booklet they’re taking out, they have to
give to the Israeli—to the army censorship before it’s letting out to
the public.
AMY GOODMAN:
As we end on the young man, Shamaly, in Shejaiya—and we’re going to
show the video, and you’ll hear him—possibly, you’ll hear him as he is
laying there shot, and then shot again, and shot again, as we’re showing
this now. Let’s listen. He has been shot once now. He is reaching up.
He’s with other activists.
SALEM KHALEEL SHAMALY: [speaking in Arabic]
AMY GOODMAN: His family saw this on YouTube?
ERAN EFRATI:
Yes. His family—we need to understand that there was hundreds of
thousands refugees in Gaza during this operation running away, trying to
save their life, leaving family members behind. They didn’t know—until
today, not everybody’s sure who was killed and who was not. People are
still looking for their relatives. And then, his family is watching
YouTube and seeing their son being killed by a sniper in Shejaiya. And
this is how they found out he’s dead.
AMY GOODMAN:
Well, we will leave it there. And for our listeners, we are showing the
video on television, the horror that his parents discovered afterwards,
his family. Eran Efrati, we want to thank you for being with us, former
Israeli combat soldier turned anti-occupation activist and
investigative researcher, recently interviewed a number of Israeli
soldiers who participated in the Shejaiya massacre in Gaza. Later this
month, Eran Efrati will testify at the Russell Tribunal on Palestine in
Brussels.
Wednesday, September 10, 2014
Palestinian Authority arrested 74 citizens in 10 days
06 September 2014
Source: Middle East Monitor
The committee of families of political prisoners in the occupied West Bank said that the Palestinian security services arrested at least 74 Palestinians in ten days.
According to the committee, more than 33 Palestinians have received arrest warrants, but refused to hand themselves over to the security services.
In a statement about political detention in the occupied West Bank, the committee recorded a tangible increase in political arrests and summons following the popular celebrations held for the resistance "victory" in the Gaza Strip.
"The Palestinian security services returned back to the old/new policy of arresting supporters of resistance in the different governorates in the West Bank," the statement said.
The committee said that it had documented political arrests and summon in the West Bank cities' of Qalqilia, Al-Khalil, Ramallah, Jenin, Tulkarm, Bethlehem, Salfeet and Nablus.
Link:ww.middleeastmonitor.com/news/middle-east/13957-palestinian-authority-arrested-74-citizens-in-10-days.
Source: Middle East Monitor
The committee of families of political prisoners in the occupied West Bank said that the Palestinian security services arrested at least 74 Palestinians in ten days.
According to the committee, more than 33 Palestinians have received arrest warrants, but refused to hand themselves over to the security services.
In a statement about political detention in the occupied West Bank, the committee recorded a tangible increase in political arrests and summons following the popular celebrations held for the resistance "victory" in the Gaza Strip.
"The Palestinian security services returned back to the old/new policy of arresting supporters of resistance in the different governorates in the West Bank," the statement said.
The committee said that it had documented political arrests and summon in the West Bank cities' of Qalqilia, Al-Khalil, Ramallah, Jenin, Tulkarm, Bethlehem, Salfeet and Nablus.
Link:ww.middleeastmonitor.com/news/middle-east/13957-palestinian-authority-arrested-74-citizens-in-10-days.
A Voice of Sanity About Childhood Vaccines from a Respected Nephrologist
Apr-11-2014
(DULUTH, MN) - Gary G. Kohls MD for Salem-News.com
To my medical colleagues, BigPharma sceptics and others
truly concerned with public health issues and the accelerating
sickening of America:
In the following link,Dr. Suzanne Humphries talks about vaccines in a 10
minute videointerview justifiably, with science backing her up (and
directly refuting what those corporate entities who have immense wealth
and power), claiming that there has never been a safe vaccine.
This video needs to be viewed by all health reporters to “immunize” them
against the powerful, corporate-controlled profit-motivated factions
(including the media and our indoctrinated physicians and nurses) that
are pushing more and more unsafe and highly toxic vaccines upon
unsuspecting parents and vulnerable infants, who then go on to develop
hyperimmune/autoimmune disorders such as our escalating incidence of
chronic asthma, rheumatoid disorders, etc (for an important list of
other vaccine injuries that have been documented, see below). Gary
Also
check out the University of Pittsburg study that showed that monkeys
who received the recommended vaccine schedule from the 1990s
CDC-approved schedule got autism while the control group who did not
receive vaccines did not acquire autism: http://vaccineliberationarmy.
Then study the several videos, including one feature film, about the Wakefield case, available at: http://vaccineliberationarmy.
For those who have only heard the smear campaign false
charges in the US about Wakefield: he was the victim of a highly
orchestrated smear campaign in England, funded by vaccine-maker Glaxo,
and Rupert Murdoch’s media empire [Rupert’s son James Murdoch sits on
the board of Glaxo; and a Murdoch-funded pseudojournalist named Brian
Deer did much of the dirty work]).
The smear campaign was supported by Britain’s threatened medical
establishment and its two previously “prestigious” medical journals
[Lancet and British Medical Journal] to discredit Wakefield and his
well-done study of 12 children who were diagnosed with regressive autism
after their MMR shots (that contains 3 varieties of live viruses) and
whose bowels became infected with the measles virus from the vaccine,
causing abdominal pains and chronic diarrhea. Biopsies taken by
Wakefield and his colleagues proved vaccine-related measles virus
infections in the intestinal lymphatic tissue, findings that have been
replicated in a number of other studies world-wide (refuting the medical
establishment’s claims of fraud).
One of those studies came out of Wake Forest University:
"
… a team from the Wake Forest University School of Medicine in North
Carolina are examining 275 children with regressive autism and bowel
disease - and of the 82 tested so far, 70 prove positive for the measles
virus … the team's leader, Dr Stephen Walker, said:
'Of the handful of results we have in so far, all are vaccine strain and none are wild measles.
This
research proves that in the gastrointestinal tract of a number of
children who have been diagnosed with regressive autism, there is
evidence of measles virus. What it means is that the study done
earlier by Dr Wakefield and published in 1998 is correct.
That
study didn't draw any conclusions about specifically what it means to
find measles virus in the gut, but the implication is it may be coming
from the MMR vaccine. If that's the case, and this live virus is
residing in the gastrointestinal tract of some children, and then they
have GI inflammation and other problems, it may be related to the
MMR."
Says Dr. Wakefield of his original 1998 findings:
"…
it's been replicated in Canada, in the U.S., in Venezuela, in Italy…
[but] they never get mentioned. All you ever hear is that no one else
has ever been able to replicate the findings. I'm afraid that is false."
See a recent videointerview of Wakefield at http://articles.mercola.com/
The threat to the vaccine industry (from the connection
between regressive autism and inflammatory bowel disease following live
virus vaccination) was perceived to be so great that various corporate
entities orchestrated the unheard of refutation and retraction of the
1998 Lancet study and the revocation of the medical licenses of
Wakefield (and one other of the dozen authors of the study, who was, by
the way, later exonerated of the charges and then compensated for the
unjust charges against him).
At any rate, the US corporate media and medical establishment have
joined in the smearing of Wakefield (who now lives in the US after
writing a book about the affair that was appropriately titled “Callous
Disregard”). And the reason for the intense campaign to discredit
Wakefield and his very valid research is clear: because any doubts about
the “safety” of the vaccines in the minds of the public that are so
profitable (for the powerful and obscenely wealthy multinational
vaccine/drug makers, the CDC [which is a major vaccine pusher in
America], the American Academy of Pediatrics, the AAFP and the AMA, none
of whom will ever be able to bring themselves to admit their
wrong-doing that has damaged tens of thousands of vaccine-injured
children who now have to endure chronic illnesses like autism spectrum
disorders, chronic asthma, Crohn’s disease, rheumatoid disorders and
other autoimmune disorders that are dramatically increasing in incidence
– co-incidentally with [or because of] the massive increase of
vaccinations in America – see list below).
For much more that American health writers
absolutely need to read to be doing valid journalism, please click on
– and study – some of the 80+ websites (listed at: http://www.vaclib.org/links/
And here is a partial list of some of the vaccine injuries that have been documented in the literature:
Deafness,
asthma, diarrhoea, inconsolable screaming, encephalitis, convulsions
and seizures, blindness, behaviour problems, autism, anaphylactic
shock, neurological disabilities, immune malfunction, arthritis,
epilepsy, brain damage, cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis, polio,
diabetes mellitus, chronic fatigue, paralysis, negative change in the
genetic structure of humans, Alzheimer, meningitis, and Death.
And here are just some of the ingredients used to make a vaccine:
Ethylene glycol: antifreeze
Phenol: also known as carbolic acid and used as a disinfectant, dye
Formaldehyde: a known cancer causing agent (carcinogenic)
Aluminium: is
associated with alzheimers disease and seizures also cancer
producing in laboratory mice (it is used as an additive to promote
antibody response)
Thimerosal: can result in brain injury and autoimmune disease (used as a mercury disinfectant/preservative)
Neomycin: Streptomycin (used as antibiotic) have caused allergic reactions in some people
It
is ironic, but telling, to note that a few years ago there was a
$10,000 award offered to any physician who would (after being made
fully aware of the above ingredients of vaccines) be willing to swallow the contents of what they freely inject into their unsuspecting patients. There were no takers. Gary G. Kohls, MD
Link: http://www.salem-news.com/articles/april112014/vaccine-reality-gk.php.
You Got Served, or Rather, Censored
September 5, 2014
|
Source: Everyday HP
I’d like to think I live in a country where I am free to learn, research and civilly discuss health options for myself and my family. I’d like to believe that information that comes from organizations designed to safeguard and promote the health and welfare of our populace is trustworthy, unbiased and without the influence of special interests. I’d like to think that we are encouraged to be a free thinking people who are free to gather, question perceived authority and determine the best course of action with any unadulterated information gathered.
As an HP parent, I am concerned that such freedoms are, in fact, threated in our great country, right here, right now, in our present day and in regard to something so fundamental as our health.
A local news station here in Austin, TX performs a monthly public service by hosting town hall meetings. The topics address concerns of citizens. The meetings are presented in panel formats for discussion and optimal information gathering, overall, a great, diplomatic format. This month’s topic revolved around the growing numbers of Central Texas parents who question the safety of vaccines and who choose not to vaccinate and in so doing, Central Texas numbers of unvaccinated children are growing. The four panelists included: two pediatricians; our state NVIC director and president of PROVE (Parents Requesting Open Vaccine Information); and the founder and chief homeopath at Austin Clinic of Homeopathy. As you can imagine, this HP parent was excited to cheer on a loved one as he represented and explained homeoprophylaxis for the public, and of course, as an HP parent, was also more than happy to attend and testify publically to the viability of HP for promoting and educating the immune system. We have direct experience with Little Man on our side.
On a national level, the recent revelations by a Dr. Thompson about the overt cover-ups perpetrated by officials at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention regarding the dangers of the MMR in the population, and particularly the African American population, has concerned citizens up in arms. Rightly so, questions about how well we can trust these organizations and the science they generate regarding the safety and efficacy of vaccines should be asked, and frequently, particularly when there is special interest involved. When the board that licenses and governs vaccine manufacture is also the board that purportedly analyzes the risks and safety for the population is one and the same, absolute power corrupts and does so absolutely. Censorship on this topic is often swift and unyielding, sites and professionals are discredited, studies vanish and previously public documents disappear.
Censorship on this topic is far reaching but never before have I witnessed it so close to home and to have loved ones involved.
Interestingly enough, only days before the town hall meeting, we received word that two of the panelists had to cancel and the venue could no longer agree to be the location for this type of discussion. No detailed explanations were offered, there was no room for conversation. In essence, there was pressure to cancel discussions and information sharing regarding alternatives to the vaccine paradigm and open questioning of its authority. There are no motions for rescheduling the event as of yet.
What is so dangerous about parents and interested citizens gathering to discuss options for health? Why can we not have an open information for such important topics as the prevention of infectious disease?
The take home from this personal experience - HP parents already question, they seek, they dig, they do not accept on blind faith the words espoused by the vaccine industry. My hope is that all citizens begin to wonder that if something is so wonderful and safe, why are we not encouraged to gather, to discuss, or to know the specifics and the details. Many parents want to believe that their best interests and the interests of their children are taken into account when these local, statewide or national decisions in the name of health are made. These types of censorship tactics serve only to increase the sentiment that we are not being told the full vaccine story.
Parents, no matter what road you choose to educate your child’s immune system, know the full story, dig and discuss. Don’t let them feed you a tag line, find out the unadulterated facts. While we are never guaranteed immunity to any disease by the nature of our humanity, we can still make informed decisions. We are the ripple effect that will change the tides of our culture.
Cheers to your health and wellbeing.
Link everydayhp.com/censorship/.
|
Source: Everyday HP
I’d like to think I live in a country where I am free to learn, research and civilly discuss health options for myself and my family. I’d like to believe that information that comes from organizations designed to safeguard and promote the health and welfare of our populace is trustworthy, unbiased and without the influence of special interests. I’d like to think that we are encouraged to be a free thinking people who are free to gather, question perceived authority and determine the best course of action with any unadulterated information gathered.
As an HP parent, I am concerned that such freedoms are, in fact, threated in our great country, right here, right now, in our present day and in regard to something so fundamental as our health.
A local news station here in Austin, TX performs a monthly public service by hosting town hall meetings. The topics address concerns of citizens. The meetings are presented in panel formats for discussion and optimal information gathering, overall, a great, diplomatic format. This month’s topic revolved around the growing numbers of Central Texas parents who question the safety of vaccines and who choose not to vaccinate and in so doing, Central Texas numbers of unvaccinated children are growing. The four panelists included: two pediatricians; our state NVIC director and president of PROVE (Parents Requesting Open Vaccine Information); and the founder and chief homeopath at Austin Clinic of Homeopathy. As you can imagine, this HP parent was excited to cheer on a loved one as he represented and explained homeoprophylaxis for the public, and of course, as an HP parent, was also more than happy to attend and testify publically to the viability of HP for promoting and educating the immune system. We have direct experience with Little Man on our side.
On a national level, the recent revelations by a Dr. Thompson about the overt cover-ups perpetrated by officials at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention regarding the dangers of the MMR in the population, and particularly the African American population, has concerned citizens up in arms. Rightly so, questions about how well we can trust these organizations and the science they generate regarding the safety and efficacy of vaccines should be asked, and frequently, particularly when there is special interest involved. When the board that licenses and governs vaccine manufacture is also the board that purportedly analyzes the risks and safety for the population is one and the same, absolute power corrupts and does so absolutely. Censorship on this topic is often swift and unyielding, sites and professionals are discredited, studies vanish and previously public documents disappear.
Censorship on this topic is far reaching but never before have I witnessed it so close to home and to have loved ones involved.
Interestingly enough, only days before the town hall meeting, we received word that two of the panelists had to cancel and the venue could no longer agree to be the location for this type of discussion. No detailed explanations were offered, there was no room for conversation. In essence, there was pressure to cancel discussions and information sharing regarding alternatives to the vaccine paradigm and open questioning of its authority. There are no motions for rescheduling the event as of yet.
What is so dangerous about parents and interested citizens gathering to discuss options for health? Why can we not have an open information for such important topics as the prevention of infectious disease?
The take home from this personal experience - HP parents already question, they seek, they dig, they do not accept on blind faith the words espoused by the vaccine industry. My hope is that all citizens begin to wonder that if something is so wonderful and safe, why are we not encouraged to gather, to discuss, or to know the specifics and the details. Many parents want to believe that their best interests and the interests of their children are taken into account when these local, statewide or national decisions in the name of health are made. These types of censorship tactics serve only to increase the sentiment that we are not being told the full vaccine story.
Parents, no matter what road you choose to educate your child’s immune system, know the full story, dig and discuss. Don’t let them feed you a tag line, find out the unadulterated facts. While we are never guaranteed immunity to any disease by the nature of our humanity, we can still make informed decisions. We are the ripple effect that will change the tides of our culture.
Cheers to your health and wellbeing.
Link everydayhp.com/censorship/.
How to boycott Israel: updated guidelines for academics
09/02/2014
by Ali Abunimah
Source: The Electronic Intifada
The Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI) recently updated its guidelines on how to apply the international academic and cultural boycott of Israel.
This comes at a crucial moment – in the wake of Israel’s latest spasm of horrifying destruction and mass killing in Gaza, and after a period of unprecedented growth in support for boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS).
Calls for academic boycott will resonate more than ever particularly in light of Israel’s recent bomb attacks on university facilities in Gaza, its violent raids on universities in the West Bank and the financial and political support Israeli universities have themselves given to the carnage.
Right now, hundreds of thousands of Palestinian children in Gaza are not going back to school on time as a direct consequence of the Israeli devastation, while in the West Bank young children face such violence as tear gas fired at them on their way to class.
The school year in Gaza was scheduled to begin on 23 August but has been postponed; Israeli attacks since 7 July killed more than 500 children and injured thousands. In total 220 schools were damaged, 22 of which were completely destroyed.
Children will not be able to go back to class until “war-damaged schools” are repaired and “unexploded ordnance” removed, the UN says.
When children do go back to class, learning will certainly be an even bigger challenge due to the fact that virtually the entire child population in Gaza is in need of psychosocial support due to the trauma of Israel’s 51-day bombardment.
A common false claim is that PACBI has called for a blanket boycott of Israeli individuals or even of Jewish individuals.
But, PACBI states: “Anchored in precepts of international law and universal human rights, the BDS movement, including PACBI, rejects on principle boycotts of individuals based on their identity (such as citizenship, race, gender, or religion) or opinion.”
A person’s activities are boycottable, however, when “an individual is representing the state of Israel or a complicit Israeli institution (such as a dean, rector, or president), or is commissioned/recruited to participate in Israel’s efforts to ‘rebrand’ itself.”
There are other circumstances as well, as the guidelines detail.
The PACBI guidelines “are mainly intended to assist conscientious academics and academic bodies around the world to be in harmony with the Palestinian call for boycott, as a contribution towards upholding international law and furthering the struggle for freedom, justice and equality.”
PACBI urges:
The full academic boycott guidelines are here.
Link: http://electronicintifada.net/blogs/ali-abunimah/how-boycott-israel-updated-guidelines-academics.
by Ali Abunimah
Source: The Electronic Intifada
The Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI) recently updated its guidelines on how to apply the international academic and cultural boycott of Israel.
This comes at a crucial moment – in the wake of Israel’s latest spasm of horrifying destruction and mass killing in Gaza, and after a period of unprecedented growth in support for boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS).
Calls for academic boycott will resonate more than ever particularly in light of Israel’s recent bomb attacks on university facilities in Gaza, its violent raids on universities in the West Bank and the financial and political support Israeli universities have themselves given to the carnage.
Right now, hundreds of thousands of Palestinian children in Gaza are not going back to school on time as a direct consequence of the Israeli devastation, while in the West Bank young children face such violence as tear gas fired at them on their way to class.
The school year in Gaza was scheduled to begin on 23 August but has been postponed; Israeli attacks since 7 July killed more than 500 children and injured thousands. In total 220 schools were damaged, 22 of which were completely destroyed.
Children will not be able to go back to class until “war-damaged schools” are repaired and “unexploded ordnance” removed, the UN says.
When children do go back to class, learning will certainly be an even bigger challenge due to the fact that virtually the entire child population in Gaza is in need of psychosocial support due to the trauma of Israel’s 51-day bombardment.
Practical guidance
The updated PACBI guidelines are important for two reasons: they provide a practical reference that can be used to decide if a specific activity is boycottable and they can be used to debunk false claims made by opponents of the boycott, for example that the boycott stifles “academic freedom.”A common false claim is that PACBI has called for a blanket boycott of Israeli individuals or even of Jewish individuals.
But, PACBI states: “Anchored in precepts of international law and universal human rights, the BDS movement, including PACBI, rejects on principle boycotts of individuals based on their identity (such as citizenship, race, gender, or religion) or opinion.”
A person’s activities are boycottable, however, when “an individual is representing the state of Israel or a complicit Israeli institution (such as a dean, rector, or president), or is commissioned/recruited to participate in Israel’s efforts to ‘rebrand’ itself.”
There are other circumstances as well, as the guidelines detail.
The PACBI guidelines “are mainly intended to assist conscientious academics and academic bodies around the world to be in harmony with the Palestinian call for boycott, as a contribution towards upholding international law and furthering the struggle for freedom, justice and equality.”
PACBI urges:
academics, academic associations/unions, and academic – as well as other – institutions around the world, where possible and as relevant, to boycott and/or work towards the cancellation or annulment of events, activities, agreements, or projects involving Israeli academic institutions or that otherwise promote the normalization of Israel in the global academy, whitewash Israel’s violations of international law and Palestinian rights, or violate the BDS guidelines.
Normalization and “fig-leafing”
Many Palestinians reject initiatives that they say constitute “normalization.” But what does this mean? Here is the definition provided by PACBI:Academic activities and projects involving Palestinians and/or other Arabs on one side and Israelis on the other (whether bi- or multilateral) that are based on the false premise of symmetry/parity between the oppressors and the oppressed or that claim that both colonizers and colonized are equally responsible for the “conflict” are intellectually dishonest and morally reprehensible forms of normalization that ought to be boycotted.The guidelines gives examples of forms of joint activity that are and are not normalization and also warn against “fig-leafing”:
Far from challenging the unjust status quo, such projects contribute to its endurance. Examples include events, projects, or publications that are designed explicitly to bring together Palestinians/Arabs and Israelis so they can present their respective narratives or perspectives, or to work toward reconciliation without addressing the root causes of injustice and the requirements of justice.
International academics who insist on crossing the BDS “picket line” by pursuing activities with boycottable Israeli institutions and then visiting Palestinian institutions or groups for “balance,” violate the boycott guidelines and contribute to the false perception of symmetry between the colonial oppressor and the colonized. The BNC (including PACBI) rejects this attempt at “fig-leafing” and does not welcome such visits to Palestinian institutions.PACBI’s updated guidelines for cultural boycott are here.
The full academic boycott guidelines are here.
Link: http://electronicintifada.net/blogs/ali-abunimah/how-boycott-israel-updated-guidelines-academics.
DIY mosquito trap protects against dengue fever, West Nile and other insect-borne diseases
September 05, 2014
by: L.J. Devon, Staff Writer
Source: Natural News
(NaturalNews) The dengue virus, transmitted by mosquitoes, is running rampant in tropical areas around the world. The virus can bring fever, headache, muscle pains, joint pains, rash and bleeding. It can even be deadly. One country, Brazil, has been in a perpetual state of emergency over the past two years because of dengue fever. Over 570 deaths were reported in 2013 alone. The situation is so dire that an entire biotech factory has been erected in Campinas, Brazil, to raise millions of genetically modified mosquitoes. The GM mosquitoes are being sent out into the country to mate with wild female mosquitoes. The offspring of this mating experiment are intended to die before they reach adulthood. This is supposed to reduce the number of dengue-carrying Aedes aegypti mosquitoes through the years, bringing down the infection rate.
While efforts to combat dengue fever on a global scale are noble, they do not come with 100 percent efficacy and reliability. Relying on these biotech methods alone could cause even more deaths, as people shrug off other more important preventive measures up front. On top of that, there might be some unintended consequences derived from releasing millions of genetically altered mosquitoes into nature at large.
To make the mosquito trap, one simply has to obtain a plastic water bottle, a small amount of water, a packet of brown sugar and a packet of yeast. According to the visual directions, the top of the bottle is to be cut off and turned upside down, with the drinking hole now facing down inside the bottle. The yeast and brown sugar is added to the small amount of water in the bottle. The mixture of sugar and yeast produces carbon dioxide which emits from the bottle, attracting mosquitoes. Once the mosquitoes go into the bottle, they suffocate and die. For the trap to be effective, the inventors added that the mixture must be replaced every two weeks.
Created en masse, this DIY mosquito trap would be rather effective, reducing the mosquitoes that carry dengue virus, West Nile or any other mosquito-borne illness.
Sources for this article include:
http://www.gmanetwork.com
http://sustainablepulse.com
http://www.newscientist.com
http://www.gov.ph
http://medicalxpress.com
http://www.naturalnews.com
http://science.naturalnews.com
by: L.J. Devon, Staff Writer
Source: Natural News
(NaturalNews) The dengue virus, transmitted by mosquitoes, is running rampant in tropical areas around the world. The virus can bring fever, headache, muscle pains, joint pains, rash and bleeding. It can even be deadly. One country, Brazil, has been in a perpetual state of emergency over the past two years because of dengue fever. Over 570 deaths were reported in 2013 alone. The situation is so dire that an entire biotech factory has been erected in Campinas, Brazil, to raise millions of genetically modified mosquitoes. The GM mosquitoes are being sent out into the country to mate with wild female mosquitoes. The offspring of this mating experiment are intended to die before they reach adulthood. This is supposed to reduce the number of dengue-carrying Aedes aegypti mosquitoes through the years, bringing down the infection rate.
Dengue virus vaccine doesn't grant 100 percent immunity
According to the World Health Organization, a new vaccine is being prepared for 2015 to address dengue fever. Test subjects who were injected at least three times with the experimental vaccine were 88.5 percent less likely to contract the most deadly form of dengue -- hemorrhagic fever. The efficacy for preventing dengue fever altogether was 56.5 percent, according to two years' worth of data from the Philippines' Department of Health.While efforts to combat dengue fever on a global scale are noble, they do not come with 100 percent efficacy and reliability. Relying on these biotech methods alone could cause even more deaths, as people shrug off other more important preventive measures up front. On top of that, there might be some unintended consequences derived from releasing millions of genetically altered mosquitoes into nature at large.
Garlic and essential oils reduce contact with mosquitoes
Some of the most powerful measures to combat mosquitoes are found growing in the garden. Garlic is one compound that keeps the insects at bay. The essential oils of lemongrass, lemon eucalyptus and citronella are effective, too. Health officials could help those in dengue-stricken areas by informing all to start growing lemongrass and citronella plants along the outside of dwellings. By disturbing the mosquitoes' sense of smell, these essential oils can safely and naturally repel the insects, without causing allergic reactions in humans.Mass production of this simple DIY mosquito trap could reduce dengue virus spread
What might be even more effective are mosquito traps that pull in and kill the pesky disease carriers en masse. Recently, Marynilad Water Services, Inc., won an award in an important health and wellness category at the inaugural Lions Health Awards in Cannes, France. Their creation was a simple DIY mosquito trap. Out of 1,400 entries, their invention was one of 16 awarded a "Bronze Lion" in the competition's Health and Wellness category.To make the mosquito trap, one simply has to obtain a plastic water bottle, a small amount of water, a packet of brown sugar and a packet of yeast. According to the visual directions, the top of the bottle is to be cut off and turned upside down, with the drinking hole now facing down inside the bottle. The yeast and brown sugar is added to the small amount of water in the bottle. The mixture of sugar and yeast produces carbon dioxide which emits from the bottle, attracting mosquitoes. Once the mosquitoes go into the bottle, they suffocate and die. For the trap to be effective, the inventors added that the mixture must be replaced every two weeks.
Created en masse, this DIY mosquito trap would be rather effective, reducing the mosquitoes that carry dengue virus, West Nile or any other mosquito-borne illness.
Sources for this article include:
http://www.gmanetwork.com
http://sustainablepulse.com
http://www.newscientist.com
http://www.gov.ph
http://medicalxpress.com
http://www.naturalnews.com
http://science.naturalnews.com
Turkish Red Crescent: siege undermines passage of aid to Gazans
06 September 2014
Source: Middle East Monitor
Officials from the Turkish Red Crescent said that the eight-year old siege on Gaza undermines Turkish attempts to deliver aid that covers the needs of all Gazans and guarantees them a decent life, Anadolu news agency said.
The officials stated that their organisation is now studying the needs of the Strip in order to address them, noting that they would ask the Turkish government and Turkish NGOs to support them.
On Thursday, a delegation from the Turkish Red Crescent, including the chief director and other senior officials in the organisation, arrived in Gaza to assess the needs more closely.
The director of the Red Crescent said that his organisation has been offering aid in all fields to the Gaza Strip for a long time, and "we are going to continue until the end of the siege."
"The Turkish Red Crescent faced difficulties in transferring wounded Palestinians from Gaza to Turkey because of the Israeli restrictions," he said, noting that 79 wounded Gazans are being treated in Turkish hospitals.
He said that the Israeli authorities refused and has been refusing to allow large numbers of wounded Gazans to pass through its crossings so they could travel to Turkey for treatment.
The official noted that the Turkish healthcare system is very well equipped and is able to offer proper medical treatment for hundreds of the wounded, but he said that this is connected to Israeli approval.
Regarding the plans to send a Turkish floating power plant to address the electricity problem in Gaza, the official said that the efforts on this issue are underway, but this issue is also connected to Israeli approval, as well as to the ability of the electricity grids in Gaza.
The officials stressed there is real intention from the Turkish government to send this ship, noting that the Turkish power authority is conducting studies on this.
Regarding the latest plans to send caravans from Turkey to the Gaza residents to be used as temporary houses for the people who lost their homes, the official said that discussions are still underway. He hoped that this issue will be sorted out in the near future.
Link: www.middleeastmonitor.com/news/europe/13959-turkish-red-crescent-siege-undermines-passage-of-aid-to-gazans.
Source: Middle East Monitor
Officials from the Turkish Red Crescent said that the eight-year old siege on Gaza undermines Turkish attempts to deliver aid that covers the needs of all Gazans and guarantees them a decent life, Anadolu news agency said.
The officials stated that their organisation is now studying the needs of the Strip in order to address them, noting that they would ask the Turkish government and Turkish NGOs to support them.
On Thursday, a delegation from the Turkish Red Crescent, including the chief director and other senior officials in the organisation, arrived in Gaza to assess the needs more closely.
The director of the Red Crescent said that his organisation has been offering aid in all fields to the Gaza Strip for a long time, and "we are going to continue until the end of the siege."
"The Turkish Red Crescent faced difficulties in transferring wounded Palestinians from Gaza to Turkey because of the Israeli restrictions," he said, noting that 79 wounded Gazans are being treated in Turkish hospitals.
He said that the Israeli authorities refused and has been refusing to allow large numbers of wounded Gazans to pass through its crossings so they could travel to Turkey for treatment.
The official noted that the Turkish healthcare system is very well equipped and is able to offer proper medical treatment for hundreds of the wounded, but he said that this is connected to Israeli approval.
Regarding the plans to send a Turkish floating power plant to address the electricity problem in Gaza, the official said that the efforts on this issue are underway, but this issue is also connected to Israeli approval, as well as to the ability of the electricity grids in Gaza.
The officials stressed there is real intention from the Turkish government to send this ship, noting that the Turkish power authority is conducting studies on this.
Regarding the latest plans to send caravans from Turkey to the Gaza residents to be used as temporary houses for the people who lost their homes, the official said that discussions are still underway. He hoped that this issue will be sorted out in the near future.
Link: www.middleeastmonitor.com/news/europe/13959-turkish-red-crescent-siege-undermines-passage-of-aid-to-gazans.
Monday, September 8, 2014
Lack of sleep linked to insatiable junk food cravings
September 06, 2014
by: Mike Bundrant
Source: Natural News
(NaturalNews) According to a study conducted by researchers from UC Berkeley, a sleepless night may make you likely to eat junk food rather than healthier choices like vegetables and whole grains. This study offers additional insights into the link between obesity and poor sleep.
Researchers scanned the brains of 23 young adults using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). The participants were scanned both after a normal night's sleep and after a sleepless night. When comparing the results of the scans, researchers found that, following sleep deprivation, the brain's frontal lobe activity was impaired.
Furthermore, there was increased activity in the deeper brain centers that are known to respond to rewards. They also found that participants were much more likely to favor unhealthy foods when sleep deprived.
According to UC Berkeley professor of psychology and neuroscience Matthew Walker, this shows that, while the more primal brain structures controlling motivation and desire are amplified following sleep deprivation, the higher level brain regions required for more complex decision-making were impaired. This is how junk food cravings become insatiable -- the combination is increased primal desire with impairment in higher brain function.
When combined with the fact that unhealthy, high-calorie foods become significantly more desirable to a person who has been sleep-deprived, this explains why people who sleep less are more likely to become overweight or obese.
While previous studies have shown the link between sleep and obesity, this study is one of the first to illustrate a cause for that link. Participants' brain activities were measured as they were shown images of 80 food items ranging from low- to high-calorie count, as well as healthy and unhealthy choices.
These included fruits and vegetables as well as junk foods such as pizza, doughnuts and burgers. Participants were more likely to desire items from the second group following a sleepless night.
If you're attempting to lose weight, this may be good news. Ensuring that you get the proper amount of sleep each night can help reduce your cravings and make it easier for you to make healthier choices during the day.
Other healthy sleep practices involve herbal formulas and melatonin supplementation. Mostly, people experiment with these and discover on their own whether or not they work. However, it is wise to consult your health practitioner for more precise suggestions and testing.
And there are numerous other solutions online, such as binaural beats and various "sleep sound" apps. The goals of these devices seems to be to calm the mind down through distraction so that you can relax and go to sleep.
The iNLP Center's Sleep Switch program is another option that roughly 500 known people have used. The goal of Sleep Switch is to turn off the part of your brain that causes self-referential thoughts (autopilot thinking), associated with the brain's Default Mode Network (DMN), that impede the natural sleep cycle.
If your restless mind and body do not relax when you get into bed, your DMN may be overactive. MRI scans prove that a certain kind of awareness activity switches off the DMN (highlighted in the March 2010 issue of Scientific American).
The iNLP Center does not have clinical data on the effectiveness of Sleep Switch, other than anecdotal evidence. Dozens of people have reported getting a good night's sleep on the first night of use, with consistent results thereafter. The iNLP Center offers a money-back guarantee on the program, which has been used 2.3% of the time.
If you like this article, then like my Facebook Page to keep up with all my writing.
About the author:
Watch the free video The AHA! Process: An End to Self-Sabotage and discover the lost keys to personal transformation and emotional well-being that have been suppressed by mainstream mental health for decades.
by: Mike Bundrant
Source: Natural News
(NaturalNews) According to a study conducted by researchers from UC Berkeley, a sleepless night may make you likely to eat junk food rather than healthier choices like vegetables and whole grains. This study offers additional insights into the link between obesity and poor sleep.
Researchers scanned the brains of 23 young adults using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). The participants were scanned both after a normal night's sleep and after a sleepless night. When comparing the results of the scans, researchers found that, following sleep deprivation, the brain's frontal lobe activity was impaired.
Furthermore, there was increased activity in the deeper brain centers that are known to respond to rewards. They also found that participants were much more likely to favor unhealthy foods when sleep deprived.
According to UC Berkeley professor of psychology and neuroscience Matthew Walker, this shows that, while the more primal brain structures controlling motivation and desire are amplified following sleep deprivation, the higher level brain regions required for more complex decision-making were impaired. This is how junk food cravings become insatiable -- the combination is increased primal desire with impairment in higher brain function.
When combined with the fact that unhealthy, high-calorie foods become significantly more desirable to a person who has been sleep-deprived, this explains why people who sleep less are more likely to become overweight or obese.
While previous studies have shown the link between sleep and obesity, this study is one of the first to illustrate a cause for that link. Participants' brain activities were measured as they were shown images of 80 food items ranging from low- to high-calorie count, as well as healthy and unhealthy choices.
These included fruits and vegetables as well as junk foods such as pizza, doughnuts and burgers. Participants were more likely to desire items from the second group following a sleepless night.
If you're attempting to lose weight, this may be good news. Ensuring that you get the proper amount of sleep each night can help reduce your cravings and make it easier for you to make healthier choices during the day.
Good sleep practices:
Searching for "sleep hygiene tips" is a good way to get standard sleep hygiene methods that are commonly recommended. The effectiveness of sleep hygiene itself has been the subject of much debate. Many report good results, while others suggest that, regardless of the sleep environment or preparatory sleep practices, the hygiene is not 100% effective because it does not serve to calm a busy mind.Other healthy sleep practices involve herbal formulas and melatonin supplementation. Mostly, people experiment with these and discover on their own whether or not they work. However, it is wise to consult your health practitioner for more precise suggestions and testing.
And there are numerous other solutions online, such as binaural beats and various "sleep sound" apps. The goals of these devices seems to be to calm the mind down through distraction so that you can relax and go to sleep.
The iNLP Center's Sleep Switch program is another option that roughly 500 known people have used. The goal of Sleep Switch is to turn off the part of your brain that causes self-referential thoughts (autopilot thinking), associated with the brain's Default Mode Network (DMN), that impede the natural sleep cycle.
If your restless mind and body do not relax when you get into bed, your DMN may be overactive. MRI scans prove that a certain kind of awareness activity switches off the DMN (highlighted in the March 2010 issue of Scientific American).
The iNLP Center does not have clinical data on the effectiveness of Sleep Switch, other than anecdotal evidence. Dozens of people have reported getting a good night's sleep on the first night of use, with consistent results thereafter. The iNLP Center offers a money-back guarantee on the program, which has been used 2.3% of the time.
If you like this article, then like my Facebook Page to keep up with all my writing.
About the author:
Watch the free video The AHA! Process: An End to Self-Sabotage and discover the lost keys to personal transformation and emotional well-being that have been suppressed by mainstream mental health for decades.
D3 and vitamin K2, and the role they play in our health
September 04, 2014
by: Dr. David Jockers
Source: Natural News
(NaturalNews) Deficiencies in vitamin D3 and K2 are a current epidemic in our society today. There are very serious health problems associated with long-term vitamin D3 and K2 deficiencies. Vitamin D3 and K2 deficiencies will impact the development and stability of the immune system, the skeletal muscle system, the nervous system and the endocrine system.
According to Vitamin D expert Michael Holick, 'We estimate that vitamin D deficiency is the most common medical condition in the world (1).' It is clear that most people are not getting enough healthy sun exposure.
There are vitamin D receptors throughout the central nervous system and critical regions of the brain including the hippocampus. Researchers have concluded that vitamin D activates and deactivates enzymes in the brain and cerebrospinal fluid that are involved in nerve growth, synaptic density and neurotransmitter synthesis (3).
Vitamin D3 is also shown to boost glutathione production in the neuronal cells protecting them from damage inflicted by oxidative stress. Vitamin D also helps to modulate the immune system to reduce inflammation throughout the body (4).
Vitamin D3 levels are most often understated. In the medical world, levels below 32 ng/ml are considered sufficient. However, much research has shown this level is only sufficient to prevent the development of rickets but not sufficient enough for optimal function (5). Functional medicine doctors look for ranges between 60-100 ng/ml for optimal vitamin D3 levels.
Vitamin K2 is necessary to convert a critical bone-building protein called osteocalcin. Osteocalcin is a necessary protein that helps maintain calcium homeostasis in bone tissue. It works with osteoblast cells to build healthy bone tissue. Inadequate K2 inhibits osteocalcin production and reduces calcium flow into bone tissue. This leads to reduced bone mass and a weakened bone matrix (6).
Vitamin K2 is found in fermented grass-fed dairy, fermented soy (natto) and some fermented veggies. Additionally, if one has leaky gut syndrome or bad microbial balance in their gut (dysbiosis) they will be unable to synthesize enough vitamin K2 (7). Most people are not are not getting adequate vitamin K2 levels due to a diet deficient in fermented foods and the above mentioned digestive challenges.
Vitamin K and vitamin D work to increase a substance called Matrix GLA protein (MGP). This protein protects the blood vessels from calcification by congregating around the elastic fibers of the arterial lining and guarding against calcium crystal deposition (10). Some researchers believe that MGP is the most powerful inhibitor of soft tissue calcification presently known.
Sources for this article include:
1) http://www.nejm.org
2) http://tulane.edu
3) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
4) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
5) http://cjasn.asnjournals.org
6) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
7) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
8) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
9) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
10) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
About the author:
Dr David Jockers is a Maximized Living doctor and owns and operates Exodus Health Center in Kennesaw, Georgia where he specializes in functional nutrition, functional medicine and corrective chiropractic care to get to the underlying cause of major health problems.
by: Dr. David Jockers
Source: Natural News
(NaturalNews) Deficiencies in vitamin D3 and K2 are a current epidemic in our society today. There are very serious health problems associated with long-term vitamin D3 and K2 deficiencies. Vitamin D3 and K2 deficiencies will impact the development and stability of the immune system, the skeletal muscle system, the nervous system and the endocrine system.
According to Vitamin D expert Michael Holick, 'We estimate that vitamin D deficiency is the most common medical condition in the world (1).' It is clear that most people are not getting enough healthy sun exposure.
Vitamin D is more hormone than vitamin:
Vitamin D more resembles a hormone than vitamin by function. Hormones are chemical messengers that interact with cell receptors to produce specific biological responses. Calcitriol, the active form of Vitamin D, is arguably the most powerful hormone in the body. It has the ability to activate over 1,000 genes (2) which is roughly 5-10% of the human genome.There are vitamin D receptors throughout the central nervous system and critical regions of the brain including the hippocampus. Researchers have concluded that vitamin D activates and deactivates enzymes in the brain and cerebrospinal fluid that are involved in nerve growth, synaptic density and neurotransmitter synthesis (3).
Vitamin D3 is also shown to boost glutathione production in the neuronal cells protecting them from damage inflicted by oxidative stress. Vitamin D also helps to modulate the immune system to reduce inflammation throughout the body (4).
Vitamin D3 levels are most often understated. In the medical world, levels below 32 ng/ml are considered sufficient. However, much research has shown this level is only sufficient to prevent the development of rickets but not sufficient enough for optimal function (5). Functional medicine doctors look for ranges between 60-100 ng/ml for optimal vitamin D3 levels.
Vitamin K has unique benefits:
Vitamin K1 is necessary for blood coagulation and is produced by green leafy vegetables. The best sources include kale, spinach & collard greens. This form of vitamin K is required for the formation of anticoagulant factors protein C & S.Vitamin K2 is necessary to convert a critical bone-building protein called osteocalcin. Osteocalcin is a necessary protein that helps maintain calcium homeostasis in bone tissue. It works with osteoblast cells to build healthy bone tissue. Inadequate K2 inhibits osteocalcin production and reduces calcium flow into bone tissue. This leads to reduced bone mass and a weakened bone matrix (6).
Vitamin K2 is found in fermented grass-fed dairy, fermented soy (natto) and some fermented veggies. Additionally, if one has leaky gut syndrome or bad microbial balance in their gut (dysbiosis) they will be unable to synthesize enough vitamin K2 (7). Most people are not are not getting adequate vitamin K2 levels due to a diet deficient in fermented foods and the above mentioned digestive challenges.
D3 and K2 are critical for healthy calcium metabolism:
Vitamin D3 and K2 play an essential role in calcium uptake into skeletal bone tissue. Several studies have shown a synergistic effect of vitamin K2 and D3 (8). These studies show that this combination enhanced osteocalcin accumulation in bone cells greater than any one of these nutrients alone. This increased osteocalcin formation significantly improved bone mineral density (9).Vitamin K and vitamin D work to increase a substance called Matrix GLA protein (MGP). This protein protects the blood vessels from calcification by congregating around the elastic fibers of the arterial lining and guarding against calcium crystal deposition (10). Some researchers believe that MGP is the most powerful inhibitor of soft tissue calcification presently known.
Sources for this article include:
1) http://www.nejm.org
2) http://tulane.edu
3) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
4) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
5) http://cjasn.asnjournals.org
6) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
7) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
8) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
9) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
10) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
About the author:
Dr David Jockers is a Maximized Living doctor and owns and operates Exodus Health Center in Kennesaw, Georgia where he specializes in functional nutrition, functional medicine and corrective chiropractic care to get to the underlying cause of major health problems.
37 lies Americans tell themselves to avoid confronting reality
September 07
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger
Source: Natural News
(NaturalNews) Have you noticed the incredible detachment from reality exhibited by the masses these days? The continued operation of modern society, it seems, depends on people making sure they don't acknowledge reality (or try to deal with it). "Denial" is what keeps every sector of civilization humming along: medicine, finance, government, agriculture and more.
The trouble with the denial approach is that eventually the lies collide with reality. Until that day comes, however, happy-go-lucky Americans are merrily enjoying their courtship with self delusion, repeating the following 37 lies to themselves as if they were true:
Lie #1) All FDA-approved medications are safe to consume in any combination, because the FDA protects the public.
Lie #2) Food prices keep going up because inflation is a natural force that can't be halted.
Lie #3) The mainstream media is telling me the truth when it reports on world events.
Lie #4) Chemical food additives are tested for their safety before being widely used across the food supply.
Lie #5) We can all pump groundwater out of the ground forever, and it will never run out.
Lie #6) We can also pump fossil fuels out of the ground forever, and they will never run out, either. Why worry?
Lie #7) If anything bad happens in terms of a national emergency or natural disaster, the government will take care of me.
Lie #8) It doesn't matter where my food comes from as long as it's cheap and delicious.
Lie #9) GMOs must be safe to eat because a bunch of scientists paid by the biotech industry all tell each other that GMOs are safe and therefore have reached "scientific consensus."
Lie #10) Government debt doesn't matter because the government can simply create more money any time they want.
Lie #11) Mercury in vaccines must be safe to inject into children, otherwise the CDC and FDA wouldn't allow it to be used in vaccines.
Lie #12) Organic produce is a waste of money. I'll buy conventional produce treated with pesticides and herbicides because the cost of all the cancer treatments I'll need 20 years later will be covered by Obamacare anyway.
Lie #13) The history taught to children in public schools is a true and accurate history. Columbus was best friends with the Indians, too!
Lie #14) Swallowing fluoride chemicals is good for babies and children, and that's why cities put fluoride into public water supplies.
Lie #15) Flu shots prevent the flu. That's why the package inserts for flu vaccines openly state there is no scientific evidence to support any conclusion that influenza vaccines prevent influenza.
Lie #16) Whatever is backed by "science" must be true. Science is never falsified by corrupt scientists or corporate agendas, and scientific conclusions are never wrong.
Lie #17) The global ecosystem can handle unlimited human pollution without any negative consequences. We can all continue to dump unlimited toxins into the environment.
Lie #18) Cell phone radiation is harmless. The reason we know that is because the cell phone companies hired scientists to say so.
Lie #19) If everybody else is doing something, it must be the right thing to do. After all, how could so many people be wrong?
Lie #20) We don't need to store food for emergencies because there will always be more food available at the grocery store.
Lie #21) There's no need to be concerned about Ebola or other infectious diseases in America because the vaccine companies can always and instantly create a new vaccine that works 100% of the time, with zero side effects.
Lie #22) Local police departments need battlefield military weapons, armored cars and body armor because the drug war demands it.
Lie #23) If I buy something at Whole Foods, it must be healthy and free from contaminants like toxic heavy metals. (Or is it really?)
Lie #24) My vote really counts in national elections. We live in a democracy where the People have power over the government.
Lie #25) My checking and savings accounts are perfectly safe no matter what happens because my bank is FDIC insured.
Lie #26) Raw dairy products are dangerous and deadly because the FDA told me so. Those horrible farmers selling raw dairy products should be locked away in prison.
Lie #27) My oncologist recommends chemotherapy treatment for me only because he cares about my wellbeing, not because his clinic sells the chemotherapy drugs at a huge profit.
Lie #28) The government isn't secretly recording my phone calls or reading my emails. Why would they? I've done nothing wrong!
Lie #29) Commercial dog food is healthy and nutritious for dogs. Dog treats made in China are also trustworthy and free from contaminants like lead.
Lie #30) The only way to prevent infectious disease is with a vaccine. Vitamin D and healthy immune support have nothing to do with it.
Lie #31) After I pay off my house, I own it free and clear. (Think again: Property taxes mean you're only "leasing" it from the county. Stop paying those taxes and you'll find out very quickly who really owns your home.)
Lie #32) Google will do no evil, and the fact that the company is developing humanoid battlefield robots, autonomous drones and super-human quantum computing brain chips is nothing to worry about.
Lie #33) Cancer is caused entirely by bad luck (or smoking) and has nothing to do with the food I eat or chemicals in my personal environment.
Lie #34) The radiation release from Fukushima wasn't that bad. Sure, it was many times larger than the Chernobyl disaster, but authorities say we have nothing to worry about.
Lie #35) Autism isn't caused by vaccines, and the way we know is because the CDC scientist who admitted to a massive conspiracy of scientific fraud to bury the evidence linking vaccines to autism should not be believed.
Lie #36) All foods certified as "organic" are automatically free of toxic heavy metals and contaminants.
Lie #37) Human civilization is the only intelligent civilization in the entire galaxy. Anything else would simply be too scary to contemplate.
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger
Source: Natural News
(NaturalNews) Have you noticed the incredible detachment from reality exhibited by the masses these days? The continued operation of modern society, it seems, depends on people making sure they don't acknowledge reality (or try to deal with it). "Denial" is what keeps every sector of civilization humming along: medicine, finance, government, agriculture and more.
The trouble with the denial approach is that eventually the lies collide with reality. Until that day comes, however, happy-go-lucky Americans are merrily enjoying their courtship with self delusion, repeating the following 37 lies to themselves as if they were true:
Lie #1) All FDA-approved medications are safe to consume in any combination, because the FDA protects the public.
Lie #2) Food prices keep going up because inflation is a natural force that can't be halted.
Lie #3) The mainstream media is telling me the truth when it reports on world events.
Lie #4) Chemical food additives are tested for their safety before being widely used across the food supply.
Lie #5) We can all pump groundwater out of the ground forever, and it will never run out.
Lie #6) We can also pump fossil fuels out of the ground forever, and they will never run out, either. Why worry?
Lie #7) If anything bad happens in terms of a national emergency or natural disaster, the government will take care of me.
Lie #8) It doesn't matter where my food comes from as long as it's cheap and delicious.
Lie #9) GMOs must be safe to eat because a bunch of scientists paid by the biotech industry all tell each other that GMOs are safe and therefore have reached "scientific consensus."
Lie #10) Government debt doesn't matter because the government can simply create more money any time they want.
Lie #11) Mercury in vaccines must be safe to inject into children, otherwise the CDC and FDA wouldn't allow it to be used in vaccines.
Lie #12) Organic produce is a waste of money. I'll buy conventional produce treated with pesticides and herbicides because the cost of all the cancer treatments I'll need 20 years later will be covered by Obamacare anyway.
Lie #13) The history taught to children in public schools is a true and accurate history. Columbus was best friends with the Indians, too!
Lie #14) Swallowing fluoride chemicals is good for babies and children, and that's why cities put fluoride into public water supplies.
Lie #15) Flu shots prevent the flu. That's why the package inserts for flu vaccines openly state there is no scientific evidence to support any conclusion that influenza vaccines prevent influenza.
Lie #16) Whatever is backed by "science" must be true. Science is never falsified by corrupt scientists or corporate agendas, and scientific conclusions are never wrong.
Lie #17) The global ecosystem can handle unlimited human pollution without any negative consequences. We can all continue to dump unlimited toxins into the environment.
Lie #18) Cell phone radiation is harmless. The reason we know that is because the cell phone companies hired scientists to say so.
Lie #19) If everybody else is doing something, it must be the right thing to do. After all, how could so many people be wrong?
Lie #20) We don't need to store food for emergencies because there will always be more food available at the grocery store.
Lie #21) There's no need to be concerned about Ebola or other infectious diseases in America because the vaccine companies can always and instantly create a new vaccine that works 100% of the time, with zero side effects.
Lie #22) Local police departments need battlefield military weapons, armored cars and body armor because the drug war demands it.
Lie #23) If I buy something at Whole Foods, it must be healthy and free from contaminants like toxic heavy metals. (Or is it really?)
Lie #24) My vote really counts in national elections. We live in a democracy where the People have power over the government.
Lie #25) My checking and savings accounts are perfectly safe no matter what happens because my bank is FDIC insured.
Lie #26) Raw dairy products are dangerous and deadly because the FDA told me so. Those horrible farmers selling raw dairy products should be locked away in prison.
Lie #27) My oncologist recommends chemotherapy treatment for me only because he cares about my wellbeing, not because his clinic sells the chemotherapy drugs at a huge profit.
Lie #28) The government isn't secretly recording my phone calls or reading my emails. Why would they? I've done nothing wrong!
Lie #29) Commercial dog food is healthy and nutritious for dogs. Dog treats made in China are also trustworthy and free from contaminants like lead.
Lie #30) The only way to prevent infectious disease is with a vaccine. Vitamin D and healthy immune support have nothing to do with it.
Lie #31) After I pay off my house, I own it free and clear. (Think again: Property taxes mean you're only "leasing" it from the county. Stop paying those taxes and you'll find out very quickly who really owns your home.)
Lie #32) Google will do no evil, and the fact that the company is developing humanoid battlefield robots, autonomous drones and super-human quantum computing brain chips is nothing to worry about.
Lie #33) Cancer is caused entirely by bad luck (or smoking) and has nothing to do with the food I eat or chemicals in my personal environment.
Lie #34) The radiation release from Fukushima wasn't that bad. Sure, it was many times larger than the Chernobyl disaster, but authorities say we have nothing to worry about.
Lie #35) Autism isn't caused by vaccines, and the way we know is because the CDC scientist who admitted to a massive conspiracy of scientific fraud to bury the evidence linking vaccines to autism should not be believed.
Lie #36) All foods certified as "organic" are automatically free of toxic heavy metals and contaminants.
Lie #37) Human civilization is the only intelligent civilization in the entire galaxy. Anything else would simply be too scary to contemplate.
Sunday, September 7, 2014
25 arrested in new Israel Railways corruption affair
02/09/2014
Chen Ma'anit
Source: Globes Israel's Business Arena
A new corruption scandal has hit Israel Railways. The Israel Police economic crime unit Lahav 433 has detained for questioning more than 25 people suspected of being implicated in an affair involving bribery, fraud, offences under the VAT Law and the Income Tax Ordinance, and money laundering. The scope of the offences is estimated to be in the tens of millions of shekels.
The arrests were made at the end of a covert investigation by the
Israel Police and the Tax Authority. The suspicion is that managers and
inspectors in Israel Railway's sanitation division, employees of
cleaning contractors and manpower services companies and others forged
and altered railway sanitation inspection documents in order to inflate
sums paid by Israel Railways to contractors in this area, in return for
benefits in kind.
The investigation is being carried out with the full cooperation of Israel Railways. This morning, investigators carried out searches at the homes and offices of the suspects, and seized property and documents.
It is also suspected the owners and managers of the contractors systematically issued inflated and fictitious invoices to corporations to which they provided cleaning and manpower services, among them Israel Railways, and made false reports to the Tax Authority.
Link: http://www.globes.co.il/en/article-25-arrested-in-new-israel-railways-corruption-affair-1000968447.
Chen Ma'anit
Source: Globes Israel's Business Arena
Employees in Israel Railways' sanitation division are suspected of financial crimes.
A new corruption scandal has hit Israel Railways. The Israel Police economic crime unit Lahav 433 has detained for questioning more than 25 people suspected of being implicated in an affair involving bribery, fraud, offences under the VAT Law and the Income Tax Ordinance, and money laundering. The scope of the offences is estimated to be in the tens of millions of shekels.
The investigation is being carried out with the full cooperation of Israel Railways. This morning, investigators carried out searches at the homes and offices of the suspects, and seized property and documents.
It is also suspected the owners and managers of the contractors systematically issued inflated and fictitious invoices to corporations to which they provided cleaning and manpower services, among them Israel Railways, and made false reports to the Tax Authority.
Link: http://www.globes.co.il/en/article-25-arrested-in-new-israel-railways-corruption-affair-1000968447.
Shekel flat after volatile week
03/09/2014
Hillel Koren
Source: Globes Israel's Business Arena
After a week of volatile foreign exchange trading following the surprise 0.25% interest rate, which mainly saw the shekel weaken, the Israeli currency is flat today in morning interbank trading. The shekel-dollar exchange rate was down 0.05% in comparison with yesterday's representative rate, at NIS 3.576/$, and the shekel-euro rate was up 0.17%, at NIS 4.6998/€.
Yesterday, the Bank of Israel
set the shekel-dollar representative exchange rate at NIS 3.578/$, down
0.028% on Monday's rate, and set the shekel-euro representative
exchange rate at NIS 4.692/€, down 0.215%.
FXCM Israel research department said, "The shekel-dollar exchange rate continues to consolidate around the NIS 3.57 - NIS 3.58 level. The fact that we have not seen a significant downwards correction in recent days shows the market's bullish sentiments and it is possible that we are about to see another breakthrough upwards.
FXCM added, "The level of resistance is NIS 3.58/$ and rising above that will pave the way to the key NIS 3.6/$ level. The shekel-dollar exchange rate is currently influenced by a combination of domestic and international factors. In Israel the debate about the budget is entering the decisive phase and the prime minister will have to choose between the stance of the finance minister who wants to avoid tax hikes and Karnit Flug who warns about the consequences of increasing the deficit. The global market does not forgive irresponsible fiscal policies and expanding the deficit will weigh very heavily on the shekel and cause foreign investors to flee."
Link:
http://www.globes.co.il/en/article-shekel-flat-after-volatile-week-1000968806.
Hillel Koren
Source: Globes Israel's Business Arena
FXCM Israel: It is possible we are about to see a further weakening of the shekel.
After a week of volatile foreign exchange trading following the surprise 0.25% interest rate, which mainly saw the shekel weaken, the Israeli currency is flat today in morning interbank trading. The shekel-dollar exchange rate was down 0.05% in comparison with yesterday's representative rate, at NIS 3.576/$, and the shekel-euro rate was up 0.17%, at NIS 4.6998/€.
FXCM Israel research department said, "The shekel-dollar exchange rate continues to consolidate around the NIS 3.57 - NIS 3.58 level. The fact that we have not seen a significant downwards correction in recent days shows the market's bullish sentiments and it is possible that we are about to see another breakthrough upwards.
FXCM added, "The level of resistance is NIS 3.58/$ and rising above that will pave the way to the key NIS 3.6/$ level. The shekel-dollar exchange rate is currently influenced by a combination of domestic and international factors. In Israel the debate about the budget is entering the decisive phase and the prime minister will have to choose between the stance of the finance minister who wants to avoid tax hikes and Karnit Flug who warns about the consequences of increasing the deficit. The global market does not forgive irresponsible fiscal policies and expanding the deficit will weigh very heavily on the shekel and cause foreign investors to flee."
Link:
http://www.globes.co.il/en/article-shekel-flat-after-volatile-week-1000968806.
Jordan signs MOU to buy $15b Leviathan gas
03/09/2014
Hedy Cohen
Source: Globes Israel's Business Arena
The partners in the Leviathan natural gas reservoir have signed another agreement with Jordan. The new agreement is worth $15 billion, much larger than the two previous deals signed. Tel Aviv Stock Exchange (TASE) trading in the shares of the partners - Ratio Oil Exploration (1992) LP (TASE:RATI.L), Avner Oil and Gas LP (TASE: AVNR.L), and Delek Drilling Limited Partnership (TASE: DEDR.L) - was halted ahead of the news.
Delek Drilling CEO Yossi Abu and Noble Energy senior VP J. Keith Elliot are currently in Jordan to sign a giant deal with the Jordanian Electric Power Company (JEPCO). The deal covers 15 years, during which 3 billion cubic meters (BCM) of gas will be sold to Jordan annually - a total of 45 BCM.
Jordan's total natural gas consumption is estimated at 4.5 BCM annually, and as of now, it must use diesel fuel and fuel oil as a substitute for gas. Jordan formerly imported 2.5 BCM from Egypt through the Arab Gas Pipeline (AGP). The shortage of gas in Egypt and the problems and sabotage in Sinai, however, eventually caused an almost total halt in the flow of gas to Jordan.
According to an Israeli cabinet decision dated June 23, 2013, up to 40% of the natural gas reserves discovered in Israel can be exported either by pipeline or as liquid natural gas (LNG). Of the 113 trillion cubic feet (TCF) consumed worldwide, only 11 TCF are consumed as LNG, because it is usually expensive, takes a great deal of time, and is more technically complex than gas through a pipeline.
This explains why the Tamar and Leviathan partners want to use a pipeline for exports; furthermore, a land-based pipeline is cheaper than an undersea pipeline. Gas can be exported by pipeline from the Tamar and Leviathan reservoirs to the Palestinian Authority (PA), Jordan, Egypt, Cyprus, and Turkey, of which the PA and Jordan are the most accessible. The PA's consumption capacity is limited, which makes the Jordanian market the most attractive.
Simultaneously with its negotiations with Israel, Jordan is also considering other options for importing natural gas. These include importing gas from Basra, Iraq to Aqaba Port in Jordan, LNG imports through Aqaba Port while using a floating storage regasification unit (FSRU) to reconvert LNG to gas, and additional gas exploration in Jordan (an option that has not produced many results to date, given that only 200,000 cubic meters, all consumed in 2013, have been found there so far).
Last February, the Tamar partners announced that an agreement had been signed to sell natural gas from the reservoir to Jordanian companies Arab Potash and Jordan Bromine, which operate on the Jordanian side of the Dead Sea. The gas was sold through a US company named NBL Eastern Mediterranean Marketing controlled by Noble Energy, which owns 36% of the Tamar reservoir, while Isramco owns 28.75%, Delek Drilling and Avner 15.625% each, and Dor Gas 4%. The agreement is for 15 years, with a total value of $500 million. Under this agreement, 1.8 BCM will be supplied to the Jordanian companies, and gas is slated to start flowing in 2016, when the pipeline to Jordan is completed.
Israel Natural Gas Lines (INGL) will be responsible for laying the pipeline, with financing from the Tamar partners. As of now, however, there are still problems with the pipeline route, which is expected to pass through nature reserves at the southern Dead Sea.
Link: globes.co.il/en/article-jordan-signs-mou-to-buy-15b-leviathan-gas-1000969042.
Hedy Cohen
Source: Globes Israel's Business Arena
03/09/2014, 17:07
The Jordanian Electric Power Company wants to buy 45 BCM of gas over 15 years.
The partners in the Leviathan natural gas reservoir have signed another agreement with Jordan. The new agreement is worth $15 billion, much larger than the two previous deals signed. Tel Aviv Stock Exchange (TASE) trading in the shares of the partners - Ratio Oil Exploration (1992) LP (TASE:RATI.L), Avner Oil and Gas LP (TASE: AVNR.L), and Delek Drilling Limited Partnership (TASE: DEDR.L) - was halted ahead of the news.
Delek Drilling CEO Yossi Abu and Noble Energy senior VP J. Keith Elliot are currently in Jordan to sign a giant deal with the Jordanian Electric Power Company (JEPCO). The deal covers 15 years, during which 3 billion cubic meters (BCM) of gas will be sold to Jordan annually - a total of 45 BCM.
Jordan's total natural gas consumption is estimated at 4.5 BCM annually, and as of now, it must use diesel fuel and fuel oil as a substitute for gas. Jordan formerly imported 2.5 BCM from Egypt through the Arab Gas Pipeline (AGP). The shortage of gas in Egypt and the problems and sabotage in Sinai, however, eventually caused an almost total halt in the flow of gas to Jordan.
According to an Israeli cabinet decision dated June 23, 2013, up to 40% of the natural gas reserves discovered in Israel can be exported either by pipeline or as liquid natural gas (LNG). Of the 113 trillion cubic feet (TCF) consumed worldwide, only 11 TCF are consumed as LNG, because it is usually expensive, takes a great deal of time, and is more technically complex than gas through a pipeline.
This explains why the Tamar and Leviathan partners want to use a pipeline for exports; furthermore, a land-based pipeline is cheaper than an undersea pipeline. Gas can be exported by pipeline from the Tamar and Leviathan reservoirs to the Palestinian Authority (PA), Jordan, Egypt, Cyprus, and Turkey, of which the PA and Jordan are the most accessible. The PA's consumption capacity is limited, which makes the Jordanian market the most attractive.
Simultaneously with its negotiations with Israel, Jordan is also considering other options for importing natural gas. These include importing gas from Basra, Iraq to Aqaba Port in Jordan, LNG imports through Aqaba Port while using a floating storage regasification unit (FSRU) to reconvert LNG to gas, and additional gas exploration in Jordan (an option that has not produced many results to date, given that only 200,000 cubic meters, all consumed in 2013, have been found there so far).
Last February, the Tamar partners announced that an agreement had been signed to sell natural gas from the reservoir to Jordanian companies Arab Potash and Jordan Bromine, which operate on the Jordanian side of the Dead Sea. The gas was sold through a US company named NBL Eastern Mediterranean Marketing controlled by Noble Energy, which owns 36% of the Tamar reservoir, while Isramco owns 28.75%, Delek Drilling and Avner 15.625% each, and Dor Gas 4%. The agreement is for 15 years, with a total value of $500 million. Under this agreement, 1.8 BCM will be supplied to the Jordanian companies, and gas is slated to start flowing in 2016, when the pipeline to Jordan is completed.
Israel Natural Gas Lines (INGL) will be responsible for laying the pipeline, with financing from the Tamar partners. As of now, however, there are still problems with the pipeline route, which is expected to pass through nature reserves at the southern Dead Sea.
Link: globes.co.il/en/article-jordan-signs-mou-to-buy-15b-leviathan-gas-1000969042.
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