False promises? Experts say the marketing hype around 5G is misleading.

By Lance D Johnson

The 5G Revolution is right upon us, or is it? According to experts with the Global System for Mobile Communications (GSMA), all the hype surrounding 5G is misleading. The 5G networks are “in the early stages” and will only be compatible with select smart phones in the coming years. These 5G compatible phones will be expensive and will rely on 4G networks to get going. The 5G rollout is dependent upon the installation of new towers; ideally new towers and transmitters will need to be installed 500 feet apart from one another. This influx of cell towers will emit short wavelength microwaves and will bombard homes with significant amounts of radiation. Over a million new towers will have to be erected to make 5G work as intended. According to HealthImpactNews, the “small cell” transmitters will be mounted on top of electric utility poles, municipal buildings, schools, and in city parks, on top of street signs, bus shelters, and anywhere else telecom companies wish. There will be no escaping the intense microwave radiation pulsing through people’s homes and communities.

The future of 5G smart cities are over hyped and downplay human health risks

All the hype surrounding 5G is misleading because of the price people will inevitably have to pay with their health. Developing brains are most vulnerable. Notwithstanding, 5G won’t become a reality for consumers unless mobile operators upgrade their networks with 5G gear made by companies such as Finland’s Nokia or China’s Huawei. Furthermore, phone makers will have to mass produce handsets that contain 5G radios that can hook up to the new networks. Until then, 4G wireless networks will carry most of the load, as 5G networks take time to erect. GSMA experts predict that 5G will only make up about 15 percent of worldwide mobile subscriptions by 2025. The 4G networks will account for an estimated 45 percent.

https://www.naturalnews.com/2019-07-08-marketing-hype-around-5g-is-misleading.html

By John Vibes

Derrick Broze is a freelance investigative journalist, author, and public speaker who has been a vocal activist in his hometown of Houston, Texas for many years.

Broze’s most recent battle in Houston has been fighting against the state and local government’s plan to roll out new 5G internet technology throughout the city. He has been showing up at city council meetings all year to voice his concerns about the potential risk factors involved with the technology that the city might be overlooking.

Learn more: https://www.naturalblaze.com/2019/07/is-5g-tech-safe-houston-mayoral-candidate-raises-serious-questions.html

Big Pharma Hikes Drug Price 879% And That’s Just One Of 3,400 So Far THIS YEAR

By Mac Slavo

Big Pharma continues to jack up the prices on the drugs they peddle. The price of one drug was hiked 879%, and that’ only ONE of the 3,400 price increases that have occurred so far this year.

Pharmaceutical companies raised the prices of more than 3,400 drugs in the first half of 2019, surpassing the number of drug hikes they imposed during the same period last year, according to an analysis first reported by NBC News. While the average price increase per drug was 10.5%, a rate around five times that of inflation, about 40 of the drugs saw triple-digit increases. That includes a generic version of the antidepressant Prozac, which saw a price increase of 879%.

ARS Technica reported that the surge in price hikes comes amid ongoing public and political pressure to drag down the sky-rocketing price of drugs and healthcare costs overall. In May of 2018, President Donald Trump boldly announced that drug companies would unveil “voluntary massive drops in prices” within weeks, however, Big Pharma didn’t announce any big drops or actually reduce their prices. Trump then went on to publicly shame Pfizer for continuing to raise drug prices. The company responded with a short-lived pause on drug price increases mid-way through last year, but it resumed increasing prices in January along with dozens of other pharmaceutical companies.

“Requests and public shaming haven’t worked,” Michael Rea, chief executive of RX Savings Solutions, told Reuters last December. His company helps health plans and employers seek lower-cost prescription medicines. It also conducted a new analysis of some drug prices.

It really isn’t a surprise that people are losing faith in Western medicine in record numbers in favor of a more natural and holistic approach. Cost is certainly one problem, but many experience debilitating side effects from Big Pharma’s drugs – and they then seek relief from those side effects by using other drugs laced with different synthetic chemicals.  It’s a vicious cycle, and no one should be surprised by the rise in things like herbal tinctures, medicinal teas, and CBD oil. 

The more than 3,400 drug price increases in the first half of 2019 is a 17% increase over the number of drug price hikes in the first half of 2018. So price increases are skyrocketing instead of going down. In addition to the Prozac generic, the drugs that saw triple-digit increases included the topical steroid Mometasone, which had a price increase of 381%. A pain reliever and cough medication (Promethazine/Codeine) saw a 326% hike while the ADHD treatment Guanfacine 2mg saw its price rise 118%.

Learn more: https://www.naturalblaze.com/2019/07/big-pharma-hikes-drug-price-879-and-thats-just-one-of-3400-so-far-this-year.html

Glyphosate byproduct AMPA found to interfere with photosynthesis, the basis of nearly all life on planet Earth.

By Tracy Watson

It has been four years since the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer announced that glyphosate is “probably carcinogenic to humans.” In that time, there has been a lot of focus on the cancer-causing potential of glyphosate, the primary ingredient in Roundup, the world’s most popular weed killer.

As bad as the direct effects of glyphosate are, however, they are not the only dangers associated with this toxic chemical. Studies have confirmed that a glyphosate byproduct known as aminomethylphosphonic acid (AMPA) interferes with multiple plant processes, including photosynthesis, without which most life on Earth could not exist.

What is AMPA?

The website Everything Explained Today explains that AMPA is a weak organic acid with a phosphonic acid group, and that it is one of the main byproducts of glyphosate. Its toxicity is believed to be comparable to that of glyphosate itself.

Learn more: https://www.naturalnews.com/2019-07-08-glyphosate-byproduct-ampa-found-to-interfere-with-photosynthesis.html

Now Big Ag is trying to own the REST of your food: Syngenta claims they invented non-GMO tomatoes.

By Isabelle Z

Have you ever thought about where tomatoes come from? A quick internet search might tell you that they’ve been around since the time of the Aztecs, who ate them in ancient Mesoamerica as far back as 700 A.D. But that’s not what Swiss agrochemical giant company Syngenta would like people to believe. In fact, they’ve taken the bold and baffling step of trying to get a patent on the common tomato.

As hard as it may be to believe, the company’s EP1515600 patent, which they submitted to the European Patent Office, claimed that tomatoes, along with their plants and seeds, were somehow created by them – never mind the fact that they’ve been grown in Europe since the 1500s.

You might think that their biotechnology interests would mean the patent was for GMO tomatoes, but that simply isn’t the case. The patent really had the audacity to claim that non-GMO tomatoes that come from normal plant breeding were their own creation. They said the tomatoes came from crossing tomato plants from Chile and Peru and that they contained higher amounts of vitamins than other tomatoes.

Public outcry led to the patent’s withdrawal

Of course, once the public got wind of this, they were called out on their ridiculous attempt. More than 30 international organizations took a firm stance against Syngenta monopolizing the common tomato. The company ultimately withdrew the patent, which was then revoked by the European Patent Office.

Although their efforts were unsuccessful on this occasion, the whole mess does shed light on a very unsavory practice. The truth is that patents on non-GMO foods like lettuce, pepper, and broccoli have inexplicably been granted to Big Ag firms in the past. The European Patent Office has even made it easier for these patents to be filed despite decisions by its member states to prohibit them. When an international appeal was published asking the body’s president to stop such patent decisions, the EPO responded that such patents were certainly not expressly permitted. However, they can no longer be rejected outright.

This case also illustrates how effective activism can be. With groups like No Patents on Seeds! drawing attention to the issue, the public outcry eventually caused Syngenta execs to back down. All told, 65,000 people from 59 countries took part in a campaign opposing the patent, and one can only hope that similar efforts can be effectively put to rest if people band together in opposition.

Joanna Eckhardt of No Patents on Seeds! said: “This is a huge success. European citizens no longer want to let the big corporations like Bayer, BASF and Syngenta take control of our food production through patent rights. Now European politicians have to make sure no more such patents are granted in Europe.”

It’s scary to think that these firms are trying so hard to own and control our entire food supply, even the food that isn’t genetically modified. It has never been more important to buy organic, non-GMO foods, and consider growing your own produce if possible.

https://www.naturalnews.com/2019-07-07-syngenta-claims-they-invented-non-gmo-tomatoes.html

Puerto Rico Imports 85% of Its Food and Owes $123 Billion in Debt, Yet It Gives Monsanto/ Bayer a 90% Tax Exemption.

By G. Edward Griffin

Puerto Rico’s fertile land is a crop and pesticide poison test site for Monsanto, which was recently sold to Bayer chemical company. Many locals near the company’s seed sites complain of illness.

Monsanto/ Bayer has $2 billion in court judgements against it for cancer and injury claims, with 13,000 more US cases pending. Other GMO and chemical companies in the area include Syngenta, BASF, Pioneer and RiceTec.

Ricardo Rossello, the Governor of Puerto Rico, blamed the island’s bad economy on “colonial treatment” and said that tax breaks are the only tool for economic development. He said that the transnational companies account for 42% to 46% of the economy, although Monsanto/ Bayer receives a 90% tax exemption and $3 million in wage subsidies.

https://needtoknow.news/2019/07/puerto-rico-imports-85-of-its-food-and-owes-123-billion-in-debt-yet-it-gives-monsanto-bayer-a-90-tax-exemption/

Electronic collusion: Facebook harvests your highly sensitive personal info with help from dozens of popular apps.

At least eleven popular apps are working with Facebook to harvest your highly sensitive personal information. According to a Wall Street Journal investigation, this has been occurring covertly, without user consent. It has been happening to people who do not even have a Facebook account.

According to the investigation, Facebook is gathering information about your ovulation cycle, your pregnancy status, your heart rate, and the intimate details about your future home purchases. Apps such as Flo Period & Ovulation Tracker and Instant Heart Rate: HR Monitor have been gathering sensitive information about your health, including height, weight, blood pressure, menstruation cycles, and so much more.

Popular apps are sending highly sensitive health information to Facebook

As soon as the app gathers the “highly sensitive information” from you, they send a copy to Facebook. Facebook, as you know, compiles and analyzes every bit of information they have collected about you to send you targeted ads. These targeted ads play upon your likes and dislikes, your needs and wants to take advantage of you. Your data is also used to “improve your experience on Facebook” by manipulating your news feed and searches.

Facebook automatically collects data from these apps because they designed it to work this way. App developers use the open source software tools provided by Facebook’s Software Development Kit. In exchange for the free tools, Facebook gets access to the data that these apps collect. According to the investigation, at least six popular apps were sending highly sensitive personal health information to Facebook.

These apps include:

Instant Heart Rate: HR Monitor logs people’s heart rate and sends it to Facebook, keeping a detailed analog of user’s cardiovascular status.

Breathe Inc. sent information linking people’s email addresses to the type of meditations they preferred. This information is analyzed by Facebook to understand a facet of how people’s minds work.

BetterMe recorded user’s height and weight and sent it off to Facebook as soon as these personal details were entered into the app.

Flo Period & Ovulation Tracker gathered sensitive data on women’s menstrual cycles and learned about their intentions to get pregnant.

Realtor.com sent location data, listing prices, property IDs viewed, and properties that users marked as “favorites.” The information is then analyzed by Facebook to understand user preferences for future home purchases or rental choices.

(Related: Facebook attorneys admit in court there’s NO privacy on its platform … Users surveiled, tracked and spied on without boundaries or limitations.)

Apps give users an illusion of control over their personal information

The investigators who uncovered this privacy breach worked with a privacy software company to track when and where the apps transmitted internet communications. Out of seventy apps studied, eleven transmitted data to Facebook and in some instances, the transfer occurred immediately after the app gathered the data.

The apps give users the illusion of control over their personal data. The app’s privacy agreements let users choose whether the app can collect data from their electronic device, such as location, contacts, or cookies, but any information collected by the app can be scooped up and sent to third parties such as Facebook. Facebook can then do whatever they want with the siphoned data. Facebook compiles data from several sources and has a detailed psychological profile on all their users and even non-users. This compiled data is analyzed by algorithms to understand how each person thinks, learns, reads, votes, searches, and purchases.

To learn more what Facebook and other tech monopolies are up to, visit BigTech.News.

https://www.naturalnews.com/2019-07-06-facebook-harvests-sensitive-personal-info.html

Environmental travesty: Toxic drug residues in rivers and lakes have increased twenty-fold, killing off bacteria beneficial to marine life.

By Issabella Z

When the topic of water pollution comes up, much of the conversation in recent times has focused on the amount of plastic in the oceans and seas. It’s a serious problem that certainly deserves the attention it’s getting, but there is another type of water pollution that also warrants grave concern: the toxic drug residues building up in bodies of water.

In the span of just two decades, the levels of prescription drugs found in rivers and lakes has climbed twentyfold, and the wildlife living there is at risk. Dutch researchers report that antibiotics and epilepsy drug residue levels are now harming the bacteria that marine ecosystems rely on to thrive. The over-prescription of antibiotics, not surprisingly, is being assigned much of the blame here.

Their study, which was the first of its kind, examined the bodies of water from 1995 to 2015. The researchers used computer analysis to come up with global predictions the impact of this issue will have, and they called for more data gathering throughout the world to keep tabs on the problem. Their findings were published in Environmental Research Letters.

Drugs make their way into waterways after passing through the human body, where they impact the bacteria living there as well as fish, birds and insects. The aging population and growing number of medications people take is compounding the issue. The meds enter fresh water systems via waste water in poorly maintained sewer systems, and the drugs used in livestock can get there from the runoff from fields.

Antibiotics damaging ecosystems

One of the most commonly prescribed antibiotics right now for infections, ciprofloxacin, was determined to have an especially high effect. One of the study’s authors, Dr. Rik Oldenkamp, said that the concentrations of it harm bacteria in the water, which impacts nutrient cycles and affects the bacteria colonies that are used for treating wastewater, making them less effective.

Antibiotic resistance has been considered one of the biggest public health threats the world is facing for several years now, but Dr. Oldenkamp pointed out that much of the focus is on its ability to spread through hospitals and among livestock. He believes there is a serious lack of awareness regarding its impact on the environment.

According to their model, the environmental risk is highest for ecoregions situated in densely populated and dry places like the Middle East. Unfortunately, such areas also happen to be places where there is a serious lack of data on the use of these drugs and their concentrations within surface water.

Another drug they studied, the epilepsy medication carbamazepine, also had a big impact. It has been shown to disrupt the development of fish eggs as well as the digestive processes in shellfish. And it’s even more concentrated in arid areas, where streams are particularly vulnerable.

Antibiotics and other medications were meant to help mankind, but they could prove to be our undoing if society continues to overuse them. You can do your part to help stem the problem by avoiding antibiotics and other drugs unless your doctor has prescribed then – and even then, you should ensure you truly need them and follow the dosing instructions to the letter. In some cases, natural antibiotics may work just as well without contributing to the superbug epidemic and destruction of natural ecosystems.

https://www.naturalnews.com/2019-07-06-toxic-drug-residues-in-rivers-and-lakes-have-increased-twenty-fold.html