By the Children’s Health Defense Team

The United States spends over $230 billion annually on children’s personal health care, representing about 8.4% of total U.S. health care spending.

Spending jumped by 56% between 1996 and 2013—with some of the increase likely covering vaccine program costs that began “dramatically” escalating in the 1990s—but these substantial outlays are not translating into a rosy health picture for American children. Instead, leading child health indicators seem to be giving new meaning to the phrase “geography is destiny.”

International comparisons show that the U.S. has ranked lowest among twenty developed nations for child mortality since the 1990s and currently ranks behind 55 other countries worldwide for infant mortality.

The U.S. also lags behind other developed countries in terms of the rate at which infant mortality is declining—in fact, infant mortality due to prematurity or low birthweight began trending upward in the late 1980s.

At present, U.S.-born children are 76% more likely to die before their first birthday than infants in other wealthy nations—with 1 out of every 270 American babies dying in their first year of life as of 2015. Thus, from infancy on, young Americans are confronted with the challenge of beating terrible odds.

https://healthimpactnews.com/2019/babies-born-in-u-s-76-more-likely-to-die-before-1st-birthday-than-infants-in-other-wealthy-nations/

By Dr. Mercola

• While the free press of the past served the role of watchdog and independent informer, the press we have today is far from free and unbiased
• One way by which industry and even government are shaping and manipulating the press is by way of press embargoes, and the so-called “close-hold embargo” in particular
• Another way is through the creation of front groups, and there are now many dozens of industry front groups masquerading as independent information organizations
• In June 2019, a study of International Life Sciences Institute’s (ILSI) internal documents revealed how the organization exerts worldwide influence promoting an industry-focused agenda
• The Science Media Centre has been effective in shaping media coverage about science. One analysis found a majority of journalists who used SMC services did not seek additional perspectives for their articles

Learn more: https://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2019/10/02/how-media-watchdogs-became-industry-lapdogs.aspx?utm

By Clintel

A group of 500 prominent scientists and professionals, led by Professor Guus Berkhout, sent a letter to the Secretary-General of the UN, António Guterres, that simply states, “There is no climate emergency.”

The letter criticizes UN climate models as being “unfit” for creating policy.

Berkout wrote that current climate policies grievously undermine the economic system, putting lives at risk in countries denied access to affordable electrical power.

He also called for a meeting between top experts in 2020 so that both sides are fully and fairly heard.

Climate science should be less political, while climate policies should be more scientific. Scientists should openly address the uncertainties and exaggerations in their predictions of global warming, while politicians should dispassionately count the real benefits as well as the imagined costs of adaptation to global warming, and the real costs as well as the imagined benefits of mitigation.

Read the entire article here: https://clintel.nl/brief-clintel-aan-vn-baas-guterres/

By Stephen Chen for South China Morning Post

China has developed the world’s first portable sonic gun for riot control, the Chinese Academy of Sciences said.

The rifle-shaped instrument, which was jointly developed with military and law enforcement, is designed to disperse crowds using focused waves of low frequency sound, the academy’s Technical Institute of Physics and Chemistry website said on Wednesday.

The device’s “biological effect” would cause extreme discomfort, with vibrations in the eardrums, eyeballs, stomach, liver, and brain, scientists said.

Studies dating to the 1940s found that low frequency sound energy could, depending upon intensity and exposure, cause dizziness, headaches, vomiting, bowel spasms, involuntary defecation, organ damage and heart attacks.

Sonic weapons are typically large and have to be mounted on vehicles. Until the Chinese development, which has no moving parts, they were powered by electricity to drive a magnetic coil to generate energy. This meant they needed a large and stable source of power.

The Chinese government launched the sonic weapon programme in 2017 and its conclusion is unlikely to be related to the months of anti-government protests in Hong Kong.

Professor Xie Xiujuan, lead scientist on the project, said the device was powered by a tube-shape vessel containing an inert gas. When heated, the gas particles vibrate and a deep, monotonous sound is emitted.

The prototype had passed field and third-party tests and the project team has completed its assessment of the device’s effects on the body, the academy said.

A Los Angeles police officer stands by a sound cannon at a demonstration in Anaheim – Chinese scientists say they have taken the technology to a new level. Photo: AFPChina has developed the world’s first portable sonic gun for riot control, the Chinese Academy of Sciences said.

The rifle-shaped instrument, which was jointly developed with military and law enforcement, is designed to disperse crowds using focused waves of low frequency sound, the academy’s Technical Institute of Physics and Chemistry website said on Wednesday.

The device’s “biological effect” would cause extreme discomfort, with vibrations in the eardrums, eyeballs, stomach, liver, and brain, scientists said.

Studies dating to the 1940s found that low frequency sound energy could, depending upon intensity and exposure, cause dizziness, headaches, vomiting, bowel spasms, involuntary defecation, organ damage and heart attacks.

Professor Xie Xiujuan discusses the portable sonic rifle (circled) with the government science panel sent to evaluate it. Photo: CASShare:

Sonic weapons are typically large and have to be mounted on vehicles. Until the Chinese development, which has no moving parts, they were powered by electricity to drive a magnetic coil to generate energy. This meant they needed a large and stable source of power.

The Chinese government launched the sonic weapon programme in 2017 and its conclusion is unlikely to be related to the months of anti-government protests in Hong Kong.SUBSCRIBE TO US China Trade WarGet updates direct to your inboxBy registering, you agree to our T&C and Privacy Policy

Professor Xie Xiujuan, lead scientist on the project, said the device was powered by a tube-shape vessel containing an inert gas. When heated, the gas particles vibrate and a deep, monotonous sound is emitted.

On September 4, a panel of scientists and engineers representing the Ministry of Science and Technology met in Beijing and approved a design developed by Xie’s team for mass production.

“The panel suggested that the fruit of the project should be transformed into practical equipment as soon as possible,” the academy said.

In a photograph on the institute’s website, the device could be seen on a meeting room table as the experts deliberated. It looked similar to a rifle, with a stock, trigger and barrel.

Xie refused to reveal details of the device’s frequency or its effective range. She also declined to comment on its uses without approval from higher authorities.

https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3028071/chinese-scientists-develop-handheld-sonic-weapon-crowd-control