CNN Reports:

U.S. To Deploy Special Forces Into Syria

On Whose Authority?

Ignoring the legitimate government of Syria, ignoring the United Nations,

and under the cover of 'peace negotiations' in Vienna, America has embarked on a strategy of supporting 'terrorists' which could have profound implications for its perception and for the rule of international law for many decades to come.

In actual fact, we might as well tear up all international agreements with regard to the United Nations as it now has no legitimacy in international peacekeeping nor as a forum for the consent of nations as established in the post-Second World War era.

Humiliation

Apart from anything else, because such a force lacks all legitimacy – other than an agenda to overthrow the government of Syria - America is going down a very dangerous road it probably, out of hubris (see my earlier blogs) has not thought through the full extent of the ramifications.

Should such 'mercenaries' (Special Operations Personnel) be captured and, operating without the consent of the government in Damascus, despite the false presentation and (justification) by CNN as a 'legitimate' operation.  God forbid such mercenaries are 'captured' then 'sold on' to another 'terrorist' group (a very common practice during warfare through the centuries in this part of the world) their status and fate will only be determined by the extent of ransom the U.S. government will be prepared to pay to 'release' each captured individual, alive.

[Qualification: The assumption here is that Special Forces Personnel would not be captured by ISIL/Daesh and 'bartered' between terrorist groups so that one would attempt to secure ransom rather than the U.S. government see one of its Personnel handed over to ISIL.  
In summary placing 30 even 50 even 200 Special Forces into such a chaotic environment, having been advance publicly declared, without appropriate support, is akin to a suicide mission, in my opinion.]
(Qualification added on 1st November, 2015)

America is digging itself into a deeper and deeper hole in a region where already too much chaos, death, bloodshed and misery has touched the lives of both civilians and combatants.

Let me tell you exactly what these Special Operations Teams have (probably) already been told by their commanding officers: I paraphrase the (likely) scenario:

''In the event of your capture, beyond attempted rescue and extraction, the U.S. government will not negotiate for your release.''

So these highly trained specialists are, in effect, being used kamikaze-like as (expendable) assets, more akin to an unpatriotic act on behalf of the government they swore to serve than to the expected role of honor for a just and righteous cause.

'Only Following Orders'

Before You Blame The U.S. Military, Look To See Who Really Benefits From Their Deployment Into Syria

Being shamelessly used as 'political fodder' to satisfy (mainly Republican Party) extremists who regard, with contempt, anything and everything in the employ of the Federal government of the United States and it's armed forces, is a dishonor not just to the armed forces of the United States but also to its international allies, who may well also be ordered into mission-supportive roles.

We are reaching the point where someone has to call out these U.S. politicians and their supporters, from the ranks of the Republican Party and those from corporate America, who would put American military lives at risk without legitimate authority - and I would not call Republican Party overt nor covert support for such insurgents – clones of the very individuals who caused 9/11 - 'legitimate' authority - for what they really are, which, at the very least, would be called 'misguided'.

CNN and FOX Networks Both Now Openly Support The Perpetrators of 9/11 Under The Guise of Syrian 'Moderates'

CNN is a national disgrace – and anyone who has any common sense can see this.

It is now propping up support through its networks in the U.S. and worldwide for Islamic fanatics, under the guise of 'Syrian moderates' which, I told you two years ago here, did not exist.

Far worse, these 'moderate' Syrian opposition forces the U.S. now openly backs are the most evil groups to emerge from the hell which American decoherent foreign policy, having been hijacked by religious fanatics and extremists in the United States, has created over the past two decades.

The United States government is now openly in support of Islamic fanatics linked to Al Qaeda and ISIL. Even if they are not directly, almost without exception, they are individuals whose Salafist and Wahhabist agendas praise and glorify the perpetrators of 9/11 and Osama Bin Laden.

How Could American Foreign Policy Sink To Such Low Depths?; Future Historians May Well Ask

With regard to the non-existent 'moderate' rebels in Syria, the murder and rape of children, of babies, of women and men is now totally permissible by these Republicans in the American Congress and their supporters in civil and corporate American society - as long as it ultimately leads to the overthrowing of President Assad. Anyone, even the devil itself, is regarded as an ally, provided it is prepared to work with the United States for the overthrowing of the Syrian President.

I never was a fan of Assad and in my wildest dreams I could never have seen myself saying a good word in his defense. But if you ask me to choose between Gadhafi, Saddam Hussein and Bashar al-Assad – none of whom ever committed any act of terrorism on the mainland of the United States and all of whom opposed Al Qaeda and their heinous affiliates, had nothing to do with 9/11, I will evocate support of the legitimate Syrian government any day of the year rather than with an evil entity which was directly responsible for 9/11 but has been given a 'free pass' to wreak havoc and reshape the Middle East into its own tyrannical image and liking – all in the interests of Mammon.

.

Emerging New World Orders (BRICS)

I do not believe that the United States administration as yet realises the full international extent of the ramifications of its decision to deploy special forces with no legitimacy (other than that, perhaps, of the American Congress or  Presidential executive action) outside the 'bubble world' of Western Christendom (including Australia and New Zealand) and NATO.

Let me give you just one example of a likely ramification of such rule of 'jungle' law in the case of Africa: America ceases to have any legitimate relevance to all but its 'client' countries in Africa – and will become increasing reliant on tyrannies, intellectual and primitive pygmies, as those countries which should have been its strongest allies on the continent – such as South Africa – gravitate even further into a new economic, political and military structure which denies access to America, at all levels, as an influential leader on the continent. This is an inevitable outcome as it (the United States) relies more and more on the 'law of the jungle' for legitimacy to determine foreign policy and in the conduct of military operations abroad.

Secondly, such extremists (again mainly from within Republican Party circles) have always held the United Nations in contempt and have now decided to use their influence to simply bypass it in favor of direct (unlawful by all international laws the world subscribes to) military action in a part of the world where the danger of global conflagration lurks around every political, religious and tribal imbalance created.

The message such U.S doctrine and policy sends to emerging nations yearning leadership and power is that might is right, to hell with international laws and diplomacy (where diplomacy is now simply a cover for illegal acts of war not sanctioned by any international authority.)

''Rome Was Not Built In A Day''

(Neither Did the Empire Collapse Overnight)

The Unthinkable May Also Be Much Nearer At Hand Than I Had Ever Imagined

When and where the United States fails to provide leadership and uphold the frameworks of international law and diplomacy, for sure, some other superpower will move in to fill the vacuum.

Let me explain to you what I mean.

Many decades ago I said, rather jokingly to the number 2 or number 3 at the Chinese Embassy that perhaps, one day, the United Nations and other international bodies, might 'decamp' from New York and Geneva to China – but I reckoned it would not be for about a thousand or more years – at a future time when China was more 'open' to the world such as is the United States today. (I was very careful and polite not to use the word 'democracy' in my predictive analysis.)

As America squanders its leadership and exceptional destiny in favor of ignorant, bigoted and short-sighted corporate agendas - all developed by individuals who appear oblivious to the fact that the rest of the world can see through their real motives as one can see through clear glass - another nation or superpower, for sure, will step up, and step in, to fill this void.

It will be a genuine tragedy for the world because no nation has been better endowed in the past two thousand years to provide global leadership, than has, through quirks of history, the United States.

Sadly, this is the direction in which events are being inexorably moved.

More and more, there are to be found remarkable parallels between the fall of the Roman Empire and American policy at home and abroad.

The greatest tragedy, in my opinion, is that the ordinary folk are oblivious to the 'Fall of Rome' and will only realise what is happening as the barbarians and 'contractors', with the aid of collaborators and traitors, ransack and pillage the 'Eternal City' - in favor of their own very narrow agendas.

©Patrick Emek, 31st October 2015

addendum: 1st November, 2015

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mammon

MH-17

The Agony For The Victims' Relatives Is Prolonged as

The Mystery Continues

Matryoshka

Having watched the Dutch Safety Board and the BUK Manufacturers both hold their rival Press Conferences on the same day, you could be forgiven for being totally confused about what was actually being said.

I won't dwell on either conference which I encourage you to view on line by clicking on the references below.

What I would like to do is pick out threads from selected redacted (deleted) internet posts over the past year and, from what the experts (Dutch Safety Board and Buk Manufacturers) are now telling us, in a jigsaw manner, try to fit them all together.

There is at present no foregone conclusion - just a fragile string of leads, explicit and implicit statements on all sides, which may point to a scenario.

The Jigsaw

What was redacted:

I

The BBC were quick to pull Olga Ivshina's Report from You Tube-only to (much later) reinsert it (after an international outcry) on an alternative BBC website.

What was in her report which caused such concerns?

It would now appear that it was the eye witnesses reports of the presence of a Ukrainian fighter plane which was the main issue. This was at a time, you need to remember, when the Ukrainian Government was categorically denying any of it's military aircraft were in the vicinity of the MH-17 tragedy. So the BBC took a political decision not to embarrass the Ukrainian government and to immediately accept it's version of events as opposed to those of (suspect?) on the ground local eye-witnesses reports.

II

The second redacted (removed) report was a You Tube interview from a month before the fatal downing of MH17 with an Eastern Region Separatist fighter named 'Elena' from Sloviansk who said on that You Tube Video Report that it was 'routine' for Ukrainian fighter planes to 'hide' alongside/behind civilian airlines knowing that the rebels would not fire on a civilian aircraft and thus give them 'cover' for attacks on rebel positions.

This You Tube interview was also quickly removed by You Tube.

No reasons were given for its removal so you need to draw your own conclusions.

One likely possibility would be a complaint from the Ukrainian government that You Tube was promoting the rebels in a civil a war in Eastern Ukraine by giving a platform to such 'untrue' 'propaganda'.

Such a complaint, in the light of current international politics, would certainly be enough to have the interview removed from You Tube with little to no explanation.

III

Next are credible independent eye-witness reports of Ukrainian fighter planes in the immediate vicinity of the MH-17 airplane at the time of the tragedy.

IV

I was sent a video of raw footage which I was never able to elicit any further information about so I put it on the site for others to investigate as the implications of a potential War Crime are very serious.

V

Then there is the BUK surface-to-air missile which DSB experts now confirm brought down Malaysian flight MH-17.

The DSB appeared to give a frank and honest assessment – especially as to what must have been a very traumatic conclusion for the relatives about how the victims on board died 90 seconds after the kill-missile impact.

VI

I would like to stay on the issue of trauma for a moment.

Many ordinary people in the immediate vicinity of the tragedy witnessed carnage persons outside war zones are not usually exposed to.

I recall when I visited Sri Lanka at Easter, after the Boxing Day Tsunami of 2004.

I listened to harrowing stories from ordinary folk who pulled the bodies of dead adults and children out of water and entanglements after devastation engulfed parts of this tropical island. Even at the time of listening I could not but help feeling sorry for these ordinary folk who will never have access to bereavement counselling nor other support for the trauma they were clearly re-living as they told me about their personal experiences as part of voluntary relief teams. I listened patiently as they told me their individual stories, never interrupting, as I was aware that this was the only therapy they will ever have to retain their sanity.

There is no doubt that the impact of loss on the victims families of the MH-17 tragedy will continue every day such events are relived in the media and no amount of bereavement counselling nor recompense can prepare anyone for such future flashbacks.

Such facts in themselves should motivate the investigators to attempt to give some immediate closure to this tragic event as quickly as possible.

VII

Then there was the BUK manufacturers conference (on the same day as the DSB Conference) where the technical experts presented their case for the missile not being from current BUK stock but from a batch which was decommissioned and prohibited from use several years ago.

Their Report was so highly technical it could not have been staged-managed as nobody in their right minds would put people on public stage who quite clearly were unused to dealing with the general public and explaining things in a (down-to-earth) language the masses could understand(!)

What was quite evident was they had done little preparation for the (proverbial) 6-year-old trying to interpret their data:

“If you can't explain it to a six year old, you don't understand it yourself.” (Albert Einstein)

So what are we left with?

Lets leave aside the issue of the flight corridor, liability and the criminal investigation, for the time being.

1.MH17 was, more likely than not, brought down by a Russian-made BUK missile.

2.There were Ukrainian fighter plane(s) in the vicinity of the MH17 shooting down at the immediate time of disaster.

3.the Ukrainian government emphatically denies it had fighter planes in the vicinity of the tragedy.

4.No satellite data from the U.S. has been presented to the DSB which refutes the Russian Federation's claim that it was a version of BUK long discontinued for approved use by Russian armed forces and that the BUK missile which brought down MH-17 was not fired from a rebel-controlled location. We only have a Ukrainian government report, based on hearsay, to confirm the rebels are guilty of this crime but we are told (asked to accept by Ukrainian authorities) that 'evidence exists' but is 'too secret' to be given – even to the Dutch Safety Inquiry Board.

[There is of course always the possibility that such satellite evidence may be presented to the criminal investigation for analysis in the near future.]

5.Ukrainian fighter planes regularly used civilian airlines overflying rebel-held territory as 'cover' when attacking rebel positions in Eastern Ukraine.

6.That the Russian Federation had Special Forces in the Eastern region at that time to assist local rebels.

7.That Russia had supplied the Ukrainian rebels with sophisticated surface to air missiles for self-defense purposes – to protect town and villages being attacked and shelled by ground and from the air by Ukrainian government forces.

Was this just a tragic accident or premeditated murder?

The criminal investigation continues.

©Patrick Emek, October 2015

Erratum October 2015:  Boxing Day Tsunami of  2004

http://cdn.onderzoeksraad.nl/documents/pressrelease-mh17-en.pdf

http://cdn.onderzoeksraad.nl/documents/report-mh17-crash-en.pdf

http://sputniknews.com/world/20151013/1028437455/mh17-russia-report-almaz-antey.html

http://www.todayonline.com/world/asia/mh17-shot-down-ukrainian-missile-russian-missile-maker

https://vimeo.com/111325917

https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5474269484469470704#editor/target=post;postID=2963297528951012443;onPublishedMenu=posts;onClosedMenu=posts;postNum=47;src=link

http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article39234.htm

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matryoshka_doll

EBOLA:

What The Government Failed To Reveal

I always begin any topic of such magnitude by stating that I am not a medical professional but my background in technical analysis and research has provided me with certain skills which I bring to bear in these situations.

The advantage here is that, other than occasional self-censorship, I am not blogging for financial gain nor dependant on a media organisation for my existence, salary, nor promotion.

As a Scottish Nurse who contracted Ebola in West Africa (Sierra Leone) is suddenly rushed to hospital having suffered a relapse, the British government had no option but to come partially clean with some more truths about the dormancy period and polymorphic aspects for this deadly virus.

If you want to know what they (Western governments) are or may still not be revealing about this potential pandemic, please refer to my earlier blogs for some guidance.

Why The Secrecy?

So as not to create panic amongst the general population of course.

Most people these days have little access to anything other than mainstream news. Successful sophisticated propaganda and technologies of political, technical and psychological control mean that many are anxious not to be 'seen' as 'unpatriotic' by 'searching' for a genuine alternative viewpoint beyond the defined social parameters as laid down by the State.

It is ironic that in a world of information overload many are concerned about what effect expressing an opinion contrary to the accepted norm will have on their life and careers. Their fears are quite justified.

I am probably amongst the last of the Riefenstahl generation to appreciate the value of propaganda whilst staying borderline to the 'system'.

(I had the opportunity, many decades ago, to meet with Leni Riefenstahl on one occasion, but due to other activities and my own work at that time, I was unable to attend the Reception.)

It should never be forgotten that while Riefenstahl was a pariah for decades after The Second World War in the West, her works were standard (if not seminal influences) on U.S. and Allied information specialists (including psychologists and psychiatrists) and were designated or required as study for appreciation, emulation and further development at military colleges, academies and other institutions and learned houses.

The Stuff Of Nightmares

Let's get back to the issue at hand.

The prospect of a pandemic plagues the nightmares of anyone with a modicum of understanding about what is out there – but not in the public domain. If Hollywood has made one positive contribution, it is the therapeutic effect which bringing the visual impact of such scenarios to life has in order to prepare the populace for situations where their compliance might be, at some future point, prerequisite by the State.

I can say for certain that I personally am more fearful of a major pandemic in the future than I am of nuclear warfare.

Virology and Bacteriology are subjects more prone to unique loners than their individual potential capability and capacity exists to develop a nuclear device.

As society becomes increasingly even more complex and its controls more subtle and obscurely rigid, the likelihood is that so too the sophistication with which a terrorist biowarfare strategy is developed, will be the likely response.

The popular scenarios played out by Hollywood bear some limited relationship to bioterror scenarios and potential for mass infection and, at least, they give the public an appreciation of the draconian response by authorities in the event of such an emergency as it is impossible to protect whole populations with any meaningful response other than monitoring, containment, isolation, disinfection and termination.

Why Lie To the General Public?

If you read my earlier blog you will see that an incubation period of (initially) 24-28 days was more for public consumption and to allay fears than bearing any logical relationship to what was actually happening.

The fact that 99% of the general public was prepared to accept this explanation should give Western governments (and indeed most worldwide) some relief that, in the event of a real emergency, the situation can be easily explained and contained with little to no questioning of the scientific community (eminent members) and public relations statements on behalf of the health and other government departments.

In Israel, for example, as in many other parts of the world, in the event of a major terrorist attack leaving carnage in it's wake, the important thing is to 'clean up' – remove the body parts, wreckage, etc as quickly (and as dignified and humanely, under the circumstances) as possible so that 'normalcy' is perceived as continuity.

The ideal scenario, after rapid forensics, is to have everything looking exactly as it was prior to the bloody carnage within hours as opposed to days.

An ideal situation would be within 3 hours but it currently runs between 18 hours to 3 days, as minimum, in many developed countries.

The longer the carnage remains in view the more likely it is to create a lasting imprint on the masses. So the prime objective is to remove all traces of a trauma – thus thwarting the terrorists – since all traces of 'shock and awe' have been completely removed and substituted with their antithesis.

I have some confidence that most of the major global viruses which have the potential for pandemics have been identified.   My fear is the ability of an individual to create a synthetic virus about which we know next to nothing. Far fetched?  Maybe? Maybe not so far fetched. Only time will tell.

The equally worrisome antithesis is the ability (and willingness) of a State or State body (plausible deniability) to develop such for a strategic or targeted population control purpose, as yet to be determined.

Which pose the greater danger depends on whether you see the glass as 'half full or half empty.'

Expect more revelations about Ebola to be 'coughed up' only as their concealments are no longer viable options.

©Patrick Emek, October 2015

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-34483584

http://www.taschen.com/pages/en/catalogue/photography/all/02605/facts.leni_riefenstahl_africa.htm

http://www.amazon.com/The-Last-Nuba-Leni-Riefenstahl/dp/0312136420/ref=pd_sim_14_2?ie=UTF8&refRID=1YSPTKV6ZAZGFPXEV7HH&dpID=41NPW24P5EL&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL160_SR107%2C160_ 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leni_Riefenstahl 

Why Russia Will Not 'Offer' To Conduct Military Operations In Iraq

(Lessons Learned From American Failures)

There is increasing speculation that the Iraqi Premier's recent statement about Russian assistance may herald Russian forces joining the campaign against ISIL/ISIS Daesh in Iraq. Such, however, is unlikely to happen.

Chasing Straws In the Wind

Why, in my opinion, it will not happen in the manner envisaged by the Iraqi Premier, is outlined below.

One of the lessons learnt from American disasters in Libya, Iraq, Syria and now even in Afghanistan (as the promised additional military assistance and resources have not been forthcoming in time to hold back the Taliban, Al Qaeda and Daesh) is that you cannot conduct a military operational campaign when it is being micromanaged by politicians. Yes of course, it is political agendas which set the framework and it is to such that the military officers are ultimately accountable.

Political paralysis in the United States has meant that a unified coherent foreign policy has been impossible to achieve – especially in the conduct of military operations in Syria.

As with Libya and Iraq in the past, such means that the Republican and Democrat Representatives have different outcome agendas and neither appear to have the expertise nor vision to provide blueprints beyond military campaigns and occupation, with very limited strategic objectives, almost oblivious to the masses (local populace) who are perceived as available for micromanagement by U.S. trained military, paramilitary and police units – something similar to what might take place in the United States to control urban civic unrest.

For example it took the brutal murder of many U.S. troops - in many instances by female suicide bombers - in Iraq - for the U.S. forces to appreciate that men do not 'frisk' Muslim women in alien (i.e. their own Muslim) lands.  Iraq, it was then appreciated, is not the United States.

The Enemy Within

In the lead up to a U.S. election year all such divided House members will pivot for maximum advantage and all demand not just being kept 'in the loop' but in micromanaging operations to such an extent that if the military commanders are perceived as not reflecting each sides public policy electorate-winning emotive agenda policies, leakages (of operational failures, cooperation with Russian forces, betrayal of U.S. 'patriotic' values) to the mass media in order to discredit political opponents will be both the order of the day – and turn any coherent unified strategy into a fiasco.

The Lone Ranger

It is for such reasons that any offer along the lines of the Iraqi Premier is a 'poisoned chalice' – even more since the White House has rejected (or spurned) any cooperation with Russia's military campaign in Syria.

The Empire Strikes Back

The only time when the Russian Federation will, in my opinion, consider assisting Iraq would occur should the Iraq government formally request assistance from the Federation – with no conditions attached which might hinder of impede Russian Allied operational issues.

Iraq is not in the same desperate situation which President Assad is.

The new regime in power does not want a return of the Ba'athist Officers who have, by and large, defected to ISIS.

The Kurdish region is heavily dependant on U.S. support whilst the Sadarists in the South dependant on Iran.

The failure, however, of the United States to offer anything other than words of sympathy for the Kurds in what is developing as an (internal) outright civil war against the Salafist-controlled government in Turkey and the paucity of the grade of weapons being supplied to their forces, notwithstanding air support against ISIL forces (to protect oilfields rather than Kurdish forces and territory per se) could well persuade the Kurds that they too have little to loose and everything to gain with a joint request for assistance to Moscow.

There is no doubt that if such a request was made and the mistakes of both Russia in Afghanistan and the United States more recently in Iraq, Libya and Syria unlikely to be repeated, under such circumstances such a joint request would be favorably considered by the Russian parliament.

The Framework Shifts

At such a stage, China, already on good terms with both Iran and the Shia political and spiritual leadership in Iraq, seeing how the export of such chaos could be motivated by external elements to destabilize its own fragile Muslim regions, may well decide, having witnessed the terrible destructive potential which this movement (ISIL) poses, that it is in its own longer-term security interest, to join the battle in Iraq against ISIL rather than having to combat these fanatics with military campaigns for decades - or even longer - in its own backyard.

If the above scenario plays out, it would no doubt be a decisive game changer.

There are, again, longer term implications of having both Russia and China as significant regional players in the region.

Check (Mate?)

Apart from Baghdad, the Iraqi State (or what is left of it) is partially surrounded by patchworks of ISIL-controlled regions – in spite of American bombing strategies and the presence of limited advisors to support Iraqi government's military initiatives, there is just not the confidence that America has the political will to 'get the job done'. There is no evidence in Washington that such a unified strategy exists – indeed quite the opposite appears to be the case in an election lead-up year where its every political party for itself – power is the name of the game.

Deja Vu

As in an earlier war which ended in a fiasco and betrayal – Vietnam – the Iraqi government, is, I have no doubt, beginning to ponder as to whether it is now nearing time to contemplate the unthinkable - jumping ship - before it, also, is too late.

[The symbolism of the launch of Russian Cruise Missiles against ISIL targets in Syria from it's fleet in the Caspian Sea, an area the U.S. and Allies intend as the next area of influence, is lost upon the general media.  Please read my earlier blogs for further clarity on this matter.]

©Patrick Emek, October 2015

 

  Introduction

The implications of a recent discovery by scientists working at the National Institute of Health and published today in 'Science Translational Medicine' are so profound that I am including it as a separate article from the usual Public Information Content page.

For those of you reading who have a scientific background, I hope you agree that this exciting breakthrough could well be the discovery of the year and one of the most profound of the decade.

 (As to a joint Nobel Prize for the scientists, if it was my decision, they would now be, at the very least, on the shortlist for next year!) 

Patrick Emek

now read on.....................

  

• U.S. Department of Health & Human Services

Dormant viral genes may awaken to cause ALS

NIH human and mouse study may open an unexplored path for finding treatments

Share on email Share on facebook Share on twitter

Scientists at the National Institutes of Health discovered that reactivation of ancient viral genes embedded in the human genome may cause the destruction of neurons in some forms of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The results, published in Science Translational Medicine, suggest a link between human endogenous retroviral genes (HERVs) and ALS. The findings also raise the question of whether antiretroviral drugs, similar to those used for suppressing HIV, may help some ALS patients.

For generations, humans have been passing on genetic remnants of HERV infections that may have happened millions of years ago. Although nearly eight percent of the normal human genome is made up of these genes, very little is known about their role in health and disease.

“People call the genes for these viruses junk DNA. Our results suggest they may become activated during ALS,” said Avindra Nath, M.D., clinical director at the NIH’s National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) and a senior author of the study. “Ultimately we hope the results will lead to effective treatments for a heartbreaking disorder.”

Currently, there is no effective treatment for the more than 12,000 Americans who live with ALS. This fatal disorder destroys neurons that control movements, including speaking, walking, breathing and swallowing. On rare occasions, HIV-infected, AIDS patients develop ALS-like symptoms. In many of these patients, the symptoms can be reversed by treatment with antiretroviral drugs. Previous studies found reverse transcriptase, a protein encoded by retroviral genes, in the blood of some ALS patients but its role in the disorder is unknown.

These observations prompted Dr. Nath and his team to explore the possible link between retroviruses and ALS. Unexpectedly they found that endogenous, or inherited, retroviruses may be involved with ALS.

Viral genes in ALS - Scientists studied human and mouse brains to show that genes for a seemingly inactive and inherited virus may be linked to ALS. Courtesy of Nath lab, NINDS.

Initially, they showed that brain samples from ALS patients had higher than normal levels of messenger RNA (mRNA) encoded by genes of the human endogenous retrovirus K (HERV-K). A protein encoded by a critical HERV-K gene, called env, was found in brain samples from ALS patients but not from healthy individuals or patients with Alzheimer’s disease. They also showed that activation of HERV-K genes killed healthy human neurons grown in petri dishes.

To test the role of HERVs in ALS, the scientists genetically modified mice so that their neurons activated the HERV-K env gene. The mice died earlier than normal and had problems with balance and walking that progressively worsened with age. When the scientists inspected the brains, spinal cords and muscles of these mice they found that only motor neurons, the cells that control movements and die in ALS, were damaged. Cells in other parts of the nervous system remained healthy.

“We showed that motor neurons may be susceptible to activation of these genes during ALS,” said Dr. Nath.

Finally the scientists showed that activation of HERV-K genes may be controlled by TDP-43, a gene-regulating protein that has been strongly linked to ALS and known to control HIV production. Genetically enhancing TDP-43 in human neurons increased the cells’ production of HERV-K mRNA and proteins whereas genetically blocking TDP-43 in other cells reduced HERV-K reverse transcriptase activity.

Dr. Nath and his team are now collaborating with the ALS center at Johns Hopkins University to study whether antiretroviral treatments are effective at controlling HERV-K replication in a subset of patients with ALS.

“We may have discovered a precision medicine solution for treating a neurodegenerative disorder,” said Dr. Nath.

This work was supported by intramural research programs at the NINDS, the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS) and the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Development (NICHD).

For more information, visit:
www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/amyotrophiclateralsclerosis/ALS.htm
www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/motor_neuron_diseases/motor_neuron_diseases.htm
neuroscience.nih.gov/ninds/Home.aspx
www.niams.nih.gov/Research/Ongoing_Research/default.asp
www.nichd.nih.gov/about/org/dir/Pages/index.aspx

NINDS is the nation’s leading funder of research on the brain and nervous system. The mission of NINDS is to seek fundamental knowledge about the brain and nervous system and to use that knowledge to reduce the burden of neurological disease.

The mission of the NIAMS, a part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' National Institutes of Health, is to support research into the causes, treatment and prevention of arthritis and musculoskeletal and skin diseases; the training of basic and clinical scientists to carry out this research; and the dissemination of information on research progress in these diseases. For more information about the NIAMS, call the information clearinghouse at (301) 495-4484 or (877) 22-NIAMS (free call) or visit the NIAMS website at http://www.niams.nih.gov.

The Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), sponsors research on development, before and after birth; maternal, child, and family health; reproductive biology and population issues; and medical rehabilitation.

About the National Institutes of Health (NIH): NIH, the nation's medical research agency, includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. NIH is the primary federal agency conducting and supporting basic, clinical, and translational medical research, and is investigating the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs, visit www.nih.gov.

NIH...Turning Discovery Into Health^®

References

Li et al. "Human endogenous retrovirus-K induces motor neuron disease," Science Translational Medicine, September 30, 2015. DOI: 10.1126/scitranslmed.aac8201

###

British Politics:

The World Is Not Enough
(A Very British Coup)

      

As one of the richest men in the United Kingdom and former Deputy Chairman of The Conservative Party, Lord Ashcroft, takes  revenge on his former sponsor and mentor for not providing him with a privileged position which he believes his wealth entitled him to possess (a noted feature of wealth and power in the United Kingdom and, of course, in many other countries throughout the world.)

Rather than treat this as a separate unrelated new article, I resurrected an earlier blog which I think is apt for the occasion.

I would place Ashcroft within the list of 'disgruntled' and 'embittered' individuals hell-bent on revenge - for being, in his own mind, 'spurned' by those institutions he thought he 'bought' or had a 'right' to 'own' by virtue of his wealth and power.

When one steps back and reflects, it  appears that, for those like Ashcroft, wealth has certainly not brought them happiness - neither in their private nor public life.  As for power, the world is simply not enough, neither to satisfy lust nor greed and far from freeing them, all those fabulous riches have provided are 'golden cages' for such loft to sing, like a canary, from within.

They appear to be caught somewhere between limbo and purgatory, destined never to experience heaven nor hell.         In this particular instance, one might include the pen - as the last-resort 'weapon of mass distruction' before 'Dante's Inferno'; with the scribe and author, in this particular instance, being guided, by a 'thrifty'  newspaper (of enigmatic scruples, proffering to be acting in the best, the highest and the finest British spirit of the 'public interest') though the Asphodel Medows, before twilight takes it's full eternal  and all-embracing hold.

Lets assume this is yet another very British Coup, who benefits? Boris?;waiting in the wings;or maybe even George?;away in China as it all hits the fan; or another Dark Horse, somewhere in the background?

To the more distant and remote, in its totality, it all appears to be pearls before swine.

 

...............Sic transit gloria mundi..............

  

©Patrick Emek, September 2015


References

 http://www.scriptonitedaily.com/2015/09/21/those-pig-allegations-about-david-cameron-and-the-fabulously-british-twitter-reactions/

 

https://dantesthedivinecomedy.wordpress.com/divine-study/inferno-study-guide/

  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greek_underworld

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=sang+like+a+canary

 http://www.scriptonitedaily.com/2015/09/21/those-pig-allegations-about-david-cameron-and-the-fabulously-british-twitter-reactions/

 

 now read on

'No Sex Please! - We're Anglo-Saxon!'

You can't help but notice in the Anglo-Saxon media world the number of 'sex claims' against prominent individuals.

I am not talking about under-age sex but claims by adults who were adults at the time that the alleged offences took place and should, by all accounts, have known better.

(The normal response in my time was a severe slap across the face or even worse, kick in the groin, by the offended adult which usually removed any (unwanted!) hand from any female private area – and at the speed of light!)

I am now talking about ditched girlfriends, former wives, embittered semi-geriatric ex-lovers, 'privately maintained women' or acquaintances or ex-employees now accusing prominent individuals of 'molesting' them when they were 18+ years old – or bottom pinching them as adults (when they were above the age of consent) thirty or forty or even fifty years ago.

I have to invoke my own (lapsed) profession now and say that, from a psychiatric and psychological viewpoint, it would appear that the availability of mass media instant personal communications have produced a new type of sociopath which my (latent ) profession has not yet been prepared (or simply is not courageous enough) to acknowledge.

The Embittered Sociopath with Obsessive-Compulsive Neurotic Dysfunctionalities

Without revealing my own background and training, I have, by accident, met and listened in public forums to some of the stories of these individuals and am of the opinion (I cannot say 'professional' because I am not a practicing psychologist nor practicing psychiatrist) drawing on my studies and training, that such individuals have indeed suffered.  Their 'suffering' however clearly appears to be the results of failed relationships, unfulfilled ambitions, and broken or embittered dreams rather than any culpability on the part of the individual being accused of 'molesting' or 'assaulting' them whilst they were clearly in a consensual (and sometimes clearly and evidentially, financially beneficial) relationship 30 or 40 years ago.

It also appears to be the result of resentments - 'Die Hard' and 'Death Wish' - revenge checklists bubbling underground, like dormant volcanoes, for decades.

So if you want to call this psychological trauma, then clearly they have suffered.

Perhaps they have been quietly 'stalking' their former partner for decades, watched him (it's usually him) raise a happy loving family and have waited in time, in the darkness, for their revenge, before expiry.

False Claim Syndromes The Role of The Internet and Social Media

The internet, social media and perceived changes in societal values have now provided the mediums for such grievances to be exploited.

The fascinating thing about Witch Hunts is that every opportunistic character can 'get in on the act' - from charities seeking a new funding frontier, to politicians seeking a new 'fear' with which to swing votes in their favor, to those with more sinister objectives – such as the dismantlement of credibility in the institutions of the State (part of insurgency strategy which political and religious extremists use to undermine society) all jump on board for the ride. The rest of the horrified general public just cower back in terror.   And it can be a very lucrative ride – the charity gets enormous publicity 'taking down' prominent individuals (and, as an intended consequence, it's coffers swell), the politicians are overwhelmingly re-elected with the promise to keep civil society 'safe and secure', extremists are very happy because credibility in institutions of the State have been grievously undermined.

Under Anglo-Saxon jurisprudence. the embittered individuals have had their former lovers or acquaintances or 'sugar daddy' publicly humiliated -and have even been rewarded financially 'for psychological damage'.  So it's a win-win situation for everyone – no proof required just enough individuals to jump on the band waggon to ensure the public can 'see' that, there can't be smoke without fire.   Right?   Right?   Right?

It does not matter that no proof of alleged offences taking place 30 or 40 or 50 years ago has been produced.  When you have Witch hunts no proof is required - only public confessions, and recantations of sorrow (such recantations used to be elicited by the Inquisition Friars with last-minute pleas to the condemned that, at the very least, they should attempt to save their immortal souls from eternal damnation with a public acknowledgement of heresy, witchcraft and wrongdoing.)   Today such are elicited by lawyers acting for the 'victims'.    That this all take place in a public arena before the public 'burning at the stake' – which today is the feeding of the accused as 'dinner' to the 'starving' mass media wolves, bereft as they are of anything worthwhile to gossip about since the departure of Rupert Murdoch.

[Some even (privately) suggest a relationship between the ignominious departure of Mr Murdoch from the United Kingdom, the conviction and jailing of his close associates, and the mass and velocity of the availability of material about sex scandal revelations implicating prominent individuals, to long-enquiring bodies.   Remember folks, you read it here first!]

 Prince Andrew - Britain's (One time) Most Eligible Bachelor

The embittered already, triumphantly, have Prince Andrew's 'head' 'in a bag', so to speak.

(Again allegations - but of a different nature than those being addressed above - and again strenuously denied by the Prince - with the usual 'no evidence required' by his accuser to fulfill today's criteria for 'guilt by association'.)

 I expect the next ones on their 'hit list' to be The Queen or The Duke of Edinburgh.

Already the demented and retarded claim that She is a lizard, has webbed feet and a tail and that both of Them are aliens - and I don't mean the ones coming in via Lampedusa (!)   You think that I'm joking?   Not in the least!    As Will Smith said in the film 'Independence Day' when the alien spacecraft hatch opened:   ''Welcome to [Planet] Earth!''

© Patrick Emek, 2015

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom%C3%A1s_de_Torquemada

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inquisition

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Witch-hunt

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matthew_Hopkins

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Witchfinder_General_%28film%29

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_by_burning

http://www.history.com/news/ask-history/were-witches-burned-at-the-stake-during-the-salem-witch-trials

http://www.smithsonianmag.com/ist/?next=/history/a-brief-history-of-the-salem-witch-trials-175162489/

http://www.gendercide.org/case_witchhunts.html

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2894480/Prince-Andrew-repeatedly-slept-sex-slave-controlled-underage-prostitution-ring-U-S-court-papers-claim.html

'The Queen Is An Alien' – the 'evidence' so far:

https://www.google.com/search?q=the+queen+is+an+alien&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=--qnVIWdN8WC7gb2s4CIDw&ved=0CDwQsAQ&biw=1280&bih=893

http://www.davidicke.com/forum/showthread.php?t=46701

He once claimed he's the Son of God and the world is run by alien lizards, but the story of David Icke's marriage breakdown is almost as weird By Natalie Clarke for MailOnline
Updated: 08:11, 9 January 2012 

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2083287/David-Ickes-marriage-breakdown-He-claimed-hes-Son-God-world-run-alien-lizards-story-marriage-breakdown-weird.html#ixzz3NlS5Lh9p

and now back to the sane world(!):

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Independence_Day_%281996_film%29


and by request:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OfPWpEKhgfk




..........and just to end on a more serious note:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spaceballs


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=juXCX3dhz8Y

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EfkNvOOiZ_8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kD516OENN7s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SEEwAvlJOcI

The Grand Design

 

Leading By Example

Over the last weekend The Holy Father made a pronouncement that each Parish within Christendom should take in at least one refugee family fleeing into Europe mainly from wars which our politicians have created in Iraq, Syria, Libya, Afghanistan, Yemen, the Horn of Africa.

This is in keeping with the Christian spirit of both hospitality and protection of those vulnerable and fleeing persecution.

I should add that over the course of the centuries the The Franciscan, Jesuit and the Marist Orders (with which I am familiar) have all suffered martyrdom throughout the world  (especially in the Americas and in Africa) in the process of protecting refugees.

It therefore came as not entirely a surprise to me that, where all the politicians have failed (and the presence of these particular refugees in Europe, in their hundreds of thousands, are, in my opinion, the results of this failure) The Pontiff should take the lead role in Christendom in giving moral guidance in how we should deal with this matter.

The fact that The Holy Father is welcoming two refugee families into his own home is a lesson in leading by example. (I believe that a former Hungarian Premier has offered similar sanctuary in his own home to a family fleeing to Christendom from persecution.)

Other prominent (and brave) politicians in Europe (from Finland, Denmark and Luxemburg if I am correct) are also leading by example.

Having A Blueprint

The practical issues as I see it, are complicated by the presence of so many extremist Imams in Christendom. We cannot successfully integrate such new arrivals, given the current historical situation, with so many Imams ready to 'program' the new Muslim 'flock' into their extremist ideologies from day one of resettlement.

(Some of these ISIL-supporting Imams – and all of whom are Salafist and Wahhabist-supporting individuals – have been allowed to quietly pack their bags and head on home to Saudi Arabia or Egypt or Jordan, to avoid diplomatic embarrassment.)

The rest of their acolytes remain to receive instructions via the internet or cable TV from the fanatics who preach hatred against Christendom from the safety of Saudi Arabia 24/7 on the airwaves. If only the general public had a translation of the vile hatred which these evil individuals preach 24/7 from Saudi Arabia on the internet and television they would have a different view of the Kingdom as not just feudal and tyrannical but an affront to Christians worldwide.

This is issue number one.

Then there are the practical issues of housing, jobs, education and healthcare.

Because of the world recession (caused by a multiple factors - all of which you will find discussed better and more frankly in my blogs than in or on 'The Daily Mirage' – all designed to 'feed' your ignorance to the point of overweight) there are major cutbacks in central government and local administration spending to offset the effects of falling exports and central government revenues. For this reason properly vetted bona fide Muslim families already domiciled in Christendom should be invited by the authorities to play their part in assisting with resettlement. In view of The Holy Father's pronouncement this would be entirely in keeping with his thoughts and sentiments. Of course where there is no Muslim family living in a Parish, this responsibility would initially be with a well-to-do (financially capable) member of the local Parish. Should no such person exist locally, then each Parish, (as I interpret it) must come up with it's own solution to fulfill the pronouncement.
(I am assuming that The Holy Father has thought long and prayed on this matter - as such is the only temporal power he has today - and it is for this reason that I am saying what I have above.) It would be far less costly if some financial incentive was given to a Muslim or, where none exist, to a Christian family, in each Parish by local administrations to assist with a Government-led and monitored program for resettlement or temporary residence through civic training and instruction.

This would be more cost-effective than for such matters to be unstructured.

Accepting that refugees are not willing migrants, efforts should also be made to encourage and support self-reliance. The government, banks and tax incentives are methods to assist this process.

It has been mentioned in some reports that ISIS/ISIL/The Islamic Caliphate are no doubt using this crisis to infiltrate members into Europe as 'sleeper' cells.
I have avoided commenting on this for two reasons:
The first is because most refugees are undoubtedly genuine and to label them all as potential terrorists does nothing to alleviate their suffering - it only increases it.  The second reason is because this is an ongoing intelligence matter best left to those in the field and whose job it is to manage the issue.

'Welcome' Is Not An Invitation To Restructure Christendom As A Christian Entity

I also believe that Christendom needs to be proactive in the application of practical measures which can be taken to ensure the new arrivals are both welcomed and are aware that they are now living in Christendom and must either abide by its more basic requirements of secularity or seek sanctuary elsewhere.

Déjà vu

So getting the politicians to 'back off' may not be as easy as it sounds, especially if the mainstream media are either ignorant of 'The Great Game' (which in many cases they are - being more concerned with celebrity issues and news trivia - at the desired wish of their coprorate owners) than genuine news research and analysis.

But the most important issue of all is enabling such refugees to return to their beloved homelands and such is impossible with politicians we currently have who are hell-bent on more wars in Syria and, some years down the line, The Caspian Sea region (read my previous blogs about Iran and The Nuclear Deal-Is There More To It Than Meets The Eye) – the new oil , gold, strategic mineral 'El Dorado' of the latter part of this century.

Yes folks, as you sit there oblivious, new wars and strategies for strategic asset 'protection' have been mapped out involving another part of the world. Well they would not be called planned wars but strategies to defend the Caspian Sea assets from, say, a terrorist attack. Such plans can easily be 'flipped' to incorporate different scenarios. Dual function strategies are not unheard of.

If you think that this is inaccurate or far-fetched, do your own research and see what conclusions you arrive at.

Exodus

Therefore, enabling the refugees to return back home may be a more difficult task that it at first appears.

There may be more money to be made leaving these political refugees in (forlorn) exile in Christendom for a long time and letting extremists dictate a more favorable local policy agenda which is 'managed' by Turkey and Saudi Arabia on our behalf in their ancestoral lands, than one or two million hapless 'opponents' to these murderous extremist regimes being allowed to return home - as opposed to living 'overseas' (in Christendom.) At least their fellow-brother Muslims will be spared the 'trauma' of murdering such opponents, men, women and children, in the millions, (by wholesale butchery and slaughter) and can therefore more quickly set up their Caliphates and the like, with little to no 'home-grown' opposition.

And the general public, oblivious to the 'greater plan', continue to blame the hapless refugees for 'the problem' of their presence.

Under such circumstances getting the refugees home may be a longer-term project than most people would imagine or are aware – and one which our own politicians are simply not interested in as they (or a core cabal of them) have other more pressing corporate agendas to implement.


 Déjà vu section amended 13th September, 2015:
paragraph deleted
 Having A Blueprint 

addendum:paragraph on 17th September

©Patrick Emek, September 2015

http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2015/09/06/pope_asks_all_european_parishes_to_take_in_a_refugee_family/1169953