Cause Of ALS Discovered!

Major ALS Breakthrough – Common Cause of All Forms of ALS Discovered

By Dell Hill

A major breakthrough has been reported that could soon allow very specific drug testing to control, or perhaps even eliminate, all forms of ALS - commonly known as Lou Gehrig's Disease.

This outstanding medical news was reported by NeuroScienceNews.com.

“The underlying disease process of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS and Lou Gehrig’s disease), a fatal neurodegenerative disease that paralyzes its victims, has long eluded scientists and prevented development of effective therapies. Scientists weren’t even sure all its forms actually converged into a common disease process.
But a new Northwestern Medicine study for the first time has identified a common cause of all forms of ALS.

The basis of the disorder is a broken down protein recycling system in the neurons of the spinal cord and the brain. Optimal functioning of the neurons relies on efficient recycling of the protein building blocks in the cells. In ALS, that recycling system is broken. The cell can’t repair or maintain itself and becomes severely damaged.

The discovery by Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine researchers, published in the journal Nature, provides a common target for drug therapy and shows that all types of ALS are, indeed, tributaries, pouring into a common river of cellular incompetence.

“This opens up a whole new field for finding an effective treatment for ALS,” said senior author Teepu Siddique, M.D., the Les Turner ALS Foundation/Herbert C. Wenske Professor of the Davee Department of Neurology and Clinical Neurosciences at Northwestern’s Feinberg School and a neurologist at Northwestern Memorial Hospital. ”We can now test for drugs that would regulate this protein pathway or optimize it, so it functions as it should in a normal state.”

The discovery of the breakdown in protein recycling may also have a wider role in other neurodegenerative diseases, specifically the dementias. These include Alzheimer’s disease and frontotemporal dementia as well as Parkinson’s disease, all of which are characterized by aggregations of proteins, Siddique said. The removal of damaged or misfolded proteins is critical for optimal cell functioning, he noted.

This breakdown occurs in all three forms of ALS: hereditary, which is called familial; ALS that is not hereditary, called sporadic; and ALS that targets the brain, ALS/dementia.

In related research, Feinberg School researchers also discovered a new gene mutation present in familial ALS and ALS/dementia, linking these two forms of the disease.”

Read more about this exciting news by clicking right here.

Absolutely wonderful news from the science of medical research.  It’s discoveries such as this that will one day lead to the prevention or cure for cancer and other deadly diseases.

“Bombshell” Prediction From BOA’s Harris

Another Credit Downgrade May Happen Sooner Than Later




By Dell Hill

We saw a minor drop in the unemployment figures this week.  That’s a good thing.  But, as most analysts predict, it will be short lived...over and done with immediately after the holiday season, if not sooner.

There’s one extremely disturbing prediction that made the business news this week and you haven’t seen or heard about it until now.

In an analyst note, Bank of America/Merrill Lynch Ethan S. Harris says we should be prepared for at least one more credit downgrade, and perhaps two!  That’s NOT good.

Some business insiders are calling this a “bombshell prediction”.  Here’s a look at exactly what Harris had to say:

“We expect a moderate slowdown in the beginning of next year, as two small policy shocks—another debt downgrade and fiscal tightening—hit the economy.  The “not-so-super” Deficit Commission is very unlikely to come up with a credible deficit-reduction plan.  The committee is more divided than the overall Congress.  Since the fall-back plan is sharp cuts in discretionary spending, the whole point of the Committee is to put taxes and entitlements on the table.  However, all the Republican members have signed the Norquist “no taxes” pledge and with taxes off the table it is hard to imagine the liberal Democrats on the Committee agreeing to significant entitlement cuts.

The credit rating agencies have strongly suggested that further rating cuts are likely if Congress does not come up with a credible long-run plan.  Hence, we expect at least one credit downgrade in late November or early December when the super Committee crashes.”

Not only did Harris predict at least one more downgrade, he predicted the President’s Deficit Commission will be unable to even come close to an agreement on how to approach the task of eliminating nearly a trillion and a half dollars of US debt.  That’s not good.  One major problem that will cause another major problem.

Just when the holiday shopping season is in high gear, Harris expects the Deficit Commission to throw up its hands in failure.  If that happens, and another downgrade slams the economy before the end of December, it’s going to be a VERY long, cold winter everywhere.  If you’re watching the markets closely, you know that investors aren’t exactly burning up the NYSE computers with “buy orders”.  Another downgrade would cause the word “sell” to echo from the opening to the closing bell.

Egyptian Facebook User Earns 3 Year Prison Term

(Watching All Users Trying To “Friend” Ayman Mansour)


By Dell Hill

If you happen to be traveling to Egypt, it might not be such a good idea to post anything bad about Islam to your Facebook account.  Freedom of speech is somewhat lacking in that region, as we learn in this report from Fox News:

“Egypt's state media says a Cairo court has sentenced a man to three years in prison for postings on Facebook deemed to be inciting sectarianism and in contempt of Islam.

The MENA state news agency said Saturday the misdemeanor court found Ayman Mansour had intentionally mocked Islam and used "outrageous and scurrilous" language in describing the religion's holy book, the Quran, and its prophet and believers.

The court said freedom of belief doesn't excuse contempt that may offend believers and "subject the regime and the country's security to serious dangers."

Egypt is grappling with an increasingly assertive ultraconservative Islamist trend, and recent clashes between the military police and Coptic Christians have heightened fears of increasing sectarian strife.”

It’s probably a good thing that Facebook users, who are American citizens and take great pride in their Constitutional Right to Freedom of Speech, aren’t subject to investigation by the Egyptians.  We’d all be in the slammer.

Constitutional Law Professor Seeks To Skirt The Constitution

Constitutional Law Professor Seeks To Skirt The Constitution

Virginia Senator Moran In Solid Support



By Dell Hill

Sometimes they let their guard down and reveal their true allegiance.  I’m talking about far-left leaning Democrats - the ones we generally refer to as Marxist socialists.

It happened again recently.  Virginia Democratic Rep. Jim Moran told The Daily Caller on Thursday evening that President Obama should “refinance every home mortgage” without congressional approval in order to “reset the economy.”

But don’t take my word for it; watch the video from the Daily Caller:




The Senator from Virginia is quite obviously sober and has his wits about him as he suggests the President take unilateral action that’s diametrically opposed to the separation of powers under the constitution.

And don’t be shocked if the President tries to do just that!

Obama has already asked his Council on Jobs to identify areas of the American Jobs Act that can be implemented without congressional authorization, clearly showing his personal frustration with his political opponents across the aisle in congress and a willingness to take on dictatorial powers to achieve his goals.  

All of this from a man whom we are told taught a college level course in Constitutional Law?

It’s Time To Reject The Socialist Regime

It’s Time To Reject The Socialist Regime

Obama’s Money Laundering Political Machine Must Be Stopped


By Dell Hill

Via Doug Ross @ Journal

When it comes to in-depth analysis, Doug Ross consistently produces must read material.  Very early in my blog writing experience, the late Jane Jamison introduced me to Doug’s blog - Doug Ross@Journal - and suggested it as an example of the kind of articulate, well-researched blog posting that she hoped to achieve at Uncoverage.net.  It certainly didn’t take long before I was in total agreement.

I very much appreciate the fact that you’re reading my blog right now, but I hope you’ll take the time to visit Doug’s web site and peruse his excellent offerings.

This particular piece struck me as the type of political information that every American voter should seriously consider in the run-up to the 2012 presidential elections.  It is reprinted in its entirety with permission.  

    Illustrated: Inside the Obama 2008 Money-Laundering Machine

   
A year in advance of the momentous 2012 elections, it's worth revisiting the 2008 campaign that brought Barack Obama to power.  In particular, the Obama campaign took an unprecedented series of steps to allow illegal campaign contributions and electronic money laundering.
intentionally turned off all credit-card security, which allowed the entry of fake names and addresses for donations.  Obama's 2008 fundraising website intentionally allowed this to occur.
accepted made-up credit-card numbers, which were probably tried one after another until valid card numbers were found.  Obama's 2008 fundraising website intentionally allowed this to occur.
retained forged computer addresses for its donations instead of the addresses of the real donors.  Obama's 2008 fundraising website intentionally allowed this to occur.
accepted untraceable prepaid cash cards that could easily have been used to evade contribution limits or mask contributor identities.  Obama's 2008 fundraising website intentionally allowed this to occur.
secretly shared donor lists with Project Vote and ACORN, the latter a group reportedly under a RICO investigation for multi-state vote fraud involving hundreds of thousands of fraudulent registrations and other misdeeds.  Obama's 2008 fundraising operation allegedly did just that.


IP addresses).  In my opinion, there is only one reason a website would allow the submission of a fake IP address: money-laundering. Logging of the true IP address would mean that the real source (including the city and country) of the contribution could be traced.  Allowing a fake address to be logged instead would prevent authorities from ascertaining the true origin of the donation.


In 2012, I urge you to be on the look-out for this kind of diabolical rule-breaking as a desperate Democrat Party scrabbles to hold onto power.

Copyright © 2003-2011 by Doug Ross, All Rights Reserved.  Reprinted with permission.

Note From Dell Hill:  My thanks to Doug Ross for allowing me to reprint this entire piece.  

The subject matter - the 2012 presidential election - will be, without question, the most important election in this nation’s 236 year history.  Over the past three years we’ve helplessly watched as our country is being dramatically converted from a highly successful Capitalist nation into a socialist regime, reminiscent of the failed Marxist Union of Soviet Socialist Republics.  We simply can’t let that happen.

It’s time to reject Barack Obama and his socialist regime.  And not only Obama.  Every Senator and Representative who supports this President’s socialist agenda, who are bent on destroying this country, should be turned out of office by the very power that has made the United States the greatest country on Earth - We, the people.

Is Your 401-K or IRA Safe From “Deficit Reduction” Taxation?

President’s Super Committee Is Tempted


By Dell Hill

Publisher’s Note:  This blog does not give financial advice of any kind.  Opinions expressed here are solely those of the writers identified and linked so as to better educate our readers. Please consult your personal investment counselor(s) for your particular investment decisions.

With a super committee desperately searching for a fair method of extracting $1.5 trillion dollars in deficit cuts, some very low-hanging fruit has emerged.  And there’s been talk about this possibility for some time.  The problem now is time.  The President’s super committee has until December to come up with a plan and, thus far, most of the talk has centered around reconnoitering 401-Ks and IRAs for a substantial tax hit.

JOHN MERLINE, writing at INVESTOR'S BUSINESS DAILY, brings us up to date on the latest. 
 
   
Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus, D-Mont.


“Is your 401(k) safe from the tax man?  That's a question that might be worth asking, as the congressional "supercommittee" scrambles to find $1.5 trillion in additional deficit cuts.

In September, the Senate Finance Committee held a little-noticed hearing that explored changes to retirement plans — principally employer-sponsored 401(k)s — that would in one way or another cut their tax deductions.

The tax breaks' size makes them a tempting target for lawmakers.  According to the White House budget office, tax exemptions for 401(k)s and IRAs will "cost" the government more than $436 billion over the next five years.

Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus, D-Mont., complained that "in spite of the tremendous tax preferences," Americans aren't saving nearly enough for retirement.

Critics say the existing system benefits mostly the rich.  The liberal-leaning Tax Policy Center calculates that 80% of these tax "expenditures" go to the top 20% of earners.

Such people "would almost certainly save for retirement even without tax incentives," said Karen Friedman, policy director at the Pension Rights Center.

But Judy Miller of the American Society of Pension Professionals and Actuaries argues that the deduction's cost is wildly exaggerated.  Adjust for the taxes paid when retirees withdraw money and the cost is cut in half.

And, she says, the break is more progressive than some allege.  Among other things, high earners who get a bigger tax break going in end up paying more in taxes when they take the money out.

"Contrary to the common myth, the tax incentives are not upside down at all," she said at the Senate hearing.  Plus, the current system has led to an explosion in retirement savings, with 401(k)s now holding about $4.7 trillion in assets and IRAs $4.9 trillion.

Still, proposals to cut the deduction and make it more "fair" seem to be gaining traction in Washington, including the White House.

One idea pitched at the Senate hearing is to replace the entire tax deduction with a flat government match of 18% to 30%.  The Brookings Institution's William Gale, who helped develop the idea, says if the credit were set at 18%, it would boost tax revenues by $458 billion over 10 years, mostly from wealthier workers.

President Obama's debt commission proposed cutting the annual cap on 401(k) employer/employee combined contributions to $20,000 from $49,000 now.  (The individual limit is $16,500 a year; workers age 50 and older can add another $5,000).

I realize that what you’ve read thus far is a pretty big bite to chew.  But if you’re serious about your retirement earnings, read the rest of this report by clicking here.

For me, what it all boils down to is a lot of “maybe”, mixed with a generous amount of concern.  Having full knowledge of the incredible shenanigans that resulted in Obamacare becoming law, I no longer trust anyone who holds public office to advise me on my finances, nor do I have any confidence that my retirement accounts are safe from the Democrats tax and spend thievery.  You can throw a few RINO Republicans into that mix, as well.

Just the fact that we’re talking and writing about this possibility is frightening enough. Consult your financial manager and keep both eyes peeled on Washington, D.C. 

Tony Branco Does It Again!